[SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

LithoUser · 2025-12-26 09:07:54

Hello,

There was a brief power outage during an Arch update. Since then, it won't start up: the system boots up, but then it stops with several errors saying "[FAILED] Failed to start D-Bus System Message Bus." and then "[FAILED] Failed to start Light Display Manager."

I chrooted and ran the update again before rebooting, but it still doesn't work.

Here is the result of the command `sudo LC_ALL=C pacman -Qkk 2>&1 | grep -v ', 0 altered files'`:

warning: database file for 'core' does not exist (use '-Sy' to download)
warning: database file for 'extra' does not exist (use '-Sy' to download)
warning: amd-ucode: /boot/amd-ucode.img (No such file or directory)
warning: filesystem: /etc/resolv.conf (File type mismatch)
warning: filesystem: /etc/shadow (File type mismatch)
warning: filesystem: /usr/lib/os-release (Modification time mismatch)
warning: filesystem: /usr/lib/os-release (Size mismatch)
warning: filesystem: /usr/lib/os-release (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
amd-ucode: 17 total files, 1 altered file
backup file: filesystem: /etc/group (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/group (Size mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/group (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/gshadow (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/gshadow (Size mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/gshadow (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/passwd (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/passwd (Size mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/passwd (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shadow (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shadow (Size mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shadow (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shells (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shells (Size mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/shells (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
filesystem: 127 total files, 3 altered files
fuse-common: 2 total files, 0 warning: intel-ucode: /boot/intel-ucode.img (No such file or directory)
ltered files
intel-ucode: 161 total files, 1 altered file
libpipeline: 80 total files, 0 altewarning: libutemper: /usr/lib/utemper/utemper (GID mismatch)
warning: libutemper: /usr/lib/utemper/utemper (Permissions mismatch)
warning: memtest86+: /boot/memtest86+ (No such file or directory)
warning: memtest86+: /boot/memtest86+/memtest.bin (No such file or directory)
warning: memtest86+-efi: /boot/memtest86+ (No such file or directory)
warning: memtest86+-efi: /boot/memtest86+/memtest.efi (No such file or directory)
red files
libutemper: 20 total files, 1 altered files
memtest86+: 6 total files, 2 altered files
memtest86+-efi: 6 total files, 2 altered files
backup file: open-iscsi: /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: open-iscsi: /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi (Size mismatch)
backup file: open-iscsi: /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
backup file: pacman-mirrorlist: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist (Modification time mismatch)
backup file: pacman-mirrorlist: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist (Size mismatch)
backup file: pacman-mirrorlist: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist (SHA256 checksum mismatch)
python-rich: 251 twarning: shadow: /usr/bin/groupmems (GID mismatch)
warning: shadow: /usr/bin/groupmems (Permissions mismatch)
warning: systemd: /var/log/journal (GID mismatch)
shadow: 576 total files, 1 altered file
systemd: 1670 total files, 1 altered file

It looks really bad... and I'm nowhere near capable of fixing it myself.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

Last edited by LithoUser (Today 10:55:22)

Everything2067 · 2025-12-26 17:25:06

You are in luck.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman … ed_upgrade
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman … c_packages

LithoUser · 2025-12-26 19:11:08

Thank you for your help!

But the following code:

grep "\[2025-12-24.*\] \[ALPM\] upgraded" /var/log/pacman.log

only outputs the following error: "grep: /var/log/pacman.log: binary file matches".

And the following code:

LC_ALL=C.UTF-8 pacman -Qk 2>/dev/null | grep -v ' 0 missing files' | cut -d: -f1

outputs nothing at all... so there's nothing to reinstall, unfortunately.

seth · 2025-12-26 21:08:19

I chrooted and ran the update again before rebooting, but it still doesn't work.

warning: intel-ucode: /boot/intel-ucode.img (No such file or directory)

Forgot to mount the boot partition?

warning: database file for 'core' does not exist (use '-Sy' to download)
warning: database file for 'extra' does not exist (use '-Sy' to download)

In what context did you run that? The chroot?

Boot the install iso, mount your root partition into /mnt and your boot partition into /mnt/boot, then arch-chroot /mnt, then re-install all packages

LithoUser · Yesterday 07:45:34

Forgot to mount the boot partition?

Yes. But I can't find my boot partition:

1. There is a boot folder in the root partition, but the command "lsblk -o NAME" does not list any boot partitions.

2. grub no longer launches automatically (my system is BIOS, not UEFI): the motherboard firmware launches first, then grub; it seems that there is no longer a boot sector.

Last edited by LithoUser (Yesterday 07:46:40)

seth · Yesterday 09:21:31

Yes. But I can't find my boot partition:

Before any chrooting check

lsblk -f

and also check the contents of /mnt/etc/fstab

t seems that there is no longer a boot sector.

