SOLUTION: Alert! /dev/disk/by-uuid/ ...<your UUID>.... does not exist

[Neobuntu]

FINALLY FIXED THIS ONE!!!!!!! (Can you feel the emotion?)

I was dropped to a shell and stuck in Busy box. None of the suggested commands (or added delays) worked! It' kinda hard to upgrade when you can't boot.

I didn't have a old kernel to select (GRUB) because I just installed clean. It booted but not after an upgrade.

SOLUTION: (From Busybox shell hell.)

From my other saved partition with Hardy 8.04 and using "chroot" (you could use a live CD instead), this is how I fixed my Jaunty 9.04 fresh, beta install; where I could finally boot past (Dropped to shell) busybox again. I looked everywhere and tried everything. NONE of the buzybox suggested commands worked for me. I do NOT have RAID! Their was no UUID or /dev naming error. Only, the following worked for me.

I still do not know why the newly installed kernel failed to boot after upgrading it. Perhaps it didn't upgrade correctly or something because once I got back in, using chroot, I had to run the apt-get fix command that it recommends. Unless that was a limit of the chroot, I don't know. This problem was ugly and I almost gave up.

In a terminal (we're using sudo for root here)
REPLACE "X" with your correct drive number, like /dev/sda2 for example

sudo mount /dev/sdaX /mnt

(You can cut and paste the commands below)

sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/resolv.conf
sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash

Then:

apt-get .......................
.........................etc.

Install a different kernel if you please.

I believe I did a:

apt-get update
(then the suggested fix command and...)

apt-get upgrade

While the kernel didn't appear to be different, I'm not sure that it wasn't a newer fix of it. It booted! Now, after doing upgrades back in Jaunty again, I'm about to reboot and try the newest kernel (it just installed).

ADDENDUM: Good to go!

I hope this helps you as much as it did me!

[cowgoeswoof]

i suffer from this problem aswell.
Where do I find out my dev/sdaX number?

[Neobuntu]

I suggest killing two birds with one stone.

Download and burn a boot CD of something like the Gparted CD. Simply booting this will show you (in GUI) how your partitions are set up.

Plus, you can re-size an existing partition with it, and simply leave a blank space (no need to format it) so that any OS installer can then handle everything else for you.

[PlaidRadish]

I upgraded tonight, and experienced this same error with all the same details/problems in my error message. I double-checked fstab and menu.lst and the UUID's were all correct, so I began experimenting with my server:

and found: a Secondary (simpler) possible solution to the

"Alert! /dev/disk/by-uuid/ ...<your UUID>.... does not exit"

error -

Out of morbid curiosity, and after receiving this error (and attempting DOZENS of so-called "fixes"), I decided to boot back into an older kernel through the GRUB menu (an obvious perk over a fresh install). (You could also attempt this simple solution using a liveCD and mounting your /root partition from a Live Desktop environment)

1) Open a terminal

2) Type "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade"

3) When Ubuntu completes all remaining upgrades, reboot.

For some reason, for Ubuntu-Server Jaunty 9.04 release, there is an upgrade bug. If you simply run "upgrade" all of the necessary changes do not complete. A simple "dist-upgrade" completes the circle and flushes out the inconsistencies in drive UUID's.

Good luck!

[thrasher6900]

I have the same problem, however, for some reason, the driver for my wireless isn't automatically turned on when running live as in the past.

Is there a way to update this from the disk without internet?

I don't understand why the drivers aren't turned on for my wirless card, they are there, i just click activate and then it prompts a reboot, which as you know, doesn't save on a live disk.

Thanks ahead of time.

[leonbravo]

Ducking upgrade,

I am trying your solution. I started using and older kernel with console mode active (graphical session doesn't work)

But all packages are tried to be dowloaded and the network scripts apparently are not working. It just can't download anything.

Suggestions are wellcome.

