[SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

toni · 2019-09-23 19:01:00

I was updating the system using below command:

sudo pacman -Syu

During installation of packages my hdd suddenly stopped working, it hung, a black screen appeared with cursor blinking at the top left corner. System was not responding, keyboard was not working, keys to access virtual consoles CTRL+ALT+F1 to F6 were not working so I needed to reboot system.

After rebooting, system does not boot, below error messages appears; https://ibb.co/n1t7tmS

Also prompt seems blocked, keyboard is not working. I cannot type anything.

How can I solve this?

Last edited by toni (2021-06-14 13:31:41)

jasonwryan · 2019-09-23 19:06:05

By reading the wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pa … an_upgrade

toni · 2019-12-31 13:10:14

jasonwryan wrote:

By reading the wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pa … an_upgrade

First of all, Sorry for the late response, I have not been able to try it before.

For your information, I have Arch installed on an external hard drive (sdc) which is connected to my laptop through USB.
My Arch system is configured using LVM.

Also a little more information:
This is the information about my external hdd (sdc) where Arch is installed and it is obtained using fdisk -l command: see here and here
Below the information about my physical volume created in my external hdd (sdc) and it is obtained using pvdisplay command: see here
Finally, the information about all my disks: see here
Note that, sda is the hdd where Windows OS is installed (internal hdd); sdb is the external USB pendrive which contains the bootable Arch iso used to boot and repair my system, and sdc is the external hdd where Arch is installed.

So taken into account that I have tried to perform the steps indicated in your provided link:

# mkdir mnt
# mount /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolroot /mnt
# mount -t proc proc /mnt/proc
# mount --rbind /sys /mnt/sys
# mount --rbind /dev /mnt/dev

Above commands works perfectly, so I proceed to execute below one:

# pacman --sysroot /mnt -Syu

... but I get below error message:

error: failed to initialize alpm library
(Could not find or read directory: /var/lib/pacman/)

So I have checked if /var/lib/pacman/local and /var/lib/pacman/sync both exist and I see that /var/lib/pacman/sync does not exist. Since I do not know how to solve this error I have finally decided to try another option similar to yours: I have tried to solve it by performing an arch-chroot following the steps below but without success (as explained at the beginning ot this post, take into account that my system uses LVM and Arch system to be repaired is on sdc) :

1) I have done a bootable usb containing last Arch iso (sdb, see above screenshot) and I have booted using it
2) As root I execute below commands:

    # mkdir mnt
    # mount /dev/mapper/volGroup00-lvolroot /mnt
    # mount /dev/mapper/volGroup00-lvolhome /mnt/home
    # mount /dev/mapper/volGroup00-lvolvar /mnt/var

Above commands are executed correctly.

Then I mount boot partition:

     # mount /dev/sdc2 /mnt/boot

... but I get a message error:

 
mount: /mnt/boot: special device /dev/sdc2 does not exist.

Anyway I ignore it and continue doing below:

     # arch-chroot /mnt
     # pacman -Syu

Update process finishes correctly.

So I exit unmounting all previous mounted partitions (home, var, root) and I reboot the system.

Once my laptop reboots and boots into Arch system in the external hdd (sdc) I continue getting the same error message posted in my first post.
Maybe it is happening because I have not previously mounted boot partition before updating system?

Last edited by toni (2019-12-31 13:58:06)

ewaller · 2019-12-31 17:50:50

toni wrote:

Maybe it is happening because I have not previously mounted boot partition before updating system?

I agree. Setup your chroot again, this time mounting the boot partition, then install the kernel (install linux if you are using the mainline kernel)

toni · 2019-12-31 18:02:41

ewaller wrote:

toni wrote:
Maybe it is happening because I have not previously mounted boot partition before updating system?
I agree. Setup your chroot again, this time mounting the boot partition, then install the kernel (install linux if you are using the mainline kernel)

I have tried mounting the boot partition but I get an error message. See the error in this new post.

toni · 2019-12-31 20:35:16

ewaller wrote:

toni wrote:
Maybe it is happening because I have not previously mounted boot partition before updating system?
I agree. Setup your chroot again, this time mounting the boot partition, then install the kernel (install linux if you are using the mainline kernel)

Finally I have been able to mount the boot partition using GParted. I have updated the post here.

So now that I am able to mount the boot partition I proceed to do an Arch-chroot to re-run the kernel images upgrade since /boot partition wasn't mounted the first time I upgraded the kernel.

When I tried to perform below command:

# mkinitcpio -p linux

I get a message error like the one specified here.

The same error was appearing for below command:

# mkinitcpio -p linux-lts

So to solve this problem I perform below commands as described in the link above provided:

# pacman -S filesystem linux linux-lts

This worked correctly.

Now If I re-launch below commands they work perfectly as well:

# mkinitcpio -p linux linux-lts

Now I reboot and boot into my Arch installed on the external hdd but the same error continue appearing: see here.
Why cannot find UUID¿? Terminal is blocked, I cannot type anything.

Last edited by toni (2019-12-31 20:42:38)

ewaller · 2019-12-31 20:42:14

What is the output of ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
?

loqs · 2019-12-31 20:55:44

There is a kernel mismatch as well indicated by modules.devname not being found.

toni · 2019-12-31 23:39:51

ewaller wrote:

What is the output of ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
?

Below the output of ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid : see here

Also I provide the output of lsblk -f : see here

toni · 2020-01-01 12:21:28

loqs wrote:

There is a kernel mismatch as well indicated by modules.devname not being found.

Kernel mismatch? If so how can I solve it? What commands do I need to execute?

toni · 2020-01-01 12:32:55

In fact, I do not understand why it is saying it cannot find that UUID. Arch has always been installed on the same external hdd with exacty the same partitions. It keeps in the same external hdd from the first time I installed it. I have never migrated Arch to another different external hdd. That is so weird. Normally when an upgrade fails and you cannot boot, it can be repaired by doing an Arch-chroot. I cannot understand why this time not.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2020-01-01 13:15:22

toni wrote:

When I tried to perform below command:
# mkinitcpio -p linux
I get a message error like the one specified here.

Try

# mkinitcpio -k 5.4.6.arch3-1

That presumes you have the latest kernel version from [core] installed, check /lib/modules/ for the actual versions available.

seth · 2020-01-01 13:53:50

Awesome to spread HDD related issues around…
It's because the disk is toast.
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 7#p1880417

Trilby · 2020-01-01 14:09:34

No no. It's not dead. It's just restin'

Head_on_a_Stick · 2020-01-01 14:14:54

^ & ^^ Thanks! I did suspect that might be the case but I thought the suggestion was worth posting anyway.

seth · 2020-01-01 15:22:40

Trilby wrote:

No no. It's not dead. It's just restin'

I'm surprised that you can emotionally stand that sketch…

toni · 2021-06-14 13:30:50

Finally I have solved my problem. I was not mounting correct boot partition when doing Arch-chroot.

Arch Linux

#1 2019-09-23 19:01:00

[SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#2 2019-09-23 19:06:05

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#3 2019-12-31 13:10:14

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#4 2019-12-31 17:50:50

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#5 2019-12-31 18:02:41

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#6 2019-12-31 20:35:16

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#7 2019-12-31 20:42:14

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#8 2019-12-31 20:55:44

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#9 2019-12-31 23:39:51

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#10 2020-01-01 12:21:28

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#11 2020-01-01 12:32:55

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#12 2020-01-01 13:15:22

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#13 2020-01-01 13:53:50

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#14 2020-01-01 14:09:34

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#15 2020-01-01 14:14:54

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#16 2020-01-01 15:22:40

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

#17 2021-06-14 13:30:50

Re: [SOLVED] Not booting after interrupted update

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