https://drive.google.com/file/d/17FKA29d_pwvzxX8FAwB4gjBx8aO0boSj/view?usp=sharing

Scenario Overview

• The entire /boot directory has been accidentally deleted (rm -rf /boot/*)
• System fails to boot → drops to GRUB rescue prompt
• Recovery requires CentOS 8 installation media

⚠️ Critical: This procedure only works if:

• Root filesystem (/) is intact
• You have physical/console access or rescue ISO

Step-by-Step Recovery Procedure

1. Boot from CentOS 8 Installation Media

1. Attach CentOS 8 ISO to VM/physical machine
2. Reboot and boot from ISO
3. At installation menu:
   • Select "Troubleshooting"
   • Choose "Rescue a CentOS Linux system"
   • Select Option 1: Continue (mounts system to /mnt/sysimage)
   • Press Enter to get shell prompt

2. Reinstall Kernel Packages

# Navigate to BaseOS packages
cd /mnt/install/repo/BaseOS/Packages

# Find exact kernel-core version (match your system)
ls kernel-core-*.rpm

# Reinstall kernel-core (replace with your version)
rpm -ivh --root=/mnt/sysimage --replacepkgs kernel-core-4.18.0-80.el8.x86_64.rpm

💡 Note:

• Ignore grub2-editenv error—it will be fixed later
• Use -replacepkgs to force reinstall over missing files

3. Rebuild GRUB Bootloader

# Chroot into your system
chroot /mnt/sysimage

# Reinstall GRUB to MBR
grub2-install /dev/sda    # Replace sda with your boot disk

# Regenerate GRUB configuration
grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg