Thanks for your help in advance. I apologise for my ignorance in advance.
Ubuntu Version:
Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS and Ubuntu 24
Desktop Environment (if applicable):
Problem Description:
I’m trying to get an old 20 system to boot again using BOOTREPAIR . I had recovered it using Gparted I think but then power went out and it went back to the command line. Initramfs
I have boot media, I installed Bootrepair and I’m taking the advice to have someone look at the data generated to see if I can go ahead with recommended Bootrepair process.
Relevant System Information:
Dual boot windows and Ubuntu 20
It’s a “custom” built PC. I just bought a motherboard with cpu and ram. So it’s not a Dell or HP anything.
What I’ve Tried:
I think there was a “recover disk” option maybe in Gparted that I tried and it booted but it was a long time ago so I can’t remember the exact step.
Line 42 - OS#1 (linux): Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS on mapper/ubuntu–vg-Windows
Line 43 - OS#2 (linux): Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS on mapper/ubuntu–vg-root
Two versions of Ubuntu 20.04 discovered by the report
I don’t understand the Windows ID in line 42 - LVM is a bit of a mystery to me here
Furthermore, your disk is msdos without an ESP, which is the old-fashioned (some say prehistoric) format for OS installation.
More importantly, Ubuntu 20.04 is end of life and now unsupported.
If you wish to try the boot-repair instructions (lines 189 - 203), it may work but an end of life OS should be upgraded/replaced.
Suggestion (probably not that you wish to read):-
Back up your data to an external device
Install Ubuntu 24.04 in UEFI mode with GPT (partition table)
Windows 11 will insist on UEFI and GPT
Restore your data
So when I initially got the dual boot to work, it was because I’d gotten a motherboard etc on Ebay and after installing Windows on it, the system would reboot itself over and over. The buyer suggested trying Ubuntu but even when I got Ubuntu to work the system kept rebooting.
The problem was a bad Ram card.
Anyway the dual boot was always weird. I think the dual boot started from some kind of Ubuntu boot menu, where I could choose to Windows if I wanted. I ended up using Ubuntu most of the time.
I tried upgrading but I kept getting errors and then one day it wouldn’t boot anymore.
I got another motherboard maybe a year ago and like I said I got the system to boot but before I could back it up it went back to not booting.
Ok I’m seeing the suggestions. I’m not really sure how to back up the drive. The drive isn’t full at all but I don’t know how to try to navigate it.
I have an SSD with Ubuntu 24 installed on it, so I don’t really want or need to run Ubuntu 20. I kind of just want my files.
I don’t know if I’m wasting my time but I would like to boot up the old system just to see if I want anything specifically. Like the video editor I used etc.
I guess I’ll see if anyone else has anything to add.
I will have to look up some of those terms like GPT etc.
When I say I don’t exactly know how to back up the drive, I can see it in Gparted but I don’t see many options. I tried mounting the drive but I don’t think I know what I’m doing.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1
mount: /dev/sda1: can’t find in /etc/fstab.
There is no need to back up a drive, disk or partition.
Boot into a “Try Ubuntu” live session
Use the file manager to mount the partition
Locate and copy your important files and folders to an external device
If you read the Support and Help Start Here page you’ll see rather clearly that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS isn’t on-topic here.
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is in extended support which is provided by Canonical, not Ubuntu.
Recovering data from a 20.04 system I would see on-topic, but your desire seems to be booting it so it can be operational; and we can’t help with that as its not a release in standard support
Your command tells it to mount, but as you didn’t tell it where to mount, you got the error as lack of mount location caused it look for a valid entry in the file-system table (fstab) which didn’t exist. Give an operand where you want it to mount, eg. sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
Yeah, that’s what I was expecting i.e. I’d be able to just copy the files over. I’ve done that when my windows installations have failed in the past.
I’m actually using the live session off of the boot media to post and do my usual stuff.
However the partition doesn’t seem to be visible in the file manager. I can see it in Gparted but not in the file manager.
I’m sorry. I was not clear to me where to go to ask for information. I think I read something about a given amount of years but I really didn’t understand.
