[SOLVED] boot failure: No inittab file found

Question

Hi,
While trying to upgrade my system according to the recent /usr/bin intervention, I managed to get into an unbootable state:
INIT: No inittab file found
Enter runlevel:
This is because, stupidly, I'd simply removed initscripts. (I thought I'd properly completed the systemd and all previous migrations, considering my system up to date, and figured initscripts was an obsolete remnant.)
pacman -Qqo /bin /sbin /usr/sbin | pacman -Qm -
returned
grub 0.97-21
grub 0.97-21
consolekit 0.4.6-4
initscripts 2012.10.1-1
So I (again, stupidly) removed consolekit and initscripts and upgraded GRUB (by installing grub-bios and following the guide). I then proceeded to upgrade as described in the intervention notice.
This, of course, resulted in the following error on rebooting:
INIT: No inittab file found
Enter runlevel:
I've since spent hours trying to repair the system with a live system (booting arch off a thumb drive) and arch-chroot - but
I don't know what I should install to make things work again
I haven't managed to figure out how to install packages while offline (despite reading through the guide)
Any assistance would be immensely appreciated!
Last edited by FND (2013-06-09 17:23:15)

Answer 1

Thanks for the quick response!
Frankly, I'm not quite sure what to make of that link (thus revealing my general ignorance... ).
Here's my /etc/boot/grub.cfg:
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
menuentry_id_option=""
fi
export menuentry_id_option
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
function load_video {
if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
insmod all_video
else
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod ieee1275_fb
insmod vbe
insmod vga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
fi
if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
font=unicode
else
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi
if loadfont $font ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_input console
terminal_output gfxterm
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467 ro quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel (Fallback initramfs)' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-fallback-ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos5'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5 ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=ad4103fa-d940-47ca-8506-301d8071d467 ro quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f ${config_directory}/custom.cfg ]; then
source ${config_directory}/custom.cfg
elif [ -z "${config_directory}" -a -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###