[Bug 896647] Re: Ubuntu Boot halts if a windows partition is hibernated

[Steve Langasek]

> When booting Ubuntu 11.04, if there is an NTFS partition in the
> /etc/fstab file set to automount during boot, and if there is a
> hibernated windows system on that partition... then the boot will halt
> permanently, waiting for user input to a question about proceeding.   

What question does it ask?  I don't know what question would be asked in
these circumstances or why.

> It is a bug because so many users now do not have functioning visuals
> during boot due to the complexities of Plymouth - in one way or another 
> many users have blank or unresponsive screens during boot

If you find this to be the case, you should file a bug report about the
lack of functioning visuals that you're seeing.  I don't believe this is
actually the case with 11.04 or 11.10.

> At the very least the prompt should have a 60 second time-out so that if
> there is no user input (for example if the user cant see the text and   
> therefore does not know that input is being expected) then the default  
> choice should be made. 

In all situations where mountall will wait indefinitely for an answer,
there is no default choice at all.  Such a prompt already indicates that
the filesystem is somehow broken, and there's not enough available
information for mountall to automatically say which of the options, if
any, is safe.  The only thing we can do in such a situation is ask for
user input.

But again, I don't know what prompt you're seeing in the case of this
windows partition.  There may be a bug in mountall here, but we need
more information to say for sure.

** Package changed: plymouth (Ubuntu) => mountall (Ubuntu)

** Changed in: mountall (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Incomplete

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/896647

Title:
  Ubuntu Boot halts if a windows partition is hibernated

Status in “mountall” package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  When booting Ubuntu 11.04, if there is an NTFS partition in the
  /etc/fstab file set to automount during boot, and if there is a
  hibernated windows system on that partition... then the boot will halt
  permanently, waiting for user input to a question about proceeding.

  Why is this a bug? It is a bug because so many users now do not have
  functioning visuals during boot due to the complexities of Plymouth -
  in one way or another many users have blank or unresponsive screens
  during boot - until the GDM screen comes up. These users will not be
  able to see the prompt for their input to resolve an issue that does
  not actually need any input to resolve. Any user in this situation
  will have an essentially dead system that will not boot - they they do
  not know that a simple key-press can save their system.

  At the very least the prompt should have a 60 second time-out so that
  if there is no user input (for example if the user cant see the text
  and therefore does not know that input is being expected) then the
  default choice should be made. This will allow the PC to boot to a
  usable state, which the user may be able to find out the problem from.

  In the event of a hibernated system on a peripheral NTFS partition,
  then the default action should be simply to not bother mounting the
  partition. The user will discover soon enough that the partition is
  missing and that something it up with it (it has a hibernated system
  on it) - there is no need to halt the boot for an issue like this.

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