Solved 23.04 LTS will not boot after install.

For months, I've been running 23.04 LTS without issue. But after running an update, I noticed a video glitch which would be difficult to describe.

I tried updating the Nvidia drivers which didn't help. Then I removed them since it didn't correct the problem. So I decided to completely reinstall 23.04 LTS.

After reinstalling, the machine will not reboot from the hard drive, instead, requiring the install disk be reinserted.

I was able to get an OLD version to install (16.04 LTS) and boot from the hard disk. From there, I was able to upgrade to 18.04 LTS. I planned to keep updating until I reached the latest version, but I can't get beyond 18.04 LTS.

Diags on the SSD hard disk showed some errors that "may impact the OS system's ability to boot". Reading this, I purchased a new 1TB SSD and installed, but the problem remained.

I have searched this issue and it is a known issue, but none of the recommended solutions work.

I don't know what else to try.

Suggestions?

DX

Choose another OS to install

Ubuntu 24.04 has been released

If you prefer a change, I would recommend Linux mint 21.3

Condobloke said:

Ubuntu 23.04 support ends January 25, 2024 - OMG! Ubuntu

Official support for Ubuntu 23.04 'Lunar Lobster' ends on January 25, 2024. As an interim/short-term support release, Ubuntu 23.04 receives 9 months of

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

Choose another OS to install

Ubuntu 24.04 has been released

If you prefer a change, I would recommend Linux mint 21.3

Click to expand...

This happened when the system upgraded from 23.04 to (I believe) 24.04

I know it happened after an upgrade.

I just downloaded 24.04 which is 5.7 gig and does not fit on a DVD. Can you provide a link to installing via .iso?

Just looked on Ubuntu's web site...the ISO is 6GB.

Might be a good time to try Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.3...it's great...I'm using 21.1 and is only 2.9GB.

It's much better to burn the Distro's ISO to a Flash Drive using Etcher for best results.

bob466 said:

Just looked on Ubuntu's web site...the ISO is 6GB. View attachment 20283

Might be a good time to try Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.3...it's great...I'm using 21.1 and is only 2.9GB.

It's much better to burn the Distro's ISO to a Flash Drive using Etcher for best results. View attachment 20284

Click to expand...

I'd rather fix the issue and learn something.

DxHum said:

I'd rather fix the issue and learn something.

Click to expand...

Then read my reply...you can't burn a 6GB ISO on to a 4.7GB DVD...even the Wizard can't.

DxHum said:

I just downloaded 24.04 which is 5.7 gig and does not fit on a DVD.

Click to expand...

It would appear that you have already learned something....albeit not to anyones taste !

That at least tells you that there is a lot of 'add on' included on the .iso

did you read my link above...23.04 is at End Of Life... that means it will receive no further Security updates....it may well be the reason for your problem with it after running an update.
No receiving security update leaves your system vulnerable to malicious attacks from 'bad actors'.....if you are in the habit of using your pc for any form of online buying (ebay etc etc etc) or for online banking...it would be wise to discontinue

Ubuntu 23.04 was NOT a LTS release, and had a single upgrade path, which was to Ubuntu 23.10 or the next release.

There is no supported or offered upgrade path from 23.04 to 24.04 as you can only skip releases if coming from a LTS release, and 23.04 was NOT a LTS release.

I'd check what you were actually using, as there is no Ubuntu 23.04 LTS only Ubuntu 23.04 which is EOL (https://fridge.ubuntu.com/2024/01/2...bster-reached-end-of-life-on-january-25-2024/) and if you upgraded you'll be on Ubuntu 23.10 (not 24.04).

bob466 said:

Then read my reply...you can't burn a 6GB ISO on to a 4.7GB DVD...even the Wizard can't. View attachment 20289

Click to expand...

Right... well... I do have an older version booting from the HD (16.04 LTS). I did this because I needed to get etcher installed so that I can make a bootable thumb drive with the latest distro. Once I have that done, then I can try to install the latest version.

I tried installing etcher when booting from the install disk, but it didn't work.

guiverc said:

Ubuntu 23.04 was NOT a LTS release, and had a single upgrade path, which was to Ubuntu 23.10 or the next release.

There is no supported or offered upgrade path from 23.04 to 24.04 as you can only skip releases if coming from a LTS release, and 23.04 was NOT a LTS release.

I'd check what you were actually using, as there is no Ubuntu 23.04 LTS only Ubuntu 23.04 which is EOL (https://fridge.ubuntu.com/2024/01/2...bster-reached-end-of-life-on-january-25-2024/) and if you upgraded you'll be on Ubuntu 23.10 (not 24.04).

Click to expand...

Quite possible that I am mistaken. I made the assumption that 23.04 was an LTS release.

Okay! Then that is what happened because I was running 23.04 and did updates. I assumed it was updated to 24.04. Based on your post, The distro I was running at the time most likely was upgraded to 23.10.

