[SWLUG] Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3, 8)

[Julian Hall]

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Julian Hall wrote:

> Julian Hall wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>
>> As you can tell from the subject this is a nasty problem. Can
>> anyone advise please how to recover from this? Prior to this all
>> I was doing was setting up Samba shares using Webmin. The laptop
>> is where the error has come up on reboot, but I haven't even
>> managed to share anything on that yet. All I've done so far is
>> get the laptop to see the shares I've enabled on the desktop.
>
>> The only other thing that could even possibly have any bearing is
>> that the laptop dual-boots with Windows 2000. Sometimes it
>> refuses to enable to touchpad and keyboard forcing a hardware
>> shtdown. It had just done that, however it's done it many many
>> times before and not once affected Linux in this way.
>
>> Any ideas please?
>
>> Kind regards,
>
>> Julian
>
>
> Bit more info if it helps:
>
> Distro: Xandros 3.0 OCE boot using LILO selected menu item
> (Xandros) then I get:
>
> BIOS data check successful Uncompressing Linux... OK, booting the
> kernel audit(1143836280.4294966570.0): initialized Using
> /modules/splashFXmod.ko Using /modules/mbcache.ko Using
> /modules/ide-disk.ko Using /modules/ext2.ko sh: error opening
> /proc/software_suspend/do_resume: No such file or directory
>
> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs on
> unknown-block(3, 8)
>
> Please bear in mind I have no idea what most of that means, I've
> just copied it off the screen of the laptop in the hope someone can
> explain how the heck to get my system back (preferably without
> reinstalling as the Cardbus config to get the wireless up and
> running is a total *nightmare*
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Julian

Any ideas at all *please*?  At the current rate Linux is getting
reinstalled more often than Windows on my computers due to obscure
crashes and errors that I can almost never find on Google.

I don't *want* to ditch Linux, but unless it starts showing me more of
the mythical reliability it's supposed to have, I will be very soon.

Kind regards,

Julian
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