From the chroot and when all partitions are properly mounted, re-install grub and make sure to direct it to the proper ESP mount (which can but does not have to be /boot!)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB#Installation

LithoUser · Yesterday 16:42:52

Thank you for helping me!

lsblk -f

Only three partitions appear on my hard drives (I have two encrypted hard drives, each of which hosts part of my home/ folder):
- /dev/sda1 -> crypto_LUKS
- /dev/sdb1 -> root partition (ext4) including my boot/ folder
- /dev/sdc1 -> crypto_LUKS

and also check the contents of /mnt/etc/fstab

UUID=9e69dc04-0dce-48d4-8001-c6cb59e8446e   /               ext4    rw,relatime	0 1
/dev/mapper/vgroup_new-lv_home_new          /home           ext4    rw,relatime,no_prefetch_block_bitmaps,x-systemd.device-timeout=120	0 2
/dev/mapper/vgroup(-lv_home                  /mnt/old_HDD    ext4    defaults,nofail,no_prefetch_block_bitmaps,x-systemd.device-timeout=120    0 2

re-install grub and make sure to direct it to the proper ESP mount (which can but does not have to be /boot!)

So I have done this:

pacman -S grub
grub-install /dev/sdb
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

And then I have rebooted, but it hasn't changed anything. I guess these commands are wrong, or I forgot something...

seth · Yesterday 16:58:38

You don't have an ESP??

(lsblk -f; fdisk -l /dev/sdb) | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st

So I have done this:

Before or after the chroot?

LithoUser · Yesterday 17:28:15

You don't have an ESP??

Sorry for the silly question, but isn't that standard with BIOS? (My system doesn't have UEFI.)

(lsblk -f; fdisk -l /dev/sdb) | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st

The output is here: https://0x0.st/PijT.txt

So I have done this:
Before or after the chroot?

That was *after* the chroot.

seth · Yesterday 20:32:41

isn't that standard with BIOS?

Yes, is - the BIOS part is kinda no longer the standard - and I missed

2. grub no longer launches automatically (my system is BIOS, not UEFI)

because of

the motherboard firmware launches first, then grub; it seems that there is no longer a boot sector.

What does that mean? The BIOS will always load first - you might have to set a boot device in the BIOS (where you can typically also force it to ask) - the partition is certainly flagged bootable.

Leaving grub aside for the moment: after re-installing all packages, do you still have problems w/ the system?

sudo LC_ALL=C pacman -Qkk |& grep --line-buffered -v ', 0 altered files' | grep -v backup > /tmp/howbadisit.txt
cat /tmp/howbadisit.txt | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st

LithoUser · Today 06:31:54

OK, I finally managed to reinstall all the packages, and the system is booting up. Thank you very much for your help!

cat /tmp/howbadisit.txt | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st

It's here: http://0x0.st/PiV2.txt

What does that mean? The BIOS will always load first - you might have to set a boot device in the BIOS (where you can typically also force it to ask) - the partition is certainly flagged bootable.

What I mean is that before I had this problem, grub would launch as soon as I turned on my PC. Now, when I turn it on, I get a screen from the motherboard that displays the system keys (F8 = Boot Options; Del = Bios; etc.) and remains on the screen for several seconds before grub launches. Is there something I should do?

Last edited by LithoUser (Today 07:01:44)

seth · Today 08:55:29

\o/
http://0x0.st/PiV2.txt is therefore now pretty empty

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.

LithoUser · Today 09:17:45

I would have liked to ask two more questions before marking the post as resolved:

1. There is this boot screen that displays the name of my motherboard and the boot options before launching grub; is it normal? Since it didn't appear before, is it probably simply a BIOS option that has changed? Or should I consider this a new problem to be solved?

2. This is a very minor question, but it may be useful to me in the future: since my /home folder is split between two hard drives, when I chroot, can I mount both drives in the same folder, like this:

mount /dev/mapper/vgroup-lv_home /mnt/home/
mount /dev/mapper/vgroup_new-lv_home_new /mnt/home/

Or do I have to mount them in two separate folders?

Last edited by LithoUser (Today 09:18:31)

seth · Today 10:31:23

boot screen … is it normal?

Yes, the BIOS might offer you to not display a vendor logo but that's completely outside any OS control.

can I mount both drives in the same folder …Or do I have to mount them in two separate folders?

Neither.
Mounting them into the same location will just show you the last mount there (the other one is shadowed, the partition inaccessible)
Currently you seem to be mounting /dev/mapper/vgroup_new-lv_home_new to /home and /dev/mapper/vgroup-lv_home to /mnt/old_HDD but what you were likely trying to do was to create a RAID0 or RAID1?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/LVM#RAID
(When experimenting with this it is always a good idea to have backups of at least critical data - in case things go horribly wrong…)

LithoUser · Today 10:55:08

Neither.

Neither, because... you don't need to haveaccess to your /home folder when you chroot, is that correct?

In any case, thank you very much for all your help!

Arch Linux

#1 2025-12-26 09:07:54

[SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#2 2025-12-26 17:25:06

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#3 2025-12-26 19:11:08

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#4 2025-12-26 21:08:19

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#5 Yesterday 07:45:34

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#6 Yesterday 09:21:31

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#7 Yesterday 16:42:52

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#8 Yesterday 16:58:38

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#9 Yesterday 17:28:15

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#10 Yesterday 20:32:41

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#11 Today 06:31:54

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#12 Today 08:55:29

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#13 Today 09:17:45

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#14 Today 10:31:23

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

#15 Today 10:55:08

Re: [SOLVED] My system won't start up after crashing during an update

Board footer