Bummed by this. I was excited to dig my heels in and really get proficient with this. The issues I am having feel like something a person with a more advanced skill set would easily solve.

Experience is a great teacher

I learned what I know now, by breaking Linux Mint....over and over......and I am still learning !

Ubuntu can be a bit of a handful to navigate around....it is easy to get the versions mixed up. i had to look to make sure earlier and I have been doing this for 10 years, approx

I will repeat what I said before...only because I mean it...take a look at Linux Mint 21.3

DxHum said:

Quite possible that I am mistaken. I made the assumption that 23.04 was an LTS release.

Okay! Then that is what happened because I was running 23.04 and did updates. I assumed it was updated to 24.04. Based on your post, The distro I was running at the time most likely was upgraded to 23.10.

Click to expand...

Just as an aside, and hopefully useful in the future, you mention 16.04 & 18.04 which were LTS releases.. ie. the first release of an even year...

Ubuntu 23.04 was the 2023-April release; 2023 being odd had no LTS releases, as only Debian releases their lts on odd years (Ubuntu uses even years in April).

Ubuntu's full development cycle occurs over two years, with 3 stable snapshots of the progress released as the non-LTS releases.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS development started just after 22.04 LTS was released, with progress shown in the releases of 22.10 (2022-October, 23.04 (2023-April) and final being 23.10 (2023-October) prior to final polish is done and LTS released in April 2024 as 24.04.

Upgrade docs were https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ManticUpgrades

The largest difference I recall was upgrade from 6.2 kernel (23.04) to 6.5 kernel (23.10).. There is always some hardware components that don't do well with new kernels, thus booting live media & checking for issues is worthwhile, though reading the release notes (as suggested in the ManticUpgrades instructions too) can be beneficial as if problems were detected for specific hardware during Quality Assurance testing, the mitigations will be listed there if deemed worthwhile. Most issues I'd expect however apply to graphics, and thus won't impact a Server install.

If a system can't boot; I'll try booting to runlevel 1, and ensure I'm not using any plymouth or other tool that hides messages (ie. removing 'quiet splash' for example)... If the text terminal boots, explore for issues, messages etc there etc.

Condobloke said:

Experience is a great teacher

I learned what I know now, by breaking Linux Mint....over and over......and I am still learning !

Ubuntu can be a bit of a handful to navigate around....it is easy to get the versions mixed up. i had to look to make sure earlier and I have been doing this for 10 years, approx

I will repeat what I said before...only because I mean it...take a look at Linux Mint 21.3

Click to expand...

I've never tried Mint, but will do so.

Yes, something is definitely broken! LOL

It seems to me that the installation goes well, but for some reason, it doesn't point to the boot partition before the reboot.

guiverc said:

Just as an aside, and hopefully useful in the future, you mention 16.04 & 18.04 which were LTS releases.. ie. the first release of an even year...

Ubuntu 23.04 was the 2023-April release; 2023 being odd had no LTS releases, as only Debian releases their lts on odd years (Ubuntu uses even years in April).

Ubuntu's full development cycle occurs over two years, with 3 stable snapshots of the progress released as the non-LTS releases.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS development started just after 22.04 LTS was released, with progress shown in the releases of 22.10 (2022-October, 23.04 (2023-April) and final being 23.10 (2023-October) prior to final polish is done and LTS released in April 2024 as 24.04.

Upgrade docs were https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ManticUpgrades

The largest difference I recall was upgrade from 6.2 kernel (23.04) to 6.5 kernel (23.10).. There is always some hardware components that don't do well with new kernels, thus booting live media & checking for issues is worthwhile, though reading the release notes (as suggested in the ManticUpgrades instructions too) can be beneficial as if problems were detected for specific hardware during Quality Assurance testing, the mitigations will be listed there if deemed worthwhile. Most issues I'd expect however apply to graphics, and thus won't impact a Server install.

If a system can't boot; I'll try booting to runlevel 1, and ensure I'm not using any plymouth or other tool that hides messages (ie. removing 'quiet splash' for example)... If the text terminal boots, explore for issues, messages etc there etc.

Click to expand...

Yes. What I am experiencing now is largely due to my inexperience. I've always stayed with LTS installations and assumed that the upgrade was to the next LTS.

I have made some progress with the issue.

I've encountered many bumps in the road to solving this issue. And those were mostly compatibility of the newer release with older software. As an example, there were a bunch of complex fixes to get Etcher to run on newer releases.

So I switched back to an older version (I used 16.04), which eliminated the issues. Etcher worked flawlessly and created a 24.04 image on an 8Gig thumb drive.

But when I select it from the boot menu, it too is not bootable, even though Etcher shows it was created successfully.

When I look at the files on the drive, it appears everything it needs to boot is there.

