Kubuntu (Dapper) stopped booting: run-init error 20, Kernel Panic

/var/log/kern.log.0 should, if you get a to a certain point in the boot give us a helpful log.

The /var/log/kern.log.0 and all other files in this folder do not change. Nothing gets logged. If there are any error messages output during the booting, they fly thru the screen fast and I can't see them (is there a way, like ^S used to be, to stop the flow of the text temporarilly?). The very last screen stays on the screen. I'm manually transcribing it below:

------------------------------ start
level, low) -> IRQ 11
[17179578.488000] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1f.2:UHCI Host Controller
[...]uhci_hcd 0000:00:1f.2: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
[...] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1f.2: irq 11, io base 0x00001820
[...] hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found
[...] hub 1-0:1.0: 2 ports detected
Done.
Begin: Running /scripts/local-premount...
[...] Attempting manual resume
Done.
[...] kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
[...] EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
[...] usb 1-1: new full speed usb device using uhci_hcd and address 2
Begin: running /scripts/local-bottom...
Done.
Done.
Begin: Running /scripts/init-bottom...
[...] hub 1-1:1.1: USB hub found
[...] hub 1-1:1.1: 4 ports detected
Done.
run-init: /sbin/init: error 20
[...] Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!
[...]
------------------------------ end

Not sure where to go from here!

That's a pretty generic error actually, I'm not sure what to make of it, if you want some kind of better information you can find it here though http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?t=353920 It doesn't really give me enough info to make anything out of it. You may go with, if all else fails, backing up your /home from a livecd, or however you choose to go, and reinstalling. Sorry I can't be of better help.

Thanks, Bryan.

Three questions that might help me:
* Is there a copy of boot log anywhere, other than kernel log?
* Can recreating the initrd image with the mkinitrd help?
* I've read that the "Panic" message is usually caused by something immediately preceding the error. In my case, this would be the USB stuff. Doesn't it look fine? (see the log above)

* Is there a copy of boot log anywhere, other than kernel log?
The kernel log is pretty much the boot log, being as you don't get through the majority of the kernel process, you won't have many, if any other logs from that boot, that I know of.

* Can recreating the initrd image with the mkinitrd help?
Not Syncing is a generic error basically meaning "Somethings Not Right" 'run-init: /sbin/init: error 20" is that something, it tries to use that, but for whatever reason doesn't succeed, presumably by the error number that it's "not available" I'm not sure why that would be, given that you said in looking it's right there. Probably regenerating these things wont do a bundle for you. If you some how magically have access/time/knowledge to just re-configure/install all of the init system as it should be stock, it would probably work. That's the thing though, Since you can't boot the system, and can only do the whole outside looking in thing with a liveCD or another local OS, this would be *very* hard.

* I've read that the "Panic" message is usually caused by something immediately preceding the error. In my case, this would be the USB stuff. Doesn't it look fine? (see the log above)
Well, you're exactly right, but booting is done case by case, when you see a "Done." Message as above it means that case is finished with. It tries to move to the next case but catches Error 20 (see above), meaning that case didn't even begin to succeed.

One thing I would suggest as a complete long shot, do you see in grub how you have multiple entries? The second one under the most recent kernel is for Fix-It access, press enter on that (If your GRUB menu automatically boots, press Esc when it pops up before the countdown hits 0 to get to this menu) This will send you into detailed mode, where normally you boot into "quiet" output mode. You might get more output.

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Needs information' state without activity for the last 15 days.

It's OK that you have closed the question. I ended up reinstalling the system. Most likely, the file system was corrupted. When I have checked it from a LiveCD, many errors were found. Fixing these errors didn't fix the original booting problem, but that may be understandable. Thanks for your help, Bryan. You did a great job and showed a lot of patience as well!!