grub

following words to the mbuttes incomp.os.linux.misc...:

I'm not entirely sure what you mean or whether your information is correct...

If the kernel version you've posted here *is* correct, then youare running an experimental - and thus unstable - kernel generation from many years ago...

Every kernel which has an odd number - e.g. 1, 3, 5 - as the minor - i.e. the second number - is an experimental kernel. You claim that your kernel is a 2.1.21 kernel, which chronologically places it before the release of the stable 2.2 kernel generation.

In the meantime, we have already pbutted the 2.4 stage - although some distributions still use 2.4 kernels - and we're currently at 2.6.16.6 forvanillakernels.

The kernel you list appears to be from RedHat - "el" stands for "Enterprise Linux", which would make your RedHat copy a very old one. I don't even believe that RedHat ever released a distribution based upon the development branch of the Linux kernel - i.e. those odd-numbered ones.

buttuming that this information is all correct, you are attempting to mount - and apparently at boot time - anext3filesystem, but unless I'm mistaken,ext3wasn't supported yet in 2.2 kernels and earlier.

So what is basically going on, is that the kernel either attempts to load the driver for theext3filesystem as a module and fails out of an incompatibility between the kernel and the module, or that it can't find this module as it actually sits on anext3filesystem.

In the latter case, it should be able to access the filesystem asext2- it's basically the same thing asext3but without the journaling - but something tells me that you're trying to boot this kernel withoutext2support in it as well, or at least with bothext2andext3compiled as modules, but without aninitrd.

Without further information from you, it's hard to give you any specific advice, other than trying to boot your regular kernel - I'm buttuming that the one you are having trouble with is not your regular kernel.

If you really want to troubleshoot this, we're going to need a lot more information, such as: - What distribution (and version) are you using? - Where did this kernel come from (and is the version correct)? - Are you by any chance trying to compile your own kernel? - How are your filesystems formatted? - What are your GRUB entries?

If all else fails and you can't boot your system up normally, try booting from an install CD or a rescue CD, or eventually a boot floppy (if possible), and gather the information from there, using the commandline, i.e. ...

catetc-fstab

... and...

catboot-menu.lst

Hope this was useful... ;-) -- With kind regards,

*Aragorn* (Registered GNU-Linux user #223157)