System boots to grub> prompt after software updates
Relevant System Information:
Desktop machine with two internal disks; system is on nvme0n1, the other disk is a plain SSD with data
Screenshots or Error Messages:
None. The grub> prompt appears and that’s all.
What I’ve Tried:
grub-install and update-grub
Some updates were installed this morning and I was asked to reboot the machine. For the last several months, that’s worked without error. This morning, I was presented with the grub> prompt.
I tried booting into Ubuntu 24.04.1 (USB stick), chrooting into the system and running grub-install and update-grub. No errors, but on rebooting, the grub> prompt appeared again.
Next step was to look up how to boot from the nvme disk using grub commands. This was successful and I was back into the system.
Again, I tried grub-install , update-grub and this time, for good measure, update-initramfs -u . Rebooted, and once again saw the grub> prompt. Using the grub commands got me back into the system again.
had a similar situation with a gaming motherboard (MSI) turned out the AI tweaking was changing the bios setting. (UEFI settings on the drive)
Which in my case was NVME with Ubuntu and Win 10 on a SSD
Thank you for the hint. I looked in the bios at the boot order and something – some AI nonsense? – had put the other disk (the SSD) at the top of the boot order.
Changing it so that the nvme disk is at the top fixed it.
I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t regularly poke around in the bios, not being into overclocking and stuff, so I know it won’t have been something I did. I last updated the official bios firmware a year ago, so “no” on that score. I changed the disk layout in November last year, but that was rearranging the nvme disk to do away with a separate /home partition and just have one big one, so nothing dramatic on that score, either.
The SSD disk was a boot disk at one point, and I left the old EFI partition there when I decided to use it as a data disk, in case I decided that I might want to boot from it again. I noticed just now that there were some EFI files still there, which might have confused some clever program that it was a good idea to put it at the top of the boot order, so I formatted the partition to get rid of them.
But still, it shouldn’t be playing with my boot drive order!
I know we’re saying “BIOS” here but I know what we really mean is “EFI.” That said, efibootmgr could certainly do this. I’m not sure what would call it. Maybe look at recent package updates?
Yeah, I haven’t figured out what to call the screen/system that you get when you press F2/DEL on boot on a EFI machine.
I can’t see anything in the recent updates that would have done that. There was a kernel update last week, but I always reboot immediately after that (this machine doesn’t run livepatch), and I most certainly would have known.
There’s nothing quite like grub> before you’ve even had your coffee to do things to the blood pressure…
Maybe it’s just a mystery, but I know what to look for if it happens again.
@wxl
Actually yes AI (integrated within the bios) has been / has the ability to change the bios setting to overclock processor’s since the third generation Intel (and AMD) . As well as other setting such as alter between UEFI and legacy boot.
Usually you will see this on MB targeting at gaming.
Both the Asus and the MSI branded Gaming boards I have are notorious for this. As these are actually older … I’m not sure if the newer boards are plagued with these shortcomings.
No thank you. Yuck. AI’s ability to get things right is rather limited I’ve found. At times, I’m rather amazed by it. Other times, it’s very clear the the intelligence it has is very artificial, indeed. Here’s a shining example of the genius at work:
Now the Asus X99 series LGA 2011 v3 (5th gen+)
I have yet to see it alter any UEFI /Legacy boot options. nor have I observed it to alter the boot sequence.
Although the true gaming boards I have seen them do that especially if one disconnects a drive or alter the UEFI settings.
But usually for those if the power is left on running the AI section doesn’t change anything as it’s when it’s booting that it does it’s magic attempting to find the best gaming solution since last boot.
I’ve never observed a server board doing this ever…
I’ve not noticed this the Dell’s I’ve ran either be that Lattitude / Precision/ Optiplex / Poweredge.
That also being said My Daughter is running a very late generation i9 ( again a gaming board).
And it does not do ANY bad manners that I have mentioned her’s seems to be rock solid.
and just a thought on @irihapeti situation might be your battery (the one on the mainboard that we all forget about) is aging… which could have cause a blip when cranking up the bios… IDK just a spitball thought.
FTR, my motherboard is nothing exciting, certainly not a gaming m/board. (inxi says Type: Desktop Mobo: ASRock model: B560M-HDV)
It was my first foray into building my own, and so I deliberately chose less expensive components so as not to blow too much money in case I shorted something or similar.
Also not all that old either (mid-2022), so I wouldn’t have suspected the battery. But you never know.
But I agree: AI, I often think, stands for Abundant Idiocy…
just glanced thought that board’s manual… Nice board there
even though has a OCtweaker configuration does not seem to be a default setting …
(which in my mind you probably would not have enabled)
@wxl
I would agree but it’s just the stupidest most simple thing I could think of if no setting was changed.
Actually, I have seen a dead battery affect other things. One of my grandsons gave me an ancient laptop c. 2011 to do ISO testing on. I never tried changing the boot order, but there was an option you had to set to allow going straight to choice of boot devices, and it wouldn’t “stick”. So I replaced that battery (with some difficulty) and it now holds that setting.
Also, I’ve rebooted a couple of times since I first fixed the issue earlier today, and the setting is holding.
Yeah the Server MB I just stuck in what yesterday I swapped out the battery and stuck in a 3.3v Thermo nuclear reactor … Took six months to get approval from the atomic energy commission
ok pointless stupid humor I know but I don’t care who you is that is funny
I’ll stop at that haha but honestly glad it was something simple
yes they do.
but so do several other that are not gaming boards (which don’t display this behavior). And you maybe onto something. Beyond noting the behavior I have not tracked down the chipsets to see what is in common and not common.
I get grub> occasionally. Usually I have done a test instlal to a USB device and not reset UEFI with efibootmgr to boot my main working install.
I learned configfile works, if every thing else is ok. Sometimes I need ls to find drive, partition with grub. And then use this, example is with install in first drive partition 5:
