Arch Linux

chrisco23

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Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

[SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

I broke my ability to boot.

Searching for answers, I ran across this similar situ but it still hasn't helped yet: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=294896

I'm no gamer but I was running Steam.  As of some update a couple weeks ago it would slow to an unusable crawl after a few minutes play, even with no demanding game.

That's another issue I know but for now my attempts to resolve have got me to this unbootable state.  Was messing with Nvidia junk too much maybe, nvidia-dkms.

Sometime back someone here advised me with a clean way to upload outputs since I have no gui atm.  Can someone remind me so I can post fdisk and whatever else as needed?

Meanwhile, I have only two partitions, "EFI System" (512MB)cand "Linux filesystem" (1 TB).  Everything in the latter appears to be there but it doesn't help that in 2023 when I set up this Dell XPS 15, I decided to try btrfs, just to hopefully learn.  So for example I find the /home directory as @home but I think none of that should matter if I can restore the EFI partition.

Dell was trying to run its SupportAssist thing and I did abort it but hopefully that didn't make things worse.

Typing from an old lenovo x230 here is a drag so thanks in advance for any help.

Last edited by chrisco23 (2025-03-10 05:28:09)

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 9,003

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Sometime back someone here advised me with a clean way to upload outputs since I have no gui atm.  Can someone remind me so I can post fdisk and whatever else as needed?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_o … ted_client

For future reference: the link is in seth's signature and they post at least 700 times a day so it's easy to find :-)

I decided to try btrfs, just to hopefully learn.  So for example I find the /home directory as @home but I think none of that should matter if I can restore the EFI partition.

Mounting the @home subvolume shouldn't be needed to repair the bootloader but you may have other subvolumes that do need to be mounted so use this process to enter a recovery chroot from the Arch live ISO (replace X & Y with the drive letter & partition number of your main root partition):

mount -o subvol=@ /dev/sdXY /mnt
arch-chroot /mnt /bin/su -
mount -a

The bootloader can then be re-installed to the ESP, along with any other necessary repairs.

EDIT: close the bracket. I don't need that tension hanging over me...

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2025-03-09 16:27:37)

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Thanks.  Can you elaborate on getting the bootloader onto the ESP?  I'm having no luck there.

I can't yet get 0x0 to work either, for example:  https://0x0.st/BuC6.txt

Last edited by chrisco23 (2025-03-09 19:33:31)

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 9,003

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Refer to the relevant ArchWiki page for your mysterious, super-secret bootloader. If that doesn't help you may have to share with us which bootloader is in use.

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

I'm just trying to use systemd-boot as I have been for a few years.  I must be misunderstanding the mount situation.

I mount the EFI at /boot, and the main linux filesystem at /mnt, I arch-chroot in, run 'bootctl install' and it says it can't find the EFI system partition.

Am I supposed to mount the EFI partition from already being chrooted into /mnt??

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 9,003

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Mount the ESP under /mnt/boot/ after mounting the root partition under /mnt/.

EDIT: alternatively just mount the root partition, (arch-)chroot in, then run `mount -a` to mount everything listed in /etc/fstab.

EDIT2: hey, I already said that! Why did you make me type that again?

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2025-03-09 20:13:07)

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

So my last Arch install, I actually used archinstall for the first time.  So I moved away those *.conf files and created a new .conf file in /mnt/boot/loader/entries, manually.

Still get "Couldn't find EFI system partition" rhen running "bootctl install".

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

ok yeah I was doing that but I think part of my problem has been that my previous install I used archinstall.

I created a new .conf entry, got past the initial red error, made it to:

ERROR: Root device mounted successfully, but /sbin/init does not exist.

But I checked and it does exist.  I also perplexity'd this error and went through all the suggested troubleshooting steps there.

Seems so close.  Any further ideas??

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 9,003

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

I created a new .conf entry

Are you working as a spy or something? Are you not allowed to share file contents? It makes my job much harder, that's for sure

EDIT: did you follow my mount advice? Does `bootctl install` work?

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2025-03-09 21:26:37)

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

sorry, yeah, followed mount advice, several times, bootctl install appears to work, not a spy, only the 0x0 stuff never worked for me today, ex: https://0x0.st/BuC6.txt

and /sbin/init is in fact there.

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Well we need to see the configuration files.

You could load up a grml ISO image, that has a GUI so you could post the output here using FF and the attached Debian repositories have the arch-install-scripts (/usr/bin/arch-chroot) & pastebinit packages.

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

heh well I'll figure out a way to get the files, brb

chrisco23

Member

Registered: 2017-12-13

Posts: 156

Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

OK, so I thank you for all your time and patience but I'm sorry to admit it seemed the right time for me to get a clean slate.  It's not 2023 and linux 6.3 USB stick anymore.  My most critical stuff I have in github repos which I'm about to clone as I just now got default sway and waybar up and typing this.

No more squinting into 13-15" laptop screens and trying to type on laptop chiclet keyboards etc.  I'm not blind, but 43" main screen makes a world of difference.

Wish I could say I had something useful to offer the thread for whoever stumbles across this next, but your initial suggestions might help the next person.  My situ got beyond where it was gonna be really pertinent to the next person.  I learned plenty, for starters I wouldn't have even found that whole subvolume mount stuff...

Will mark solved.

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 9,003

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Re: [SOLVED] error preparing initrd: not found

Will mark solved.

But it isn't. That will probably be annoying for other forum users.

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî