[SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

archuser_9999 · 2024-09-18 12:56:02

My installation has been running absolutely fine (for years now) with no issues. I did a little bit of cleaning up of orphaned packages; several restarts without issue.

All of a sudden, for absolutely no reason I can currently figure, on a next restart cannot boot into Arch at all. There seems to be some sort of panic so early on that the computer reboots to the UEFI settings.

I've set up Super Grub2 so that I can boot. While it's a lengthier process (of course) in fact I can select pre-boot, run the software, then boot and log in as normal, and all is well. To be certain, I've re-run both

# mkinitcpio -p linux

and

# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

. No errors or anything untoward signalled.

I've been reading the Wiki - lots of it! - regarding troubleshooting etc. but my issue is that this thing that upsets the boot sequence happens so early, and so 'violently' that it keeps forcing me into the UEFI screen. And every time, I can simply get to my USB drive with Super Grub2 on it, and I log in no issues.

Therefore there's nothing in the journal. And I'm completely stuck to know where to look or what to look for?

Any help or suggestions please?

p.s. as a dual boot sytem, I can boot into Windows fine. So I don't see this being failing hardware?

Last edited by archuser_9999 (2024-09-19 10:17:02)

seth · 2024-09-18 13:27:22

p.s. as a dual boot sytem

3rd link below. Mandatory.
Disable it (it's NOT the BIOS setting!) and reboot windows and linux twice for voodo reasons.

Then please explain where things are failing.
Do you get to the bootloader and select archlinux and then hit enter?
But then arch doesn't boot?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Genera … l_messages

And please post your grub config and the output of "lsbkl -f"

Head_on_a_Stick · 2024-09-18 13:45:24

Check the NVRAM boot entries with efibootmgr(8) (or bcdedit from Windows), the motherboard may have "forgotten" the Arch boot entry.

Running grub-install again (as you did when first installing the system) should fix that. Or use efibootmgr to create a manual boot entry pointing to grubx64.efi. https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB#D … _boot_path will stop that happening again.

archuser_9999 · 2024-09-18 13:51:04

Thank you. To hopefully clarify:

I haven't touched anything like Windows "fast boot" simply because I haven't ever configured grub inside Arch to detect other OSes. Thus, I have to hit the "F11" key during boot to manually select my Arch installation. It has always been thus, and as such have felt I've provided some better separation between two distinct OSes which do not overlap in any way. I accept I may be completely mistaken in this.

Where things are failing therefore:

usual startup into Arch involves turning on computer, and then as the POST logo appears, hit "F11" where, having used the EUFI tools to manually add my Arch boot entry (as has been the case for a number of years. Nothing has been changed), I select this option, hit "Enter" and log in.

As of a couple of hours ago, I get to the step of selecting my Arch installation, hit "Enter" and before the customary grub screen can be completely drawn, the computer goes into some sort of panic, and reboots to the UEFI screen.

If, however, I go through the startup procedure, hit "F11" and select the new (temporary) entry for the USB stick holding my copy of Super Grub2, I can run this, choose "start manually", select the option "boot from /boot/efi" where indeed Grub finds my kernel. I then log in as per normal.

I read the Wiki page at the link you provided, under #Printing More Kernel Messages, where I set everything to level 8. I may be misunderstanding or misapplying the suggestions there - indeed this all feels a bit complex insofar as I have no real idea how or what I should be setting in order to create some sort of readable file that may contain error messages. However, the restart meant that the computer crashes so early, nothing at all changed and I didn't get to read anything.

here's

# GRUB boot loader configuration

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Arch"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="loglevel=3 quiet"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="nowatchdog"

# Preload both GPT and MBR modules so that they are not missed
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"

# Uncomment to enable booting from LUKS encrypted devices
#GRUB_ENABLE_CRYPTODISK=y

# Set to 'countdown' or 'hidden' to change timeout behavior,
# press ESC key to display menu.
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu

# Uncomment to use basic console
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal
#GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT=console

# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `videoinfo'
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto

# Uncomment to allow the kernel use the same resolution used by grub
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep

# Uncomment if you want GRUB to pass to the Linux kernel the old parameter
# format "root=/dev/xxx" instead of "root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/xxx"
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true

# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=true

# Uncomment and set to the desired menu colors.  Used by normal and wallpaper
# modes only.  Entries specified as foreground/background.
#GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-blue/black"
#GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="light-cyan/blue"

# Uncomment one of them for the gfx desired, a image background or a gfxtheme
GRUB_BACKGROUND="/home/alan/Pictures/Wallpaper/surface_mesh_light_dark/jpg"
#GRUB_THEME="/path/to/gfxtheme"

