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#1 2013-02-03 00:00:59

szalski
Member
Registered: 2011-10-08
Posts: 7

Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

TL;DR

Arch freezes at 'Loading initial ramdisk', but after USB drive is inserted, it boots normally.


What have I tried:
  • Appending noapic and/or pci=noacpi to linux line in grub.

  • Removing nvidia from hooks array.

  • Using a different USB drive.

None of the above helped / changed anything.

Full story:

Hi!

My desktop Arch sometimes freezes at 'Loading initial ramdisk', but I have found a solution. I don't understand why it works the way it does. Please help me understand what is the culprit here smile

When I plug a USB pendrive in the USB port and restart the system, it boots correctly. The first line of output I then get after 'loading initial ramdisk' is ' unable to enumerate usb device on port 2' or similar. When I take the USB disk out and restart again, I am still able to boot correctly. The issue returns after few more restarts, sometimes after when I boot to Windows and back and sometimes after the initrd image is recreated. I haven't thoroughly tested more combinations yet.


I have a suspect:

IIRC this started appearing at the time I started using nvidia module. Installed it using nvidia-hook and added to hooks array in mkinitcpio.conf as a first hook.

Wiki on Nvidia says that nvidia module MAY not work with EFI systems and I happen to have one so that might be the case. On the other hand if that was true, graphics would not work at all and other than the boot issue they work great... Plus the USB trick would not work.


My configuration:

Arch

Linux is on UEFI motherboard on a SSD with a GPT partition table.
I am using Grub2 and the only thing I appended to linux line is 'nomodeset' for nvidia driver.

$ uname -a:
$ Linux radek-arch 3.7.5-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Jan 28 10:03:32 CET 2013 x86_64 GNU/Linux

/etc/mkinitcpio.conf

# vim:set ft=sh
# MODULES
# The following modules are loaded before any boot hooks are
# run.  Advanced users may wish to specify all system modules
# in this array.  For instance:
#     MODULES="piix ide_disk reiserfs"
MODULES=""

# BINARIES
# This setting includes any additional binaries a given user may
# wish into the CPIO image.  This is run last, so it may be used to
# override the actual binaries included by a given hook
# BINARIES are dependency parsed, so you may safely ignore libraries
BINARIES=""

# FILES
# This setting is similar to BINARIES above, however, files are added
# as-is and are not parsed in any way.  This is useful for config files.
FILES=""

# HOOKS
# This is the most important setting in this file.  The HOOKS control the
# modules and scripts added to the image, and what happens at boot time.
# Order is important, and it is recommended that you do not change the
# order in which HOOKS are added.  Run 'mkinitcpio -H <hook name>' for
# help on a given hook.
# 'base' is _required_ unless you know precisely what you are doing.
# 'udev' is _required_ in order to automatically load modules
# 'filesystems' is _required_ unless you specify your fs modules in MODULES
# Examples:
##   This setup specifies all modules in the MODULES setting above.
##   No raid, lvm2, or encrypted root is needed.
#    HOOKS="base"
#
##   This setup will autodetect all modules for your system and should
##   work as a sane default
#    HOOKS="base udev autodetect block filesystems"
#
##   This setup will generate a 'full' image which supports most systems.
##   No autodetection is done.
#    HOOKS="base udev block filesystems"
#
##   This setup assembles a pata mdadm array with an encrypted root FS.
##   Note: See 'mkinitcpio -H mdadm' for more information on raid devices.
#    HOOKS="base udev block mdadm encrypt filesystems"
#
##   This setup loads an lvm2 volume group on a usb device.
#    HOOKS="base udev block lvm2 filesystems"
#
##   NOTE: If you have /usr on a separate partition, you MUST include the
#    usr, fsck and shutdown hooks.
HOOKS="nvidia base udev autodetect modconf block filesystems keyboard fsck"

# COMPRESSION
# Use this to compress the initramfs image. By default, gzip compression
# is used. Use 'cat' to create an uncompressed image.
#COMPRESSION="gzip"
#COMPRESSION="bzip2"
#COMPRESSION="lzma"
#COMPRESSION="xz"
#COMPRESSION="lzop"

# COMPRESSION_OPTIONS
# Additional options for the compressor
#COMPRESSION_OPTIONS=""

USB

Pendrives (both solve the issue):
* ADATA 16 GB, USB 3.0
* Patriot XPORTER 4 GB USB 2.0

Port: Front USB 3.0 port of Corsair Carbide 400r case. Might not have any meaning, I have not tried back ports yet.

