[SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

menteith · 2025-11-28 13:14:56

Hi,

after upgrading system I'm getting unbootable Arch. Upgrade process shows no errors. I can fix it by using USB stick with Linux installation:

$ sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p2 /mnt && sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p3 /mnt/home && sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/esp
$ sudo arch-chroot /mnt

# inside chroot
pacman -S linux && grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=esp --bootloader-id=Arch

Here's some relevant info about my system:

Logs from unsuccessful boot:
https://pastebin.com/raw/urSQznzW

❯ sudo blkid /dev/nvme0n1p1 /dev/nvme0n1p2 /dev/nvme0n1p3
/dev/nvme0n1p1: UUID="EA07-07D3" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTLABEL="boot" PARTUUID="be979e68-141b-42bd-b94c-4abced10860b"
/dev/nvme0n1p2: LABEL="root" UUID="32bb1778-d9ad-4404-acad-978d647bfac5" BLOCK_SIZE="4096" TYPE="ext4" PARTLABEL="root" PARTUUID="876b7f21-36d4-49bd-bacb-058a97ccf619"
/dev/nvme0n1p3: LABEL="home" UUID="55079268-6969-498f-b4b5-17802f2cbbf0" BLOCK_SIZE="4096" TYPE="ext4" PARTLABEL="home" PARTUUID="fd3721c4-0c26-4248-9e5c-31ce397c7bb8"

❯ cat /etc/fstab
# Static information about the filesystems.
# See fstab(5) for details.

# <file system> <dir> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>

# /dev/nvme0n1p1
UUID=EA07-07D3                                  /boot           vfat            rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=ascii,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro   0 2

# /dev/nvme0n1p2 LABEL=root
UUID=32bb1778-d9ad-4404-acad-978d647bfac5       /               ext4            rw,relatime     0 1

# /dev/nvme0n1p3 LABEL=home
UUID=55079268-6969-498f-b4b5-17802f2cbbf0       /home           ext4            rw,relatime     0 2

❯ sudo efibootmgr -v
BootCurrent: 0002
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0002,000A,000C,000D,0001,000B,0000,0004
Boot0000* Lenovo Cloud  PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv4(0.0.0.0,0,DHCP,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0)/Uri(https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/cdeploy/efi/boot.efi)
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0c 1b 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 18 3c 00 68 74 74 70 73 3a 2f 2f 64 6f 77 6e 6c 6f 61 64 2e 6c 65 6e 6f 76 6f 2e 63 6f 6d 2f 70 63 63 62 62 73 2f 63 64 65 70 6c 6f 79 2f 65 66 69 2f 62 6f 6f 74 2e 65 66 69 00 / 7f ff 04 00
Boot0001* UEFI: HTTP IPv4 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller    PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv4(0.0.0.0,0,DHCP,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0)/Uri()0000424f
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0c 1b 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 18 04 00 / 7f ff 04 00
    data: 00 00 42 4f
Boot0002* Arch  HD(1,GPT,be979e68-141b-42bd-b94c-4abced10860b,0x800,0x882000)/\EFI\Arch\grubx64.efi
      dp: 04 01 2a 00 01 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 88 00 00 00 00 00 68 9e 97 be 1b 14 bd 42 b9 4c 4a bc ed 10 86 0b 02 02 / 04 04 30 00 5c 00 45 00 46 00 49 00 5c 00 41 00 72 00 63 00 68 00 5c 00 67 00 72 00 75 00 62 00 78 00 36 00 34 00 2e 00 65 00 66 00 69 00 00 00 / 7f ff 04 00
Boot0004* Win VDI Boot  PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv4(0.0.0.0,0,DHCP,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0)/Uri(https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/cdeploy/vdiboot/efi/vdi.efi)
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0c 1b 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 18 43 00 68 74 74 70 73 3a 2f 2f 64 6f 77 6e 6c 6f 61 64 2e 6c 65 6e 6f 76 6f 2e 63 6f 6d 2f 70 63 63 62 62 73 2f 63 64 65 70 6c 6f 79 2f 76 64 69 62 6f 6f 74 2f 65 66 69 2f 76 64 69 2e 65 66 69 00 / 7f ff 04 00
Boot000A* UEFI: PXE IPv4 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller     PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv4(0.0.0.0,0,DHCP,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0,0.0.0.0)0000424f
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0c 1b 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 7f ff 04 00
    data: 00 00 42 4f
Boot000B* UEFI: HTTP IPv6 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller    PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv6([::],0,Static,[::],[::],64)/Uri()0000424f
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0d 3c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 18 04 00 / 7f ff 04 00
    data: 00 00 42 4f
Boot000C* UEFI: PXE IPv6 Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller     PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(c4c6e6d6d430,0)/IPv6([::],0,Static,[::],[::],64)0000424f
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 1c / 01 01 06 00 00 00 / 03 0b 25 00 c4 c6 e6 d6 d4 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 03 0d 3c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 7f ff 04 00
    data: 00 00 42 4f
Boot000D* UEFI: General USB Flash Disk 1100     PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x14,0x0)/USB(3,0)/CDROM(1,0x1a94,0x9500)0000424f
      dp: 02 01 0c 00 d0 41 03 0a 00 00 00 00 / 01 01 06 00 00 14 / 03 05 06 00 03 00 / 04 02 18 00 01 00 00 00 94 1a 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 95 00 00 00 00 00 00 / 7f ff 04 00
    data: 00 00 42 4f