Is there a way for me allow the system to boot up to 16.04 and then execute the install of 24.04 fromthe thumb drive?

DxHum said:

Suggestions?

Click to expand...

1st i'd try to collect information relative to partition & file systems, preferably using HardInfo which is pre-installed in some "LIVE" versions as MX, etc. My previous ia32/x86_64 hybrid bootloader tablet made it difficult to find a match and updates killed my install both in the case of Mint and MX exactly, while Mint even required to be patched manually as i vaguely recall. YUMi-exFAT helped expedite this sort of USB swappings, e.g. having to flash a unit with each new test: now it's only a matter of copying the ISO image-file. But YUMi is available in many versions and that's what puzzles me most, not reading about MBR, GPT, BiOS, uEFI or else... Which is where i'd start, ideally. Ah, and never forget that GrUB 2 actually comes with a CLI, hence the means to read variables. Etc., etc.



P.S.: 'hardinfo2_2.0.17-LinuxMint-21.3_amd64.deb'

Egzoset said:

1st i'd try to collect information relative to partition & file systems, preferably using HardInfo which is pre-installed in some "LIVE" versions as MX, etc. My previous ia32/x86_64 hybrid bootloader tablet made it difficult to find a match and updates killed my install both in the case of Mint and MX exactly, while Mint even required to be patched manually as i vaguely recall. YUMi-exFAT helped expedite this sort of USB swappings, e.g. having to flash a unit with each new test: now it's only a matter of copying the ISO image-file. But YUMi is available in many versions and that's what puzzles me most, not reading about MBR, GPT, BiOS, uEFI or else... Which is where i'd start, ideally. Ah, and never forget that GrUB 2 actually comes with a CLI, hence the means to read variables. Etc., etc.



P.S.: 'hardinfo2_2.0.17-LinuxMint-21.3_amd64.deb'

Click to expand...

What puzzles me is that 23.04 was working well until the update. So why wouldn't it work again after I reinstalled it?

And prior to reinstalling, I wiped the drive to be sure nothing residual was creating a problem.

The slogan « Fix once, break many » verifies again and again, unable to retain what "works" when finally it does i'm afraid! I too seen Mint succeed with its install (once i patched it, before proceeding with Rufus i think...) then eventually observing it perform self-destruct over an auto-update. It may just fail at the ultimate bootloader stage while in fact a second setup from a different Linux might actually prove aware enough to recover the previous install to integrate it via its own GrUB menu - something i've observed being done often since 2 Linux OSes typically occupy the space of a single Windows one... Another utility that made significant progress happens to be 'rEFind' but that's only for those dealing with a valid EFi candidate; copies of 'SGD204s2B2-x86_64_efi-CD.iso' hang around too with a similar limitation.

Why LMDE and not Mint? That's a mystery for sure but it still seems to me like you'll need hints and there's got to be a few breeds that can at least boot then hopefully allow HardInfo to be added "live" if not simply present already.

DxHum said:

...why wouldn't it work again after I reinstalled it?

Click to expand...

I reason any script involved must be made suitably aware of the whole configuration 1st for it to work safely and efficiently, which possibly implies some hardware-specific driver/kernel. For example i noticed Ventoy also has UDF and ISO9660 complements, and of course MBR/BiOS is generally assumed - too bad if if it's GPT/uEFi instead, or go figure when a driver exists but the script will ignore it nonetheless, etc... As an annecdote, Ubuntu insisted to touch (format) my Windows EFi System Partition despite all attempts to force it to ignore that completely.

DxHum said:

And prior to reinstalling, I wiped the drive to be sure nothing residual was creating a problem.

Click to expand...

Lets hope invisible/reserved system partitions ain't gone with it if any; i remember AMI's 'aptio'' uEFI-BiOS had 2... Anyway, in presence of Windows one could have tried to install 'Grub2Win' and save its .cfg file still having a working system at hand to peek inside and document the next step. Questions relative to Secure Boot, BitLocker and Raid are likely to arise - which even exposes to a potential risk of "bricking" the machine unless there's a readily-available remedy. Etc, etc!

Not all of these suggestions will be applicable, however work your way through them.

Seeing the pc was working before, it will be one of these or maybe just a slight change in technique will achieve it

Why Linux fails to load/install direct to HDD, common reasons
1] Corrupt download [check SHA sum]
2] bad burn to installation medium [try again] [if you used Rufus then try Balena Etcher]
3] Wind 8.2 and higher quick start/fast boot or secure boot not disabled [doesn't normally apply to older versions]
4] defective pen-drive/DVD
5] hardware fault,
5A] If old style HDD run integrity check
5B]if SATA SSD check for hidden partition at the beginning of drive [this will stop Grub from loading] and delete it before re-installing Linux
If M2.NVMe check, your system is NVMe compatible [not all older kit is]
(Thanks @Brickwizard )