Kernel Panic, but eventually boorted after 3-4 hard starts

[Matthew Saltzman]

On Tue, 2007-10-16 at 19:28 +1000, David Timms wrote:
> Lux Zhang wrote:
> > Hi, I have a F7 (Linux homeserver 2.6.22.9-91.fc7 #1 SMP Thu Sep 27 23:10:59
> > EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux) installed. Since last week (or so), I had
> > difficulty to start it if it had been shut down for hours. I alway get error
> > alike this " Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!". However,
> > If I keep starting it a few times ( by switch on/off power button), It will
> > eventually started and run normally.
> > 
> > What's the preblem and how to fix it?
> Could be heat {or things cooling} that triggers it - eg hairline crack 
> that is OK hot, but shrinks slightly as it cools...

Need not even be anything so serious.  I had an i286 (my first PC,
running MS-DOS 3.3--the last rock-solid Microsoft OS 8^)) that started
behaving that way.  I finally pulled the CPU (don't try this with
current chips if you don't know what you are doing) and blew out the
area around the socket with compressed air.  Never had a problem again.

> 
> Are the fans operating normally ?

Open the case and see how dusty it is.  Blow it out, re-seat the cards
and RAM, and try again.

> 
> DaveT.
> 
> 
-- 
                Matthew Saltzman

Clemson University Math Sciences
mjs AT clemson DOT edu
http://www.math.clemson.edu/~mjs