Kernel 6.17.0-14 Kernel Panic

mikegreen8 · February 6, 2026, 9:42pm

Ubuntu Unity 24.04

Hi.

I was running fine with Kernel 6.14. I did an OS update, and it brought me up to Kernel 6.17.0-14. When I boot, I get a Kernel Panic.

Back on October 7, 2025, I had a kernel Panic as well. This forum had me do a:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources

and I had to change Suites to:

Suites: noble noble-updates noble-backports

And that resolved my problem. I have checked Suites on my system and it is fine.

I restored my system, but as of now, I cannot do any OS updates.

What to do ??

Thanks,

M…

j-w-heinen · February 6, 2026, 9:52pm

Hi, I have the same issue because of a ‘missing’ broadcom-sta driver. Please also see this topic : https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/incomplete-update-of-linux-kernel-6-17-0-14-resulting-in-kernel-panic/76232

mikegreen8 · February 7, 2026, 6:28pm

Hi and Thanks.

From This Post and some earlier ‘playing’, I figured out how top fix my Kernel Panic problem.:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1338398/how-do-i-remove-newest-kernel

First I did a Konsole OS Updates instead of the GUI:
sudo apt update & sudo apt upgrade

Here is partial list of the slew of errors it spit out:The following NEW packages will be installed:
  linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic linux-hwe-6.17-headers-6.17.0-14 linux-hwe-6.17-tools-6.17.0-14
  linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic linux-modules-6.17.0-14-generic
  linux-modules-extra-6.17.0-14-generic linux-tools-6.17.0-14-generic
....
N: Ignoring file 'ubuntu.sources.save.1' in directory '/etc/apt/sources.list.d/' as it has an invalid filename extension
N: Ignoring file 'ubuntu.sources.save.2' in directory '/etc/apt/sources.list.d/' as it has an invalid filename extension
N: Some packages may have been kept back due to phasing.

Highlighted Errors:
Cleaning build area...
make -j8 KERNELRELEASE=6.17.0-14-generic KVER=6.17.0-14-generic...(bad exit status: 2)
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.17.0-14-generic (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/broadcom-sta/6.30.223.271/build/make.log for more information.
Sign command: /usr/bin/kmodsign
Binary update-secureboot-policy not found, modules won't be signed
...
Building module: 
Cleaning build area... 
make -j8 KERNELRELEASE=6.17.0-14-generic -C /lib/modules/6.17.0-14-generic/build M=/var/lib/dkms/vi
rtualbox/7.0.16/build...(bad exit status: 2) 
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.17.0-14-generic (x86_64) 
Consult /var/lib/dkms/virtualbox/7.0.16/build/make.log for more information. 
dkms autoinstall on 6.17.0-14-generic/x86_64 failed for broadcom-sta(10) virtualbox(10) 
Error! One or more modules failed to install during autoinstall. 
Refer to previous errors for more information. 
 * dkms: autoinstall for kernel 6.17.0-14-generic 
   ...fail!
...
dpkg: error processing package linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic (--configure):
 installed linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 11
Setting up libglib2.0-dev:amd64 (2.80.0-6ubuntu3.8) ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04:
 linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 depends on linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic; however:
  Package linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
       Setting up linux-hwe-6.17-tools-6.17.0-14 (6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1) ... 
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-generic-hwe-24.04: 
 linux-generic-hwe-24.04 depends on linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 (= 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1); howev
er: 
  Package linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 is not configured yet. 
 
dpkg: error processing package linux-generic-hwe-24.04 (--configure): 
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured 
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous f
ailure.
...
Building module: 
Cleaning build area... 
make -j8 KERNELRELEASE=6.17.0-14-generic KVER=6.17.0-14-generic...(bad exit status: 2) 
ERROR: Cannot create report: [Errno 17] File exists: '/var/crash/broadcom-sta-dkms.0.crash' 
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.17.0-14-generic (x86_64) 
Consult /var/lib/dkms/broadcom-sta/6.30.223.271/build/make.log for more information. 
Sign command: /usr/bin/kmodsign 
Binary update-secureboot-policy not found, modules won't be signed 
Building module: 
Cleaning build area... 
make -j8 KERNELRELEASE=6.17.0-14-generic -C /lib/modules/6.17.0-14-generic/build M=/var/lib/dkms/vi
rtualbox/7.0.16/build...(bad exit status: 2) 
ERROR: Cannot create report: [Errno 17] File exists: '/var/crash/virtualbox-dkms.0.crash' 
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.17.0-14-generic (x86_64) 
Consult /var/lib/dkms/virtualbox/7.0.16/build/make.log for more information. 
dkms autoinstall on 6.17.0-14-generic/x86_64 failed for broadcom-sta(10) virtualbox(10) 
Error! One or more modules failed to install during autoinstall. 
Refer to previous errors for more information. 
 * dkms: autoinstall for kernel 6.17.0-14-generic 
   ...fail! 
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms exited with return code 11 
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic (--configure): 
 installed linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic package post-installation script subprocess returned error
 exit status 11
  Errors were encountered while process
ing: 
 linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic 
 linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 
 linux-generic-hwe-24.04 
 linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic 
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1) 
 
[1]+  Stopped

It was clear to me that I had to ditch Kernel 6.17.So i did a list of the available kernels:

dpkg -l | grep linux-image

ii linux-image-6.14.0-36-generic 6.14.0-36.36~24.04.1 amd64 Signed kernel image generic
ii linux-image-6.14.0-37-generic 6.14.0-37.37~24.04.1 amd64 Signed kernel image generic
iF linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 amd64 Signed kernel image generic
ii linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 amd64 Generic Linux kernel image

Then I Purged 6.17:

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic
sudo apt-get purge linux-headers-6.17.0-14-generic

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04

Then I booted into Refind and ensured that Kernel 6.17 was gone.

I now boot from the ‘old’ Kernel 6.14.0-37.
I will have to pay attention if any future OS Updates contain a newer Kernel & do a backup up first in case I encounter another Kernel Panic.

Small Rant: I have been using ubuntu for about 15 years now, and it is absolutely the greatest. However, this is my second encounter of a Kernel Panic in 4 months. An OS that is so brilliant should be able to do better if it encounters a problem with a newer Kernel, say so, and allow us to boot an older one. Don’t just blurt out Kernel Panic and halt. End Rant

Thanks for your help,
M…

j-w-heinen · February 7, 2026, 7:39pm

(Just a question : is it normal after purging that grub cannot be accessed at startup anymore? System is booting directly into 6.14.0-37 which is fine.)

Update : already fixed with help of Incomplete update of linux kernel 6.17.0-14 resulting in Kernel Panic - #10 by tea-for-one

Now after purging kernel 6.17; will I be prompted for new future kernel updates ? If I now sudo apt upgrade ; kernel 6.17 isn’t there …

mikegreen8 · February 7, 2026, 9:30pm

Hi.

When I boot I always go into Refind and this awesome utility allows me to boot various Kernels.

The problem is that when I get a Kernel Panic, I’m stuck at that front end screen - I don’t know how to bypass the Blasted Kernel Panic screen.

So what I did was boot with a USB and restore. Fortunately I do a backup every few days so it’s all good.

Now I just have to wait and see if a newer Kernel will work for me. I don’t know how to report this to the boys/girls that give us the OS Updates. They should be made aware of this.

Thanks again, and have a nice day,

M….

ReTylinate · February 8, 2026, 6:57pm

i got the same problem

mikegreen8 · February 8, 2026, 7:18pm

I’m going to see if I can Post some sort of bug report. I know it’s not a bug, but as I said above, it shouldn’t just halt. If the new Kernel won’t boot, give us the option to boot another Kernel.

Thanks guys, and have a nice day,

M….

mikegreen8 · February 8, 2026, 8:20pm

Here is a copy of my ‘bug’ report:

An OS update brought in Kernel 6.17.0-14 (I was running 6.14.0-37). Ubuntu Unity 24.04

A boot gave me a Kernel Panic screen. Fortunately I was able to boot a USB, and restore from a 3 day old backup. At this point I am running just fine, but I have to be careful re future ‘OS Updates’, and if there is a new Kernel to be installed, I will do a backup FIRST!.

This is not a question or a bug - just a sensible SUGGESTION. If a kernel can’t boot, don’t halt. Rather give us an option to boot with another one of the backup kernels that reside on the system. That would sure save a lot of grief.

Thanks for listening,

M…

brubun · February 9, 2026, 6:28am

Thank you, this was basically the solution for me as well. One minor note that I think is particular to my setup (I have an Nvidia gpu and for some reason sudo apt-get purge linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic ended up giving me an error as some kind nvidia related module started auto building after I issued the aforementioned purge command.

Once I did:

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic

it handled all the rest of the purges and for some reason the Nvidia related module didn’t start to auto build. Hope this helps someone else in case they have the same issue.

ian-weisser · February 9, 2026, 1:53pm

This effectively already exists. It’s your GRUB screen.

If you get a kernel panic: Simply reboot, expose your GRUB screen, and select an older kernel.

If you ARE using Ubuntu repository software, soon a routine kernel package update will fix the problem automatically for you. Until then, keep using the older kernel.
If you are NOT using Ubuntu repository software, plan to uninstall or replace that software. It is no longer compatible with Ubuntu.

There’s generally no need to remove packages. Indeed, that will prevent the fixed packages from reaching you. Doing so will also make it harder for support volunteers to help you effectively. And, in a few months, your current kernel will cease getting security updates.

mikegreen8 · February 9, 2026, 4:55pm

Hi and thanks for the informative post. My only problem is a silly embarrassing question:

How to expose my GRUB Screen ??

I am using Ubuntu repo software so all good there. Any chance this is an Ubuntu Unity 24.04 related issue ?

I will wait patiently for future Kernels that will resolve the kernel panic issue

Thanks again and have a nice day,

M…

j-w-heinen · February 9, 2026, 6:03pm

Ok, Thank you, very clear.

What if I purged the 6.17 kernel (now running 6.14), will I get future kernel updates >= 6.17 ?

Many thanks!

ian-weisser · February 9, 2026, 6:20pm

Don’t do that. It’s unnecessary.
Just use GRUB for its intended purpose.

The technical answer: It depends on whether you remove the metapackage. Metapackage dependencies govern future updates.

If you remove the metapackage, then you will remain on 6.14 forever, including long after security patches have ceased (bad idea).
If you don’t remove the metapackage, then the system will eventually reinstall 6.17.

tea-for-one · February 9, 2026, 6:28pm

If you want Grub to appear after power on, try this

j-w-heinen · February 9, 2026, 7:00pm

How can I check if the metapackage (whatever it is) still exist? And if not, can I add it again?

thanks in advance!

tea-for-one · February 9, 2026, 8:34pm

Two packages state that the Source = linux-meta-hwe-6.17
(I only included the first 5 lines of output)

apt info linux-generic-hwe-24.04
Package: linux-generic-hwe-24.04
Version: 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1
Priority: optional
Section: kernel
Source: linux-meta-hwe-6.17

apt info linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04
Package: linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04
Version: 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1
Priority: optional
Section: kernel
Source: linux-meta-hwe-6.17

j-w-heinen · February 9, 2026, 9:04pm

thank you,

I get the following, think this is OK :

apt list linux-generic-hwe-24.04 
linux-generic-hwe-24.04/noble-updates,noble-security 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 amd64  

apt list linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04 
linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04/noble-updates,noble-security,now 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 amd64 [geïnstalleerd]

gpmitch · February 9, 2026, 9:07pm

Based off of info that @tea-for-one provided, you should have the following packages installed

apt list -qq ~i~elinux-meta |awk -F[/," "] ‘{print $1,$5,$7,$8}’
linux-generic-hwe-24.04 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 [installed]
linux-headers-generic-hwe-24.04 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 [installed automatic]
linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1 [installed automatic]

j-w-heinen · February 9, 2026, 9:11pm

1 thing I learned after >15 years using ubuntu :
never never never purge kernel versions after a kernel panic screen. Just use grub (where it is meant for) to select the previous kernel and wait patient for a solution.

j-w-heinen · February 9, 2026, 9:19pm

Hi, thx, when I run your apt list command, I get the following : (something is wrong I think) :

awk: 1: unexpected character 0xe2
awk: line 2: missing } near end of file

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.