Comment 23 for bug 459198

I have the exact same problem. I had 9.10 on this machine before but it was an upgrade to 9.04. I had some problems with it and decided to reload from scratch only to find that I can't reload from scratch. It lets me choose the language and select the menu item to do the install, the CD spins for a bit and then just stops. I get a blank screen (save for a flashing cursor) which lasts a long time them finally, I get the message:

[ 200.938235] Kernel panic -- not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

Several people have registered their disappointment at how long ago this bug was reported and yet the problem is still not fixed. I'm more disappointed by the fact that it is not even assigned.