I got bit by the crc issue in the kernel update this morning. It wasn’t pleasant, but it did give me the opportunity to use the 2007.08 installation disc as a crutch to get my system up.

Basically I just booted from the CD, added root=/dev/hda3 and ide-legacy to the boot command, and Arch started up my system like it was the most normal thing in the world. From there I did another system update with yaourt, and life is good again.

I’ve never done that with Ubuntu, but it’s possible the same trick can be accomplished, perhaps with a live CD. Either way, it made me appreciate Arch all over again, just for being simple, practical and efficient.

P.S.: My boot time is 27 seconds now, Grub to desktop on a 1Ghz machine. 😈