Ubuntu – Target filesystem doesn’t have requested /sbin/init

bootinit

I installed 10.10 a few days ago. The only changes to the default install are the addition of Chrome and Pinta.

It was fine for a few days, then today login etc seemed slow. Likewise it couldn't even render the restart/shutdown menus.

Hoping it was some botched update, I ran the update manager; it tried to install but failed (the UI didn't make it obvious what had failed).

Fine, ok. Shut it down (press enter on the blank shut-down dialog).

Fire it up hoping… And… #fail.

Target filesystem doesn't have requested /sbin/init.
No init found. Try passing init= bootarg.

Is it now a brick?

More details:

GRUB 1.98+20100804-5ubuntu3

With

Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-22-generic

Causes

udevadm trigger is not permitted while udev is unxonfigured
Giving up waiting for root device.

Or

Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-23-generic

Causes

mount: mounting /dev on /root/dev failed: No such file or directory

Then the same for /sys and /process

Best Answer

Suggested fix can be found here: http://pinoy-computing-tips.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-fix-ubuntu-error-no-init-found.html

Quoting:

This morning, a friend came to me with his laptop that won't boot. At every boot attempt, his Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx system outputs the following error messages:

mount: mounting /dev/disk/by-uuid/***************************** on /root
failed: Invalid argument
mount: mounting /sys on /root/sys failed: No such file or directory
mount: mounting /dev on /root/dev failed: No such file or directory
mount: mounting /sys on /root/sys failed: No such file or directory
mount: mounting /proc on /root/proc failed: No such file or directory

Target file system doesn't have /sbin/init
No init found. Try passing init= bootarg

Busybox v1.13.3 (Ubuntu 1:1.13.3-1ubuntu7) built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands
(initramfs) _

Booting into "Recovery Mode" as well as choosing the other kernels listed in grub didn't help at all.

Solution:

  1. Boot from the Ubuntu Live CD;

  2. Open/Run Terminal;

  3. Type: sudo fdisk -l (to get the device name) then press ENTER;

    Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes 
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: **********

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 30238 242886703+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 30239 30401 1309297+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 30239 30401 1309266 82 Linux swap / Solaris

    The device name for my friend's system based on the above: /dev/sda1

  4. Type: sudo fsck /dev/sda1 then press ENTER;

  5. Restart the system and boot normally.

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