Ubuntu
linux package

After upgrade from Feisty to Gutsy, Gutsy boot drops to initramfs

Bug #190588 reported by Brett Giles
6
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

I upgraded from Feisty to Gutsy, but there were numerous errors during the upgrade process.
Eventually, I was able to recover the upgrade via the standard:
  apt-get --configure -a
  apt-get update
  apt-get dist-upgrade

However, any boot to kernel 2.6.22-14 would display the ubuntu splash screen, show the progress bar for a few seconds and then drop back to the initramfs / ash prompt.

I do appear to be able to see /dev/disk etc. from there. I tried modprobe of various ide modules to no avail.

I have tried a dpkg-reconfigure on linux-kernel-2.6.22-14 and the associated restricted modules (I used Nvidia drivers).

I have also tried a manual mkinitramfs and depmod and update-grub, all with the same results.

The machine is about 3 years old, ide only, nforce2 chipset and includes a promise 20269 with two drives. /root is on /dev/hda7 off the mainboard controller. I have had edgy and fiesty running successfully on the machine. I am now using the Feisty kernel (2.6.20) to run.

Below is the results of the info commands you ask above:
cat /etc/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=7.10
DISTRIB_CODENAME=gutsy
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 7.10"
gilesb@gunther:/etc/udev/rules.d$ dpkg -l initramfs-tools
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Installed/Config-f/Unpacked/Failed-cfg/Half-inst/t-aWait/T-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Description
+++-==============-==============-============================================
ii initramfs-tool 0.85eubuntu20 tools for generating an initramfs

and an lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 AGP (different version?) (rev c1)
00:00.1 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Memory Controller 1 (rev c1)
00:00.2 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Memory Controller 4 (rev c1)
00:00.3 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Memory Controller 3 (rev c1)
00:00.4 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Memory Controller 2 (rev c1)
00:00.5 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Memory Controller 5 (rev c1)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 ISA Bridge (rev a4)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation nForce2 SMBus (MCP) (rev a2)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:02.2 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:08.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 External PCI Bridge (rev a3)
00:09.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation nForce2 IDE (rev a2)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 AGP (rev c1)
01:07.0 Mass storage controller: Promise Technology, Inc. 20269 (rev 02)
01:09.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 03)
01:09.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Live! Game Port (rev 01)
01:0a.0 Multimedia video controller: Internext Compression Inc iTVC15 MPEG-2 Encoder (rev 01)
01:0b.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV44A [GeForce 6200] (rev a1)

Revision history for this message
Handssolow (handssolow) wrote :

Possible similar bug here, after linux-header 2.6.22-14-generic upgrade on 5th February 2008 boot stops with Busybox message
Begin: waiting for root file system
check root=bootarg cat /proc/cmdline
or missing modules,devices: cat /proc/modules ls /dev
Alert /dev/disk/by UUID/"xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
does not exist. Dropping to shell

Busy Box V1.13
(initramfs)

Still able to use grub to boot with 2.6.20-16-generic
No abnormal UUID identified in Grub. Reinstalling headers doesn't cure boot error.

Asrock 939 Dual-VSTA Athlon 64 x2 Dual core nVidia 6600gt IDE primary master with 32 bit, SATA11 with 64 bit Ubuntu with a grub was also powered during the header upgrade.

$ cat /etc/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=7.10
DISTRIB_CODENAME=gutsy
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 7.10"

Revision history for this message
Handssolow (handssolow) wrote :

I'm still having a problem with kernel 2.6.22-14.47 dating from a failed upgrade on 5th February 2008, previously I was successfully using kernel 2.6.22-14.46 which I installed on 19th December 2008. I'm now having to fall back to 2.6.20-16-generic.
The fault is on my IDE drive running 32bit Gutsy but I still wonder if the kernel install failure was caused by the presence of a Satall drive with 64bit Gutsy and it's own Grub file. I normally use bios drive priority re-setting to select 32 or 64 bit versions.
Also SuperGrub CD not effective in booting to 2.6.22-14.47.

Revision history for this message
RickKnight (rick-knight) wrote :

I'm getting the same error. I upgraded from Feisty to Gutsy. I had one problem in the upgrade and had to abort. I completed the upgrade in a terminal with these commands...

sudo apt-get --configure -a
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Th upgraded completed successfully. When I rebooted there was a long delay at the splash screen then this...

Check root= bootarg cat /proc/cmdline or missing modules,devices: cat /proc/modules ls /dev

ALERT! /dev/disk/by-uuid/(boot disk uuid) does not exist. Dropping to a shell.

Then I get the Busy Box banner and prompt

(initramfs)

I have used blkid to verify the uuid is correct. I've edited /boot/grub/menu.lst and /etc/fstab to use drive path (/dev/hdb5 & /dev/sdb5) instead of uuid. I also modified /etc/initramfs-tools/modules and added these lines (from a post at Launchpad)...

# added for support of older, standard hdx drives
piix
ide_generic
ide_cd
ide_disk

# black-list bad driver
ata_piix

# prevent unnecessary modules from loading (optional)
blacklist ata_generic
blacklist libata
blacklist scsi_mod

And then ran...

sudo initramfs-tools -u 2.6.22-14-generic

to rebuild the init image.

I have also removed and re-installed the kernel image (while booted into my Feisty kernel) but that, too did not work.
So far nothing has worked. I still boot to a busy box prompt with a message indicating my hard drives can't be found.

I am able to boot to my Feisty kernel without any problems.

This seems to be an ongoing bug. Is there any hope of a fix? I really DO NOT want to have to reformat my PC to solve this upgrade problem.

Rick Knight

Revision history for this message
Brett Giles (brett-giles) wrote :

Just a further note that the initial machine I reported this on turned out to have a totally trashed IDE controller. I tried reformatting / reinstalling and nothing worked. I took the drives out and used them in USB enclosures and 1 had been fried.

So - hardware issue - i guess the only bug might be managing to intercept the IO errors that should have been occurring somewhere.

Revision history for this message
Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara) wrote :

Seems this was the result of hw going bad. Closing bug.

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status: New → Invalid
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