[SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

thomasbb · 2021-08-24 17:35:26

Sometimes my computer stops booting, so I added a tune to Grub and it stops after playing it. If it had been the Cmos, it would stop before playing the tune, isn't it?
The stopping is random but it always happens after the tune.

Last edited by thomasbb (2021-08-29 07:39:49)

seth · 2021-08-24 20:01:31

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

How do you define "stops booting"?
Can you ctrl+alt+del from a "stopped boot"?
Can you reliably boot the multi-user.target (2nd link below)?

Please post the system journal for a "stopped boot"

thomasbb · 2021-08-27 18:09:25

If I remember well, neither ctrl+alt+del nor ctrl+alt+backspace work. When it occurs, I'll tell you
How to keep several boots in the journal? The command journalctl -xe only shows the current boot. My /etc/systemd/journald.conf is empty, say MaxFileSec=7day?

Last edited by thomasbb (2021-08-27 18:13:32)

V1del · 2021-08-27 19:08:08

-xe shows you the last 1000 lines of the journal , if you actually want the previous boot use

sudo journalctl -b-1

thomasbb · 2021-08-27 22:07:24

It says

Specifying boot ID has no effect, no persistent journal was found

so I add Storage=persistent in the configuration?

It stops booting in the sense that the [ OK ] sequence doesn't appear, and the screen remains pitch black

Last edited by thomasbb (2021-08-27 22:10:58)

seth · 2021-08-27 22:20:29

sudo journalctl -b -1

(lacked a blank)

V1del · 2021-08-28 02:07:40

The blank isn't required.

@thomasbb
yes that's probably what you'd want to do, but this would mean you've consciously changed this at some point. Why is the file empty in the first place? It should be a commented default config. Is your disk dying? https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/S.M.A.R.T.

Last edited by V1del (2021-08-28 02:07:51)

thomasbb · 2021-08-28 07:27:03

The config is the commented default one, but I said it's empty because all the options are inactivated.

The disk is a raid1 with partitions /boot, /root, and /swap. The command cat /proc/mdstat shows [UU] on all three partitions so I guess the disk is fine? The two disks on which the raid1 is built are exactly the same with 250Gb capacity

Now the commands sudo journalctl -b -1 say

Failed to look up boot -1: No such boot ID in the journal

but I guess it's because I just changed the journal configuration

My keyboard is supposed to be Dvorak so maybe when I press ctrl+alt+del or ctrl+alt+backspace I'm actually pressing capslock instead. Next time I'll check if the caps light turns on

Last edited by thomasbb (2021-08-28 07:33:51)

thomasbb · 2021-08-28 09:46:10

So, when the computer fails booting, the caps and vernum lights stay frozen (caps off and vernum on). And ctrl+alt+del|backspace produce no effect, neither with the caps key nor with the ctrl one.

The command journalctl -b-1 only shows the previous successful boot and there is no track of the failed boots. The only error message of the poweroff process is:

systemd[1]: Failed unmounting /boot

Last edited by thomasbb (2021-08-28 11:17:30)

seth · 2021-08-28 11:49:16

V1del wrote:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/S.M.A.R.T

The command cat /proc/mdstat shows [UU] on all three partitions so I guess the disk is fine?

Is no indication for anything, the firmware responds and the partition table of at least one disc can be read, that's all.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Genera … bug_output
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel_parameters

Especially remove the "quiet" parameter and any other effort towards a silent boot.
Ideally also try the robustness of "nomodeset" (but that will deny the opportunity to run a graphical session, you can only test whether that boots consistenly)

How frequent is the problem? Do you think a couple of attempts to boot a live distro from a usb key would show whether there's a HW problem that's not the disk? (Ie. if you expect it to fail every other boot and grml boots 10 times in a row, it's not your RAM or the CPU or the output or anything like this)

thomasbb · 2021-08-28 13:00:00

Grub has nomodeset already as it's a router, I only use this old computer to share my Internet connexion. And I removed quiet now too

It happens say once a week only, and when it does the maximum failed boots I've had was 3 in a row. Usually the second boot is fine.

It could be the RAM because I took some from all kind of computers, and as soon as the Bios would see it I let it inside. Same for the CPU, the original one was 32 bits so I picked a random one 64 bits, and the Bios didn't say anything so I let it in.

thomasbb · 2021-08-29 07:39:30

Even without the quiet option, when the computer freezes nothing appears. It must be hardware then...

thomasbb · 2021-12-23 14:48:36

Yep, definitely the RAM and/or the CPU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUnEf8PI5_o

Arch Linux

#1 2021-08-24 17:35:26

[SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#2 2021-08-24 20:01:31

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#3 2021-08-27 18:09:25

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#4 2021-08-27 19:08:08

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#5 2021-08-27 22:07:24

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#6 2021-08-27 22:20:29

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#7 2021-08-28 02:07:40

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#8 2021-08-28 07:27:03

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#9 2021-08-28 09:46:10

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#10 2021-08-28 11:49:16

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#11 2021-08-28 13:00:00

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#12 2021-08-29 07:39:30

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

#13 2021-12-23 14:48:36

Re: [SOLVED] Computer randomly stops startup after grub tune

Board footer