[nycbug-talk] Need to boot from CD and delete a file on the hard drive

[Maude User]

Hello All --
 
SUMMARY: 
I changed a configuration file and now I can no longer boot from my hard drive (but I can still 
boot from the CD). I would like to boot from the CD and undo my change to the configuration 
file -- but when I boot from the CD it automatically launches the install program. Is there a way
to boot from the boot CD and get a shell and make a change to a file on the hard drive? (I got 
an "emergency shell" after booting from the CD -- but I can't figure out how to access my hard 
drive filesystem from it.)

DETAILS:
I was trying to set up a serial console using the instructions here:

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/serialconsole-setup.html
 
I typed the following at the prompt:
 
# echo 'console="comconsole"' >> /boot/loader.conf
 
then unplugged my regular keyboard and tried to reboot -- but the machine now freezes on 
bootup.
 
I now want to boot from a CD and remove the file /boot/loader.conf from the hard drive. Then I 
should be able to boot normally again from the hard drive.
 
I went into the BIOS and booted from the CD and this put me in the install program. I don't 
want to install everything again -- I just want to boot up from the CD and execute the following 
command at the prompt:
 
# rm /boot/loader.conf
 
After booting from the CD, I found a command in the install program to enter an "emergency 
shell" and accessed this shell by hitting ALT-F4 -- but if I do an "rm" command in this 
emergency shell, it doesn't apply to the filesystem on the hard drive -- it applies to the CD. I 
need to delete the file /boot/loader.conf while booting from the CD.
 
Is there any way to fix this without installing FreeBSD all over again?
 
Thanks.
 
Scott Alexander



		
---------------------------------
 Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.nycbug.org/pipermail/talk/attachments/20051025/0f331f8a/attachment.html