[Bug 1051280] Re: reboot into grub prompt after system update

Vincent Fortier 1051280 at bugs.launchpad.net
Sun Oct 14 12:29:59 UTC 2012 

I now presume there are two bugs, most probably related...


1- Failure to reconfigure grub properly OR update the init image when invoked through regular apt process.  I cannot tell for sure but, if I only apply a kernel update using dist-upgrade it seems to work ok but when there are a lot of pending updates and some of them requires to either update-initrd or update-grub (can't tell), i get a grub rescue prompt with:
"error: ELF header smaller than expected."


2- Failure to apply grub update:  Yesterday there where a few updates but nothing noticable such as a kernel upgrade.  Although there was a grub update comming in.  After rebooting I got this error in a grub rescue prompt:
"error: invalid arch-independant ELF magic."

The exact same problem had happend the night before and curiously enough
it matches the apt cache dir content.  See below the apt cache dir
listing:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   115792 oct.  11 21:33 grub2-common_2.00-7ubuntu9_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   799520 oct.  11 21:33 grub-pc-bin_2.00-7ubuntu9_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   169418 oct.  11 21:33 grub-pc_2.00-7ubuntu9_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1278902 oct.  11 21:33 grub-common_2.00-7ubuntu9_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   356304 oct.  11 22:33 printer-driver-hpijs_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   311464 oct.  11 22:33 printer-driver-hpcups_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   130968 oct.  11 22:33 libsane-hpaio_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   112082 oct.  11 22:33 libhpmud0_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   678308 oct.  11 22:33 printer-driver-postscript-hp_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    90134 oct.  11 22:33 hplip_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  6697738 oct.  11 22:33 hplip-data_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     5610 oct.  11 22:33 hpijs_3.12.6-3ubuntu4_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    10550 oct.  11 23:40 unity-scope-gdocs_0.6-0ubuntu1_all.deb
===========
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     6076 oct.  12 00:11 ubuntu-release-upgrader-qt_1%3a0.189_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    10756 oct.  12 00:11 ubuntu-release-upgrader-gtk_1%3a0.189_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    27918 oct.  12 00:11 ubuntu-release-upgrader-core_1%3a0.189_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   141816 oct.  12 00:11 python3-distupgrade_1%3a0.189_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   123122 oct.  12 01:33 unity-webapps-service_2.4.1-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    86530 oct.  12 01:33 libunity-webapps0_2.4.1-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    34884 oct.  12 06:52 unity-services_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1514310 oct.  12 06:52 unity_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   204512 oct.  12 06:52 unity-common_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     8630 oct.  12 06:52 unity-2d-spread_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     8624 oct.  12 06:52 unity-2d-shell_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   313748 oct.  12 06:52 libunity-core-6.0-5_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     8628 oct.  12 06:52 unity-2d-panel_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     8610 oct.  12 06:52 unity-2d_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     8634 oct.  12 06:52 libunity-2d-private0_6.8.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    23208 oct.  12 07:34 gsettings-desktop-schemas_3.6.0-0ubuntu3_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     7302 oct.  12 07:34 gir1.2-gdesktopenums-3.0_3.6.0-0ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  3937796 oct.  12 07:34 libgs9-common_9.06~dfsg-0ubuntu4_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  2357552 oct.  12 07:34 libgs9_9.06~dfsg-0ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    39166 oct.  12 07:34 ghostscript-x_9.06~dfsg-0ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   794492 oct.  12 07:34 libapt-pkg4.12_0.9.7.5ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    24704 oct.  12 07:34 ghostscript-cups_9.06~dfsg-0ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    45094 oct.  12 07:34 ghostscript_9.06~dfsg-0ubuntu4_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    75628 oct.  12 07:34 libapt-inst1.5_0.9.7.5ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   186036 oct.  12 07:34 apt-utils_0.9.7.5ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    19700 oct.  12 07:34 apt-transport-https_0.9.7.5ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1165644 oct.  12 07:34 apt_0.9.7.5ubuntu3_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19266548 oct.  12 10:33 linux-firmware_1.95_all.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    25116 oct.  12 11:33 whoopsie_0.2.5_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     7136 oct.  12 11:33 libwhoopsie0_0.2.5_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    16152 oct.  12 13:03 telepathy-indicator_0.3.0-0ubuntu2_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   115856 oct.  12 13:33 grub2-common_2.00-7ubuntu10_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   800382 oct.  12 13:33 grub-pc-bin_2.00-7ubuntu10_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   168906 oct.  12 13:33 grub-pc_2.00-7ubuntu10_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1280146 oct.  12 13:33 grub-common_2.00-7ubuntu10_amd64.deb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   310306 oct.  12 15:33 upstart_1.5-0ubuntu9_amd64.deb


Help / comments on this would be really nice to have.  I'm willing to try out different proposed options... and anyway getting pretty much tired of rescuing my laptop every 3-5 days using the live cd...

** Attachment added: "error: invalid arch-independant ELF magic. (grub rescue)"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/1051280/+attachment/3398051/+files/grub_prompt_adter_grub2_update.jpg

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1051280

Title:
  reboot into grub prompt after system update

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Every time I do a system update, the alter reboot ends-up into a grub
  prompt like if grub configuration was not available.

  I first tought that this was only happening when upgrading the kernel
  but no, it does also happend at other times as well.  I don't know
  what package it is related to, I presume it's a grub2 problem invoke
  by another package needing to call update-grub but can't tell yet?

  It started doing this around 1-2 months ago durring early snapshots
  of 12.10 (upgraded from 12.04 to it).  This morning i noticed the
  upgrade to grub2 and i was hoping this would be fixed but no, it
  happend again.

  In order to fix the problem I use the live DVD from where I CTRL-ALT-F1 into command prompt then:
  I mount my / partition
  mount -t xfs /dev/sda3 /mnt

  mount everything else required for update-grub2:
  mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
  mount -o bind /proc /mnt/proc
  mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys

  Then update grub:
  update-grub2

  Note that a the last 2-3 updates (of more than 100+ packages) I
  manually invoked update-grub2 right after, with no result beside
  getting a grub prompt at reboot.  Other cases (where I would not be
  invoking manual grub update after reboot) there would be a proper grub
  greeter with choices but the kernel would panic at boot time...
  although this kernel had not been updated in days?!?!

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