[arch-general] x86_64 kernel 3.4.3-1 fail to boot - initramfs unpacking failed: uncompression error

[Ray Kohler]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 4:58 PM, David C. Rankin
<drankinatty at suddenlinkmail.com> wrote:
> Guys,
>
>  Updating an x86_64 box, I ran into an error I've never seen before with the
> 3.4.3-1 kernel. It hard-locks at the very start of boot with the keyboard lights
> flashing. Basically the first line of the boot says:
>
> Decompressing Linux... Parsing ELF... done.
> Booting the kernel.
> [    0.480811] Initramfs unpacking failed: uncompression error
> [    -.547776] Kernel panic - not syncing: No init found. Try passing init=
> option to kernel. See Linux Documentation/init.txt for guidance.
>
>  I literally took a picture of the screen just in case it is of any help:
>
> [155k]
> http://www.3111skyline.com/dl/ss/arch/kernel343-fail2boot.jpg
>
>  Where to start? Boot from an install disk, chroot, and try kernel reinstall?
> What say the experts?

Looks like a bad ramdisk. Get it booted somehow (fallback image might
even work) and run mkinitcpio -p linux by hand.