For my information what is Canonical?
I would be happy just to get my information back if that is the only thing possible here.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
mount: /mnt: unknown filesystem type ‘LVM2_member’.
dmesg(1) may have more information after failed mount system call.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
You’ve given only vague details; eg. there is no Ubuntu 24, so I don’t actually know what you’re using.
I’m a desktop user myself; so I’m more likely to use Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 LTS, no the snap only versions like Ubuntu Core 24.
I’d adjust the /mnt to whatever is safe in your circumstances; I’d expect /mnt to work as I provided it (why I provided it), but given only vague/unclear details from you I can’t be precise.
Canonical is a company; you can visit their web site for more details - https://canonical.com/
This is a follow-up to the Extended Support warning sent one month ago to confirm that as of May 29, 2025, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS standard support has ended. No more package updates are planned to be accepted to the primary archive of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
Maintenance updates will be provided for 5 years for Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Cloud and Ubuntu Core. All the remaining flavours will be supported for 3 years. Additional security support is available with ESM (Extended Security Maintenance).
so calculating 20.04 (2020-April) & 5 years tells you 2025-April [for EOSS], with an extra month provided by Canonical so people can enable ESM, thus the April moved to May 2025 for EOSS.
You ever tried talking to a plumber? You ask him about the dohickey and he says “you mean the stabliser?”
When I say Ubuntu 24, I mean Ubuntu Desktop 24.***. Even saying that I’m probably wrong.
I’m sure you are very knowledgeable, I’m not going to understand half of what you say though. I apologise for my ignorance.
I’d just like to get my data if that’s all I can get.
Does my pastebin link not have all my info?
Thank you for clarifying what you were referring to regarding support for 20.04 Desktop.
I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes by doing the wrong thing. I usually just try to figure things out by reading other people’s posts on random sites, rather than posting anything myself. That has been difficult plus BootRepair directed me here so I figured that I would post here like it said.
I actually thought you were the first person that responded to me. I only realised you were someone else after I responded one or two times. I don’t really have any experience posting things myself.
As I posted and as you mentioned you were trying to help me mount the partition but copying and pasting what you sent didn’t work.
Using Ubuntu 24.04.3 in a “Try Ubuntu” live session
Open File Manager > Other Locations (Left Pane) > XX GB Volume (/dev/dm-o)
Open home > username appears
Alternatively:-
In a live session, all devices (disks or partitions) have an icon on the Dash (Left of Desktop screen)
Your volume may not be visible until you scroll down
When you find it, click to open, click home, open user
The site below explains what the numbers mean in the Ubuntu release versions and tells you which are still supported. Basically, the release versions in even numbered years in April (the .04) are LTS (long term support-5 years) and all others are 9 months.
The mount command suggested above would work on a basic install of Ubuntu but your output shows you are using LVM (logical volume management) which is generally used with encryption so you need to use different commands. If the suggestion above by Tea For One fails, take a look at the site at the link below which explains it and if it fails, post what happens when you try.
Hello, I booted up to the usb media this morning and I can see the files, through both methods that you suggested now. I guess when in doubt reboot. I’ll make the time today to try to find other storage media to transfer my data to. Thank you for your help. I will try the other stuff you mentioned to perhaps boot to the drive as well afterwards just to have a last look around and make sure I haven’t missed anything. Thank you.
Thank you for explaining these things to me. I hope that I can remember them. As I said usually I just go wherever my Google results lead and read so I’ve never had to check to see the proper place to post on a given site.
Even when I was first looking at linux it was Red Hat that I looked so I have in my head that Red Hat is the company in charge but that’s not the case for Ubuntu obviously. I didn’t actually install it at the time. I was just reading about it.
Anyway hopefully I am good for now but I feel that the only thing that might happen now is that the drive might fail and that wouldn’t be something anyone can help me with.
Thank you for your assistance.
I will check out the links that you provided. Thanks
So I copied most of the stuff over but there were some video files with errors that wouldn’t copy. I opened up Gparted to try to do some data rescue and as soon as I did, all of the drives, volumes whatever at the side just disappeared.