Re: [tlug] Kernel panic

[Brian Chandler <brian@example.com>]

Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
> Attila Kinali writes:
>
>  > Err... The inability to understand the system one is working
>  > with is no excuse to give very dangerouse advices.
>  > Updates _are_absolutely_necessary_ to keep your system safe.
>
> Eh?
>
> First, neither the OP nor the people he is quoting are distinguishing
> between *security updates* and *major system upgrades*, and the OP at
> least is clearly in a context of the latter.


Well, I'm the OP, and I'm sure I'm not as clear as that. A little 
Ubuntubox popped up and said "Updates? You want updates?" so I clicked 
it. I have no idea quite what updates these were - not a new kernel or 
anything like that (afaik), not specifically Important Security Updates.

But the end result is that the system is dead. I understand that in 
trying to boot itself Linux can't find the whateveritis on the hard 
disk, and that if I were a guru I could go looking around files 
(somewhere?) and recognise the problem. But I'm not - I have not 
customised anything, so I have no idea where to start. Actually if I 
could simply reinstall Ubuntu I would be happy, but I can't see how to 
do that even. The CD I can boot from offers only "Install", which starts 
off by making partitions (which I surely don't want to do?) or "Recover 
broken system", which just drops me in a shell with no idea what to do.

I can't imagine that reinstalling from scratch would take more than an 
hour of my time, if I could find out how to do it. Can someone please 
help me?

TIA
Brian Chandler