ubuntu 12.04 -- no gui after update -- hangs during update

[ss1133xx]

Hello: I'm a fairly new (6 mo.) ubuntu user. I have run a few updates in the time. Yesterday an update started which I didn't initiate.

The update did not finish and hung. After, I was unable to boot to gui or prompt -- it just hangs during the boot process. After trial and error (google searches) I found the Recovery Mode, and am now able to boot when using that mode. I have to watch the boot process then click the Shift key at just the right time to get to the menu that lets me boot to Recovery Mode. It is not a dual boot computer -- Ubuntu 12.04 only (with virtualbox).

I have a couple of questions and would appreciate suggestions:

* Can I simply instruct the computer to use the Recovery Mode version as the base version -- so I don't have to boot to recovery mode every time? (Or can I simply go back to the condition before the update?) (Even after a "suspend," the pc now reboots entirely, rather than waking from the suspend.)

* Any suggestions on how to diagnose the update problem that caused the update to hang? (It may be related to the Tor browser -- the messages before it hung seems to be related to that.) (And if I find the problem, what I might do about it now to remedy the issue?)

* After booting to recovery mode, I have lost the dual monitor function, which was working fine before. Now the two screens are identical. (I cannot load the "NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (version 304) (recommended)" which I think worked fine before this update.

* Should I simply start from scratch with an entirely new install of 12.04? If I do that, is anyone aware of step-by-step re-install instructions? (I found step-by-step initial installation when I first installed ubuntu, but am not finding re-install instructions.)

I might be asking about too many issues here, but they are arose because of the update, so I am including them.

Would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.

[Bashing-om]

ss1133xx; Hi !

Might I suggest that you try and finish the failed update. Then see what the situation is ?
Best in my opinion, is boot to a terminal:
Boot the install, and as soon as the bios screen clears depress and hold the right shift key -> grub boot menu
with the latest NON-recovery kernel version highlighted press the 'e' key for edit mode -> boot parameters screen ->
arrow down and across to the terms "quiet splash" and replace them with the term "text" - without the quotes -
key combo ctl+x to continue the boot process to a Command Line Interface.
Here enter your username and then when asked, your pass word ( no response to the screen ).

Now ready for action; In this terminal enter the following commands - one at a time per line:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo dpkg --configure -a

now reboot

sudo shutdown -r now

do you now boot up normally ?

hey

it can happen

[ss1133xx]

Bashing: Thanks for quick reply. Wanted to clarify your steps:

1. Boot the updated install, and when the bios screen clears, depress and hold the right shift key -> to get the grub boot menu
2. Select the top listed version (the latest NON-recovery kernel version)
3. press the 'e' key for edit mode -> boot parameters screen ->
4. arrow down and across to the terms "quiet splash" and replace them with the term "text" - without the quotes -
5. key combo ctl+x to continue the boot process to a Command Line Interface.
6. enter your username and pass word (no response to the screen).

7. (assuming I can get a terminal) enter the following commands - one at a time per line:
Code:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo dpkg --configure -a
8. reboot, then enter:
Code:
sudo shutdown -r now
Do I have it right?

Thanks again.

[grahammechanical]

Yesterday an update started which I didn't initiate.

That should not happen. Unless we have set security updates to download and update automatically in Software Sources/Software and Updates. What was updating?

Regards.

[Bashing-om]

ss1133xx; Hey ,

See the most respected grahammechanical's posting, he does not speak with out a point.

And My advise, yes, you have it right.

maybe yes

maybe, not so yes

[ss1133xx]

I'm not sure -- it had been a couple months since I ran an update, and I'm not sure how to locate "Software Sources/Software and Updates" to see if they are set to auto-update.

[deadflowr]

I'm not sure -- it had been a couple months since I ran an update, and I'm not sure how to locate "Software Sources/Software and Updates" to see if they are set to auto-update.

There's the problem.
Everytime I neglect updating a system for more than a few weeks, I get a ton of updates I have to install.
The more updates, as always, the bigger the chance of something going sour.

That said, the software sources can be found in settings(it's a button at the bottom left) in the update manager, in 12.04.
or
terminal way:

software-properties-gtk

It won't do auto install/updates though.
For that you need to install something like unattended-upgrades.

But if you go the normal route and simply set it to display updates, weekly, then it'll say updates available in the dropdown where the logout,shutdown options are.
12.04 also will post the updates number on the update manager launcher in the launcher dock(left side bar/thingy).

[ss1133xx]

Bashing: A mixed report:

I went thru each of your steps, and yes, it worked! Wow, I thought. The one remaining problem was that now had only one (of two) were monitors working. So I went back and downloaded the recommended Nvidia driver (which I hoped would again recognize both screens). After installing that driver, it told me to reboot.

Upon rebooting, it hung again during boot. Back to square one.

So I went thru your multiple steps a second time, but that time, no luck -- no boot. (I never got to the last step "sudo shutdown -r now" because it did not boot to a stage where it allowed me to enter that command.

Any more suggestions?? I was thinking great thoughts after your steps worked initially.

Going back to my initial post:

* Should I simply start from scratch with an entirely new install of 12.04?

Would appreciate any additional suggestions!

[Bashing-om]

ss1133xx; Welp,

Doesn't look to be too serious of an issue - most likely a disparity with the graphics driver.

Lets see what the situation is graphics wise,
Boot to that text terminal once more, log in there.
Run terminal codes:

lspci -nnk | grep -iA3 vga
sudo lshw -C display

of the greater interest is what driver is loaded ( if any) from this like so"
"configuration: driver=radeon latency=0" from my system where my driver is "radeon" .

We want to know what graphics card(s) you have and what driver is loaded. Make sure they are compatible or if even there is a proprietary driver even available to support the graphics.

we got to see

one way or another

[ss1133xx]

Bashing:

I booted into recovery mode so that I could cut and paste your commands into terminal, and here is what I got:

~$ lspci -nnk | grep -iA3 vga

40:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation G71GL [Quadro FX 1500] [10de:029e] (rev a1)

Subsystem: NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:032c]

Kernel modules: nouveau, nvidiafb

~$ sudo lshw -C display

*-display UNCLAIMED

description: VGA compatible controller

product: G71GL [Quadro FX 1500]

vendor: NVIDIA Corporation

physical id: 0

bus info: pci@0000:40:00.0

version: a1

width: 64 bits

clock: 33MHz

capabilities: pm msi pciexpress vga_controller bus_master cap_list

configuration: latency=0

resources: memory:f0000000-f0ffffff memory:d0000000-dfffffff memory:f1000000-f1ffffff ioport:1000(size=128)

I don't know if the recovery mode video driver is the same as the non-recovery mode video driver. I don't see a line like you quoted: "configuration: driver=radeon latency=0" from my system where my driver is "radeon""

I will try it again using the text terminal to see if I get different information, and report back if it is different.

Thanks for sticking with me.