How do I fix my Arch so that it doesn't fail to boot after upgrade?

Last edited by menteith (2025-11-28 18:58:53)

Scimmia · 2025-11-28 13:17:23

Why do you have fstab mounting the esp to /boot if you don't want it there? That is what's causing your problem. You need to either choose /boot or /esp and stick to it, not switch back and forth.

Last edited by Scimmia (2025-11-28 13:18:00)

menteith · 2025-11-28 13:21:51

Thanks for swift reply. Arch docs maintain that: `/efi is a replacement for the historical and now discouraged ESP mountpoint /boot/efi`. What should I change? Can you assist me with that?

Scimmia · 2025-11-28 13:29:13

I don't know why you bring that up, since you're using neither of those mount points. As I said, pick a partition layout and stick with it.

menteith · 2025-11-28 13:34:44

Sorry, but with that information I'm not sure what should I change and where.

Scimmia · 2025-11-28 13:37:01

Until you make a decision, nobody can tell you that.

menteith · 2025-11-28 13:38:41

Let's go with /efi

Scimmia · 2025-11-28 13:41:29

Then change fstab to mount the ESP there, mount it there manually, reinstall grub, and regenerate the config. I would also reinstall the kernel to make sure it's up-to-date on the root partition.

EDIT: Oh, make sure to umount it from /boot before anything else.

Last edited by Scimmia (2025-11-28 13:46:10)

cryptearth · 2025-11-28 14:37:47

chances are high this install did not not follow the official guide but either arch install or some random - either way: unsupported
also: just grub-install doesn't help without grub-mkconfig - another hint you not read the wiki - or used the search function - or your favourite search site - as this is a topic reoccurring pretty much every update

menteith · 2025-11-28 14:43:19

No, your suggestions are wrong. I had too small /boot partition and after boot process I had non-booting Arch.
BTW, I thought this is a help forum but your post suggests that it is otherwise - a forum about your thoughts about what Arch users tend to read.
BTW 2: a hint I read the wiki is where I quote wiki.

seth · 2025-11-28 16:00:36

@cryptearth, users frequently fuck up their boot partition mount because they're not paying enough attention and, even when following the install guide, don't necessarily understand the implications.