# Uncomment to get a beep at GRUB start
#GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"

# Uncomment to make GRUB remember the last selection. This requires
# setting 'GRUB_DEFAULT=saved' above.
#GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

# Uncomment to disable submenus in boot menu
#GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU=y

# Probing for other operating systems is disabled for security reasons. Read
# documentation on GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER, if still want to enable this
# functionality install os-prober and uncomment to detect and include other
# operating systems.
#GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

and here's

$  lsblk -f
NAME        FSTYPE  FSVER            LABEL           UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINTS
sda                                                                                                      
├─sda1                                                                                                   
└─sda2      ntfs                     YUMI            1E38D3D238D3A6D5                                    
sdb                                                                                                      
├─sdb1      ext4    1.0              Music           7cf68aa6-a9af-42e3-8f67-9307dd8c087e  832.1G    40% /home/alan/Music
└─sdb2      ext4    1.0              Data            1e44d445-3c0e-4fae-b0d1-d47b949a5631  219.6G    26% /home/alan/Data
sdc                                                                                                      
└─sdc1      ntfs                     Windows Storage F8160E2B160DEB86                                    
sdd         iso9660 Joliet Extension EOS_202303      2023-03-26-18-52-09-00                              
├─sdd1      iso9660 Joliet Extension EOS_202303      2023-03-26-18-52-09-00                              
└─sdd2      vfat    FAT16            ARCHISO_EFI     52A6-C06C                                           
sde                                                                                                      
├─sde1      exfat   1.0              YUMI            4E21-0000                                           
└─sde2      vfat    FAT16            VTOYEFI         223C-F3F8                                           
sr0                                                                                                      
nvme0n1                                                                                                  
├─nvme0n1p1 vfat    FAT32                            E199-2EB8                              64.9M    74% /boot
├─nvme0n1p2 swap    1                                66b01bde-8d06-4b2c-8b5b-7cddda7fe2f6                [SWAP]
└─nvme0n1p3 ext4    1.0                              24e204f2-27dc-4be5-883f-f57ee68a0aca   75.6G    59% /

My Arch is on the nvme01 M.2 stick. I am writing this post while logged in having booted via the Grud rescue disk on the USB stick. So, there's clearly an issue but I have no idea where to look for it.

archuser_9999 · 2024-09-18 13:54:08

@Head_on_a_Stick

thank you for this. In fact the boot entry is there. And I recently double-checked by booting into a UEFI shell. And, as per above reply, when using the "Super Grub2" via USB, it finds this installation, although not via the label I wrote in the efi.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2024-09-18 13:56:39

Have you tried grub-install again? Perhaps grubx64.efi is corrupted.

seth · 2024-09-18 14:11:52

been thus, and as such have felt I've provided some better separation between two distinct OSes which do not

Yeah, your feeligns kinda deceive you here - windows fast-start is a feature where windows does never shut down, but hibernates and calls that a shutdown to pretend that it can boot fast. It's on by default, gets occasionally re-activated with updates and the consequence is that you're running two OS at the same time.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandatory

and then as the POST logo appears, hit "F11" where, having used the EUFI tools to manually add my Arch boot entry

So you're not using a bootloader but the UEFI boot selection and

before the customary grub screen can be completely drawn, the computer goes into some sort of panic

grub fails, not the OS.

HoaS wrote:

Have you tried grub-install again? Perhaps grubx64.efi is corrupted.

Or the OP is very late for https://archlinux.org/news/grub-bootloa … ibilities/ or it's windows fast-start.

archuser_9999 · 2024-09-18 14:19:40

Yes, again thanks - now I've realised that this is indeed a failure in Grub, nothing to do with Arch directly.

I'm going to mark this SOLVED quite shortly because... you've all helped me to look again at the boot setup, and the fact that (it would seem) something in Windows (I did boot into Windows earlier today) has added entries into

/boot/

directory. As such I think I just need to go through the whole of the Wiki regarding the systemd startup method I've been using, and remove anything bogus, and reset/reinstall as necessary.

Thanks all

archuser_9999 · 2024-09-19 10:17:57

problem solved. It was indeed the grub boot configuration which somehow got corrupted. A reinstall later, everything back to normal!

Arch Linux

#1 2024-09-18 12:56:02

[SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#2 2024-09-18 13:27:22

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#3 2024-09-18 13:45:24

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#4 2024-09-18 13:51:04

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#5 2024-09-18 13:54:08

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#6 2024-09-18 13:56:39

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#7 2024-09-18 14:11:52

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#8 2024-09-18 14:19:40

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

#9 2024-09-19 10:17:57

Re: [SOLVED]new (unexpected) boot failure. Too early for easy diagnosis

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