Author Topic: Bricked..........damn! (Read 5977 times)

cybernetseraph · « **on:** February 13, 2005, 10:29:22 am »

Hey,

I was installign full debian (see thread) when i rebooted to the linux console, my password didn't work (either through my own fault or not, for one thing i knew my root password, and it wouldnt log in, flat out refused)! after trying for about an hour (including blank passwords) I decided i'd have to restore the Z and do it again (no problem so far...) i got to the ok menu, and did a restore, but when i got to the hdd3, i got an error, an it looped, one control c later and i got a message... "wait ,5 ,4, 3, 2, ,1" several of those in a row, folowed by nothing, then after a while, i got the wait message again, i left this overnight, still the same in the morning, so i decided to do the restore with the thourough checking, after about half an hour or so this also did a hdd3 error then went into the same old routine,

If i could get the z to boot, and get a copy of fdisk on there, i could restore the partition to fat32 and go about business as normal, but seeing as i an't boot, and unlike on my linux box a livecd won't help here.....

so i'm stumped... is there anything i can do? am i screwed? am i now 600quid down with nothing to show for it? or is there a way out

getting a bit depressed here, i've bricked and restored before (it appears to me that the zaurus, simply by the user base that wouldwant it is often bricked as something breaks)

any help would be incredibly apreciated, i'm at a massive loose end here!

thanks...

-0-

benito · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2005, 05:12:21 pm »

Have you tried getting a prompt with the D+B keys? TRIsoft has a manual that describes how to do it. (p.31) It's a bit difficult to do and I had to try about 5 times before I got it to boot but it does work.

From the prompt you could probably mount the drive, run fdisk and change back to vfat.

Cheers,
Ben

cybernetseraph · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2005, 11:11:24 am »

Well i now have a prompt (wasn't so hard to get following the instrructions on the pdf), and i foudn out that /hdd3 (/dev/hda3) has now been reformatted to FAT, however, i have a feeling that that won't be enough. I'm just testing it now, but i have the feeling that /root/etc/rc.d/rc.rofilesys will still be changed as i did so before, (found to be correct just now by myself, rebooting still gives the hdd error followed by the looping) i also have the problem that i can't mount most of the fstab, hdd 1,2,3 are fine, but i can't get acess to /root/etc/ in fact when i moutn all i can from the fstab, there is nothing in /root. so i'm stuck again, but at least i know so much works.

Anyone know how to get the rest of it fixed?

If icould change rofilesys then it would work, but i'm worreid by the fact i can't gseem to get it to exist.

and help? please?

-0-

benito · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2005, 04:34:58 pm »

Haven't tried it myself, but there is some documentation about restoring from scratch .

cybernetseraph · « **Reply #4 on:** February 14, 2005, 06:01:30 pm »

Thats fantastic, just what i needed, i'll have to get hold of a cf card (my girlfriend has a cf reader, but neither of us have a card, i'll get one soonish and try this out, but thats really great, much appreciated)

-0-

Jen · « **Reply #5 on:** February 15, 2005, 05:33:24 pm »

Cybernetseraph-

Be sure to let us know if this works!

I'm trying to decide between an 860 and a 3000 - should be a no brainer right? But as a linux newbie on of the things that was scaring me off from the 3000 was the inability to fully restore the original ROM. Also - since the 860 has been out longer I figured people will have worked out solutions for most of the problems I'll encounter.

Still if this works then maybe the 3000 is the best way to go after all! I can't wait to hear from you...

jpmatrix · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2005, 06:29:44 pm »

cybernetseraph,

i have EXACTLY the same problem as you : damn HDD3 Error on boot.........
i tried the xlfag.com method and it didn't change anything
(the only difference is that i could not run the "nand restore" point....
help please !!!!!!

cybernetseraph · « **Reply #7 on:** February 15, 2005, 06:38:57 pm »

unfortunatley it will be arounda week or so till i can get hold of a cf card and reader (damn finances and having to borrow kit i've got acard on the way off ebay but i need toe reader too) as soon as i get the kit i'll try the above method, i'll post my results, in the meantime, i'll check back here, if anyone fixes anything before me PLEASE tell me, also email me at

the <dot> cybernetic <dot> seraphim <at> gmail <dot> com

in case i don't see this message. i'll be getting the reader not this weekend but the weeked after, sorry for the delay, but i spend that time zaurusless myself.

Thanks for support, i have faith that this will work, but if it doesn't then i think i'll end up having to sent this back to sharp

that's if tbey'll take it.....*looks worried*

well untill then

good luck

jpmatrix · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2005, 05:13:37 am »

ok...
i'm going to holidays too from now, but i'll take the Z with me with some docs... i'll try to do something...
i think that would definitely help me if i could see the startup messages as it boots. do someone know how to do this trick ?

ThC · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2005, 11:46:36 am »

jpmatrix : you need a "special" kernel for that (search on this forum for it i've posted a link to it somewhere)

cybernetseraph: don't worry I've been using this method to unbrick my c3000 about 3 or 4 times now and it worked perfectly each time

cybernetseraph · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2005, 10:14:17 pm »

jpmatrix:

in fact the kernel you seek is mentioned and described how to install in the tutorial referenced above...

I thought you would know that as you ahd tried the method (this is honestly not a flame, an observation merely)

jpmatrix · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2005, 08:09:02 am »

ok
i managed to install the new kernel so now i can see what is happening:
the boot process stops with this looping message :

INIT: Id "In" respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

any clue ?
all my problems first first happen when i installed "battery_change_cccr_c3000".....
perhaps a problem in inittab ?

jpmatrix · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2005, 08:51:47 am »

well,
could someone please mail me their actual inittab to : inittab@rondof.com

the id "In" talks about survive -l 6 ... i tried to comment it, no message then, but the boot process don't go further...

thanks in advance

jpmatrix · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2005, 01:55:03 pm »

succeed!!!!!!!!!
after commenting #in in inittab, and playing again with some files, i finally restore the /hdd2 directories from /hdd1/.sys/hdimage2.tgz and .... the zaurus accepted to boot!!!!

whow i'm too tired of this adventure

thanks all for help !

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Author Topic: Bricked..........damn! (Read 5977 times)