Mount: special device /dev/hdb5 doesnt exist.

I am multi-booting with Linux Mandrake 9.1. I just booted it up and got these messages:

1. Mounting local filesystems Mount: special device /dev/hdb5/ doesn't exist.
2. Bringing up eth0: failed

But yet I am running Konqueror right now and everything seems to be working fine.

What do these mean? Does #1 mean that perhaps I changed the number of partitions through Windows and Linux still expects the partition to be there? If so how do I fix this?

Also, I assume that eth0 is my ethernet connection, but if it failed how come I can browse the internet without any problems? Or am I missing the point?

Are you sure that the file is /dev/hdb5/ and not /dev/hdb5? The problem is that a directory called /dev/hdb5 wont exist and that may be the problem.
Is that the only message you get? Even if it fails on start-up, getting an IP address will be backgrounded or it may even be manually assigned at some point, although not likely.

for future reference windows doesn't even know those partitions are there, so that can be ruled out as a cause (unless you formatted them to fat)

I know that Windows doesn't know or care I just need to know how to get Mandrake to stop caring! ;) Each time I boot up it lists this and says 'failed'.

man fstab

modifying /etc/fstab will shut up the complaints about /dev/hdb5

type df to get a bit of info about your partitions


man ifconfig

that will show you how to set up your interface, or sometimes the distribution keeps the info in ( redhat maybe mandrake as well ) /etc/sysconfig/networking/profiles or somewhere around there where you can edit the boot configuration of the interfaces.

or just stop it loading the interfaces at boottime by editing the scripts in /etc/rc.d or /etc/inittab type

man init

for more info

Good Luck
~Kinsasz~

yea but don't just go editing fstab in any text editor. make sure you get a utility meant for editing it 'cuz the spacing and tabbing is crucial. you add a space or delete a space, even if it looks right, it won't work right. i don't know any programs off the top of my head but ask around or look through utilities for fstab

i just used kedit

i dont think it's that important i've always just used kedit and never had a prob and i dont know of any utilities for writing entries to the file.

from the man page
>>Each filesystem is described on a separate line; fields on each line are separated by tabs or spaces.

Thank you all for your help I will give it a try when I get back to town! :D