🚀 go-pugleaf

Dean Malandris wrote:
> 
> I had a bit of an accident and corrupted the /etc/inittab file in Slackware.
> When I boot the machine now, because of some illegal getttydef declarations
> in the file, it tells me of fatal pids and that there are no more processes
> left in the current run level. I can't switch consoles. In fact, there is no
> response to anything but CTL-ALT-DEL to reboot it.
> 
> I have a backup copy called inittab.old in the /etc/ directory, so I can
> replace it and restore the machine if I could only get into it. I made a
> bootdisk on my other Linux box; it boots of /hda3/ and the problem machine
> is /hda2/.
> 
> The problem machine will boot off the floppy but won't give me access to
> /hda3/ so I can get in there and fix the file.
> 
> Any suggestions as to how I can force my way in and do the fix?

If you have access to the LILO bootprompt / LoadLin command line then adding
init=/bin/sh to the kernel command line (so you type something like "Linux
init=/bin/sh" at the LILO boot prompt) should get you a root shell, without a
password.  Your root partition will be mounted read only, and no other
partition will be mounted, but it should be a start.  (running /etc/initd/boot
(?) may fix this, or just use the approprate mount command yourself to remount
/ read-write.)  Once fixed, reboot.

(ie: You boot your current system, no boot disk or anything, and instead of
using /sbin/init the kernel uses /bin/sh, which is more useful in this case..)

-- 
Shannon McCracken


Write protect error reading drive a (Windows '95)