Manually-partitioned, LVM-encrypted install fails to boot

[Sandwiches]

Hey all, I'm a Linux newbie so please forgive any glaring ignorance.

I installed Kali 1.0.6 9 (GNOME 64) on my laptop from a live USB.

The laptop drive is 320GB, and is partitioned as follows:

1GB unencrypted MBR partition
10GB encrypted swap
40GB encrypted /
269GB encrypted /home



On power-on, nothing happens after the POST. Just a blinking cursor.

I booted into my live USB and ran blkid to see if the volumes were recognized:

/dev/sda1: UUID="80AC-C1CA" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb1: UUID="ID" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/sdb5: UUID="ID" TYPE="crypto_LUKS"
/dev/sdb6: UUID="ID" TYPE="crypto_LUKS"
/dev/sdb7: UUID="ID" TYPE="crypto_LUKS"
/dev/loop0: TYPE="squashfs"

sda1 is my live USB
sdb1 is my mbr
sdb5 is my swap
sdb6 is my /
sdb7 is my /home


I had a similar problem on a previous encrypted single-volume install. the solution if found for that follows:

cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda5 sda1_crypt
(enter password)
lvm vgchange -ay
exit

The vgchange command results in the following error:

No volume groups found

I have tried creating a new volume group, but that fails as well.



I have used gparted to check the mbr, which it shows as fine, but I can't seem to figure this out. I'm really trying to avoid re-installing as the encryption was a 20-hour process, so any help would be appreciated. Please let me know if you need further information.

[maverik35]

I strongly, but strongly suggest if newbbie as you said, learn the basics (install without encryption and without LVM)..Then read more on LVM and see examples as to how they are grouped, when to use lvm and performance. Then once done it, go ahead and make another installation with lvm, but now with knowledge. Then read about encryption, pro and cons, then try it and see if you really need it.

Let me give you a piece of advice: "Remember, you want to run but you need to learn to walk first".

Luck, my friend.

[Sandwiches]

Thanks for the reply.

I have done quite a few unencrypted linux installs (ubuntu, mint, puppy, backtrack5, and kali), as well as two un-partitioned, fully-encrypted kali installs, and I thought I was ready for this...apparently not.

My goal is to move from windows-based pentesting to linux-based platform, and Kali seems ideal. Because of the nature of my client base, full-disk encryption is a must, even if I have to sacrifice performance to attain it.

At this point, being self-taught, the problem is that I don't know what it is that I don't know. Is there no way for me to repair this install?

[maverik35]

Boot again with live USB and post the dmesg located at /var/log/dmesg from the / partition (encrypted) if possible.

[Sandwiches]

/var/log/dmesg.0 is completely empty