I have following disk structure:
sda1 : Windows
sda2 : an old Linux distribution
sda3 : a new Linux distribution
sda4 : data partition
I have grub installed and I choose the system at boot time. I have now been using new Linux distribution only on sda3 and it is working all right. I had been tinkering a little with setting up /etc/fstab file so that it mounts CDROM and data partition at boot time.
I recently saw that the /etc/fstab file in new Linux system (sda3) looks like this:
/dev/sda2 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1 #NOTE THIS ENTRY HAS SDA2!
/dev/sda4 /media/me_user/datapart ext4 defaults 1 1
/dev/sr0 /media/cdrom0 auto ro,user,noauto,unhide 0 0
It seems that the root entry is wrong: it should have been /dev/sda3 (I must have changed it by mistake). However, the system is working all right and when I boot, the home folder is on sda3 only, not on sda2.
I tried removing the root entry line from /etc/fstab. Then, on booting, I am left on a terminal prompt asking me to login. I can still login but graphics do not start.
I have corrected the fstab file so that root entry is for sda3 but I want to be clear about this issue. Why is my system working all right and I am reaching home folder on sda3 when the root entry in /etc/fstab is for sda2?