Re: Most directories locked read-only: how to unlock them?

[Ken Heard <ken@heard.name>]

	Thanks to Stural Holm Hansen and Steve Kemp for answering my post. 
Unfortunately I my problem is still not solved.

	I first tried Steve Kemp's suggestion, because it was the simpler, as 
it did not require use of a live CDROM.  He warned me that the command 
"mount -n -o remount,rw /" might not work.  It didn't.  It returned

	EXT3-fs: Unrecognized mount option "drfaults" or missing value
        mount: / not mounted already, or bad option

       I then ran "mount -n -o remount,defaults,rw /" and "mount -n -o 
defaults,rw /".  The first command returned the same result as above. 
The second returned:

        mount: /dev/mapper/SOL-root is already mounted or / busy
        mount: according to mtab, /dev/mapper/SOL-root is already 
mounted on /

	So, my next step was to try Sturla Holm Hansen's suggestion: to boot 
from a live disk, mount somewhere my original /etc/ and then edit 
fstab.	The only live CDROM I had was Knoppix.  First I let Knoppix 
install itself without my intervention. It installed KDE Konqueror but 
did not configure the mouse; so it was useless.

	On the second attempt I chose the "Knoppix 2" option, which did not 
install the X-window-system, and left the machine in terminal mode.

	My next task was to mount my original root directory on hda.  That 
Knoppix would not do.

	As I explained in my original post, my root directory is mounted on LVM 
logical volume named /dev/mapper/SOL-root.  When I ran "mount -n -t ext3 
-o defaults /dev/mapper/SOL-root /", the command returned  "mount: 
special device /dev/mapper/SOL-root" does not exist.

	It next occurred to me to install the LVM2 package in the hopes that 
with it Knoppix would recognize the LVM logical volumes. However Knoppix 
stopped the installation, saying "Processing was halted because there 
were too many errors."

	I now know that Knoppix is useless for my purposes.  Since earlier it 
would not even configure a standard PS-2 two button mouse, I  really 
wonder whether Knoppix has any use.

	So I am back to my two original question groups, with a third one added:

1.  Is there any way I can override the read-only restriction for the 
root directory and so amend the fstab file accordingly, or do I have to 
reinstall the whole OS?

2.  Why the hell did the installer put the "errors=remount-ro in the
options for mounting the root directory in the first place?  What
purpose is it supposed to serve?  Would any damage be done if -- once I
am able to amend the fstab file -- if I removed it entirely?

3.  Will any other live installation do for me what Knoppix would not, 
e.g., Ubuntu?

	Perhaps if I had a live rescue disk made from the Debian bootcd package 
which would be based on my own installation, I could mount a LVM logical 
volume.  However,I can't make one unless I install the package, and I 
can't install the package with essential directories read only.  It 
would be useful if the Debian installation manual mentioned the 
advisability of having a live bootcd and provided instructions as to how 
to make one.

	Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

         Regards,

--
				Ken Heard