GRUB2: Error: You need to load the kernel first. No Solutions.

[Mgamerz]

Hi, I've been using Ubuntu since 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon. I only recently fully switched to Linux OS's, and Ubuntu is now my primary. I currently have 9.10 installed. CURRENTLY I also have Backtrack 4, and Fedora 12 (Ugh!).
Previously, I thought something was wrong with my my filesystem in Ubuntu 9.10, and after an upgrade of the linux kernel, I started to get Error: You need to load the Kernel First. That's where my problems started. I had upgraded to 9.10 from 9.04 and I still had Grub Legacy, so I went through hoops to try and get it to work, but eventually everything just kind of broke, and I completely wiped off my partitions on it and started fresh installs of all 3.
And now that the new linux kernel is released, 2.6.31-20 generic (I think... That's what the highest number on a file I can find in /boot is)
I went through a few more hoops and ladders and tried to get it to work, but to no avail.
I've looked the internet for a solution to this and tried just about everything but there is no unified answer, and I've seen on Launchpad there are alot of bugs that are classified as 'Fixed', but the problem still remains.
I took out the 'quiet splash' part in the GRUB2 line for the newest kernel and it didn't do anything. It only changed it to "Error: Couldn't find file".
This is the top two kernels (Main and Recovery for the new, and Main and Recovery for the previous working one)

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-20-generic" {
recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
set quiet=1
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,6)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-20-generic root=UUID=ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-20-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-20-generic (recovery mode)" {
recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,6)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-20-generic root=UUID=ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-20-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-19-generic" {
recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
set quiet=1
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,6)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-19-generic root=UUID=ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-19-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-19-generic (recovery mode)" {
recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,6)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-19-generic root=UUID=ab19e2f0-6d9a-483d-ae72-cef850ef02e3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-19-generic
}

Mainly I just really hate grub2. Karmic seems to be kind of... a Vista. It just doesn't seem like it was finished.

Has anyone else had this problem? And does anyone know how to fix it?
It's only one of the many problems Ubuntu has been giving me....

[saejin]

I am seeing a strange problem booting since I upgraded to version 2.6.31-20
The system hangs on booting. I restart the system and about 1 out of 4 times it boots.
It seems to be a GRUB2 compatibility problem with how it finds the boot image.
It hangs after the version is selected (and now hangs with 2.6.31-16 as well) after the echo of app-armor. Happy to work with anyone to dig deeper....
I am trying to turn on the -x and -v scripting option to learn more, but am having no luck....

[drcmcs]

I just took the updates to load the new changes to the kernel 2.6.21.30 and get the same problem. As this is out of my league, I fell back to the prior kernel. I have the Ubuntu 9.10 netbook remix.

[karthick ayyapillai]

I am seeing a strange problem booting since I upgraded to version 2.6.31-20
The system hangs on booting. I restart the system and about 1
out of 4 times it boots.
It seems to be a GRUB2 compatibility problem with how it finds the boot image.
It hangs after the version is selected (and now hangs with 2.6.31-16 as well) after the echo of app-armor. Happy to work with anyone to dig deeper....

Hi
I am also facing the same issue with the update for grub from the repository. I am using 2.6.31-20. After the update am able to boot but the problem is when i run the command sudo upgrade-grub in the terminal i get a strange error with permission denied . I have even tried with the root privileges i get the same error . If any one knows the solution please post . Thanks in advance.

[PavelMan]

Same here. I have installed Ubuntu through wubi, so it sits on my windows partition. After an update on Mar 17th, it now says that I "need to load the kernel first".

Previous rernel (initrd.img-2.6.31-19-generic) loads just fine.
I looked at the menu settings -- they seem to be identical for both -19 and -20 (see below). It is just that one boots, and the other one does not. All "vlm-img" files seem to be there...

menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-20-generic" {
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,1)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set a0bca050bca022b0
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-20-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-20-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-19-generic" {
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,1)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set a0bca050bca022b0
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-19-generic root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-19-generic
}

[RodoBabbins]

Noticed this issues as well when the March 17th update, restarted the computer and getting the "need to load the kernel first" error.

Was able to repair it with this bit of info (working for me since installed with wubi inside windows)

Based on the information you have provided, take a look at this fix to a bug in wubi 9.10:
http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawik...lems:Wubi_9.10

Please let us know if this fixed the problem.

[tasuki]

I have the same problem, guys!

Except... my problem is a lot worse, because I've just deleted all the other kernels to save space. Ooops.

Is it possible to install one of the old kernels to the system from outside of the system? I'm on a live cd now.

PS: Obviously, I normally try the new kernel before deleting the old ones, but this time I must have forgotten to do that.

[oldos2er]

Back to sleep, closed.