The OP will at some point have fixed the bootloader partition, otherwise there'd be no "BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-linux" - the main problem is the stale /boot mount resulting in the kernel being updated into the wrong place.
The mitigation approach in the OP is flailing around, grub-install is pointless and installing the kernel works because the OP forgets to mount the boot partition for the chroot.

@menteith, I suggest you focus on your problems - did you get the system back in order after following Scimmias advice?

menteith · 2025-11-28 16:14:53

@seth thanks for the reason as to why my workaround works and the voice of reason.

What I did is to change fstab - now first partition is mounted as /esp. After changing fstab I upgraded system - some kernel firmware needed an update. Logs from upgrade suggested that the kernel was reinstalled. After reboot my system is up-and-running. It seems that changing fstab was all that was needed. I didn't understand what Scimmia had in mind so I tried to do as little as possible to make system work so that my system wouldn't become unbootable once again.

Last edited by menteith (2025-11-28 16:15:32)

seth · 2025-11-28 16:47:53

\o/
Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

cryptearth · 2025-11-28 23:17:24

menteith wrote:

I had too small /boot partition

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide#Example_layouts wrote:

mountpoint / suggested size
/boot* / 1GB
...
*Other mount points, such as /efi, are possible, provided that the used boot loader is capable of loading the kernel and initramfs images from the root volume. See the warning in Arch boot process#Boot loader.

with bloating /boot with more than one kernel, fallback initrd and nvidia (just for teh lolz) I have problems to get a 1GB /boot filled up half way ... I really question how people keep running out of space on thier /boot
wonder how windows manage to squeeze its entire kernel into the few MB usually used up on the 100MB ESP ... oh, wait, it doesn't - it just stores its bootloader there ... that must be the trick ... separating the bootloader from the OS ... dang, these folks are clever

menteith wrote:

I thought this is a help forum but your post suggests that it is otherwise - a forum about your thoughts about what Arch users tend to read.

well - to put it this way: vanilla Arch isn't exactly a new-to-linux beginner friendly distribution - and I doubt such are Arch's target audience - so, yes, from an average Arch user it can be expected, that:
- they know how to use that magic black box next to thier desk to use google to search for and find answers to repeated questions - instead of just searching for the next best forum (or at least if they do so use the search function of said forum)
- consult the wiki on thier own
- have at least some base experience with linux
- couple other points
yes - messing up boot unfortunate is common for arch - but to me unless it's a power outage during the step when the old boot files are purged and the new ones written (well, ok, arch can be blamed for doing it this way - other distros have better ways to handle kernel updates in a non-breaking manner) - or some magic - pretty much all can be tracked down to a, often new, user somehow fucked up something by often not proper reading the official guide (or not at all but follow some random youtube video) - it's all there - on the wiki, here on this forum, out in the internet - and from someone willing to give into arch it can be expected to have a few more brain cells than your pet and have a mindset of "well, likely others had similar issues before - maybe it's a good idea to try to search for them first"
today it's really THAT easy: open google - throw in "after an update my arch linux no longer boot" - and see what gemini gets you as common failure points - along with countless references to similar topics with similar causes and solutions

you are neither the first nor the only person on planet earth who just has invented fire and gravity - you're just unlucky I was in the mood to once again me being me being the asshole I am standing up in the last row and shouting all over the crowd "been there, done that - NEXT!"

Arch Linux

#1 2025-11-28 13:14:56

[SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#2 2025-11-28 13:17:23

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#3 2025-11-28 13:21:51

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#4 2025-11-28 13:29:13

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#5 2025-11-28 13:34:44

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#6 2025-11-28 13:37:01

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#7 2025-11-28 13:38:41

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#8 2025-11-28 13:41:29

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#9 2025-11-28 14:37:47

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#10 2025-11-28 14:43:19

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#11 2025-11-28 16:00:36

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#12 2025-11-28 16:14:53

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#13 2025-11-28 16:47:53

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

#14 2025-11-28 23:17:24

Re: [SOLVED] Installing newer version of kernel leads to boot problem

Board footer