I upgraded tonight, and experienced this same error with all the same details/problems in my error message. I double-checked fstab and menu.lst and the UUID's were all correct, so I began experimenting with my server:

and found: a Secondary (simpler) possible solution to the

"Alert! /dev/disk/by-uuid/ ...<your UUID>.... does not exit"

error -

Out of morbid curiosity, and after receiving this error (and attempting DOZENS of so-called "fixes"), I decided to boot back into an older kernel through the GRUB menu (an obvious perk over a fresh install). (You could also attempt this simple solution using a liveCD and mounting your /root partition from a Live Desktop environment)

1) Open a terminal

2) Type "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade"

3) When Ubuntu completes all remaining upgrades, reboot.

For some reason, for Ubuntu-Server Jaunty 9.04 release, there is an upgrade bug. If you simply run "upgrade" all of the necessary changes do not complete. A simple "dist-upgrade" completes the circle and flushes out the inconsistencies in drive UUID's.

Good luck!

[leonbravo]

Ducking upgrade,

I am trying your solution. I started using and older kernel with console mode active (graphical session doesn't work)

But all packages are tried to be dowloaded and the network scripts apparently are not working. It just can't download anything.

Suggestions are wellcome.

A simple solution would be run the upgrade from console. I have a alternate cd but I don't know how to run the upgrade without using graphical interface and without an internet, I think that is the purpose of the Alternate CD at first place.

[Neobuntu]

OK look. I did a clean install, it worked but not after an upgrade. That's why I had no old kernel to fall back on.

I had spent time tweaking a bunch of stuff the way I wanted it and was actively using it. Else, I would have simply done a new, fast and clean install.

Therefore, I had fun with the change root solution and want to make it better known. So, if and only if somebody got into a similar situation, they could get out easy.

If all else fails, it's fairly fast and easy to back up your stuff (you can't live without) and just do a new clean install. These rare upgrade failures, pass quickly, and so shouldn't reoccur on you.

So, this all makes a case for a more (average visa-vie, as much as possible) completely tweaked desktop solution; upon clean install. AKA, a better pre-finished distribution.

Obviously, non-free installation parts are a PITA. So, if it's not already done, like with Mint (distribution), they really should be a one click affair (or easier!). It's getting better. It needs to.

Of course, you will always want something different; than just about anybody else sets, but we can do better work, to keep it to a minimum.

Here's an idea. I know everything is in /home but how about a user friendly app to backup and restore all the APPROPRIATE settings for a new clean install. This, including translation to the next release(differences where needed). Perhaps then incorporated into the install (like the migration help, but for your old 'open' install). Do we deserve any less?

All this, is why it needs to be set up for EXTREME ease and on clean install. Even though, super geeks don't need it. It saves us all time and does not hurt the super technical(but save all, the time). Some is done now and more is needed.

Also, perhaps we should promote mainly, the clean install. This would probably stabilize everyone's collective installs better, by in large. The dream of continuous (release or "dist" tier) upgrading (I'm not talking about regular sweet in-release upgrades) is not better than clean installing (with Ubuntu so far). Ubuntu moves(changes core) to fast (and better core changes are good, just not for dist-upgrades).

[sk2]

Mounting using a LiveCD as per the first post fixed my problem when upgrading to Jaunty.
Thanks for sharing the solution, saved endless Grub configuration mangling in vain.
Cheers!

[Neobuntu]

Mounting using a LiveCD as per the first post fixed my problem when upgrading to Jaunty.
Thanks for sharing the solution, saved endless Grub configuration mangling in vain.
Cheers!

Hey, thanks for the feedback and a successful report from the live CD method.

I sincerely hope this all helps us out; when no older kernel is there to fall back upon.

Oh, and you guys with wireless problems might just bite the bullet and plug in a hardwired (Ethernet) for your Internet access, upon installation. You know, KISS when you can.

PS. I'm currently "peaved"-off at Kubuntu 9.04 right now. Yet, I'm still helping.