PC

* MSI Z77 GD-65,
* Intel Core i5 3570k,
* Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT,
* 16 GB Corsair Vengenance RAM,
* Linux installation resides on two SSDs: / (root) on half of OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS 120 GB SSD, /home on Intel SSD 520 60 GB SSD.



What might be causing the freeze ? Why the USB trick works ? Thanks in advance!



Regards,
szalski

Last edited by szalski (2013-02-03 00:42:14)

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#2 2013-02-17 21:57:13

johannesg00
Member
Registered: 2010-11-30
Posts: 74

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

Hey,

i updated the Bios on my Asus UX32VD Notebook to Version 213 and i have the same problem, except that the USB Stick doesn't solve the issue every time i try it... This Bug is quite annoying..

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#3 2013-02-17 22:12:00

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

How do you specify your volumes in your Grub configuration?  Are you using UUIDs?


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

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#4 2013-02-17 22:18:43

johannesg00
Member
Registered: 2010-11-30
Posts: 74

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

Here is my grub configuration:

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  load_env
fi
set default="0"

if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
  menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
  menuentry_id_option=""
fi

export menuentry_id_option

if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
  set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
  save_env saved_entry
  set prev_saved_entry=
  save_env prev_saved_entry
  set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
  if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
    saved_entry="${chosen}"
    save_env saved_entry
  fi
}

function load_video {
  if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
    insmod all_video
  else
    insmod efi_gop
    insmod efi_uga
    insmod ieee1275_fb
    insmod vbe
    insmod vga
    insmod video_bochs
    insmod video_cirrus
  fi
}

if loadfont unicode ; then
  set gfxmode=auto
  load_video
  insmod gfxterm
  set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
  set lang=en_US
  insmod gettext
fi
terminal_input console
terminal_output gfxterm
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch GNU/Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-fff50c18-f177-43a3-adf0-7c7bd7063e3f' {
	load_video
	set gfxpayload=keep
	insmod gzio
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod ext2
	set root='hd1,gpt2'
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd1,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,gpt2  eacc1a66-72bd-47ce-a4b5-1faafd872447
	else
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root eacc1a66-72bd-47ce-a4b5-1faafd872447
	fi
	echo	'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
	linux	/vmlinuz-linux acpi_osi="!Windows 2012" cryptdevice=/dev/sdb3:vgroup:allow-discards resume=/dev/mapper/vgroup-swap root=/dev/mapper/vgroup-root ro
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/initramfs-linux.img
}
menuentry 'Arch GNU/Linux, with Linux core repo kernel (Fallback initramfs)' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-fallback-fff50c18-f177-43a3-adf0-7c7bd7063e3f' {
	load_video
	set gfxpayload=keep
	insmod gzio
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod ext2
	set root='hd1,gpt2'
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd1,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,gpt2  eacc1a66-72bd-47ce-a4b5-1faafd872447
	else
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root eacc1a66-72bd-47ce-a4b5-1faafd872447
	fi
	echo	'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
	linux	/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/mapper/vgroup-root ro  quiet
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
}

### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries.  Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment.  Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f  ${config_directory}/custom.cfg ]; then
  source ${config_directory}/custom.cfg
elif [ -z "${config_directory}" -a -f  $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
  source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###

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#5 2013-02-17 22:56:23

szalski
Member
Registered: 2011-10-08
Posts: 7

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

ewaller wrote:

How do you specify your volumes in your Grub configuration?  Are you using UUIDs?

Yes, I am using UUIDs in GRUB.

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#6 2013-02-17 23:29:02

WonderWoofy
Member
From: Los Gatos, CA
Registered: 2012-05-19
Posts: 8,414

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

I don't use nvidia, but is there an actual nvidia "hook" or was that intended to load the module and therefore be in "modules". I really don't know so I am asking here.

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#7 2013-02-17 23:38:35

szalski
Member
Registered: 2011-10-08
Posts: 7

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

WonderWoofy wrote:

I don't use nvidia, but is there an actual nvidia "hook" or was that intended to load the module and therefore be in "modules". I really don't know so I am asking here.

It is an actual hook. See: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … any_kernel

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#8 2013-02-17 23:42:19

WonderWoofy
Member
From: Los Gatos, CA
Registered: 2012-05-19
Posts: 8,414

Re: Freeze at 'loading initial ramdisk', goes away when I plug usb disk in

Ah yes, probably shoukd have looked there first. On a slow internet connection on my tablet at the moment.

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