Ubuntu wont boot after inproper restart in Ubuntu

[tigshadorakie]

After I start my PC up and choose to run Ubuntu all it is doing is going right to Grub4Dos and it sits a GRUB > command prompt. I have no idea how to get Ubuntu to load up again. I had restarted Ubuntu without the proper shutdown now it doesn't work? Why does it do this and how do I correct the problem. As of right now I can not use Ubuntu at all.

I am new to linux so please respond in terms that a noob would understand.

[caljohnsmith]

Sounds like you have a Wubi install, i.e. Ubuntu installed inside of Windows. If that's true, how about opening a terminal in Windows (Start > Run > type "cmd" and enter), and then in the "cmd" window do:

chkdsk /r
And that should schedule a chkdsk for the next reboot (if I remember correctly), so go ahead and reboot into Windows and hopefully chkdsk will do its thing. If that completes successfully, then try booting Ubuntu again, and let me know how that goes.

[tigshadorakie]

Yes it is a WUBI install. Everything was great until now. Did what you said. It is still doing the same. Is Linux suppose to get all messed up every time you don't restart properly?

[caljohnsmith]

Yes it is a WUBI install. Everything was great until now. Did what you said. It is still doing the same. Is Linux suppose to get all messed up every time you don't restart properly?
So you did the chkdsk and still no joy about booting Ubuntu? And by the way, yes, unfortunately Wubi installs are especially sensitive to improper shutdowns, and it's even mentioned somewhere in the Wubi documentation I think. Do you have a Ubuntu Live CD you can boot to use for troubleshooting? It looks like you will need it at this point. You might still have the Ubuntu Live CD ISO file in the following Windows directory:

C:\ubuntu\install\
Once you get a Live CD, please boot that, choose the "try Ubuntu without making changes" option at the main menu, once you get to the Ubuntu desktop open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and do:

sudo fdisk -lu
And please post the output. We can work from there if you want.

[tigshadorakie]

I will try this at some point today. Just check up on the thread later. Thanks

[tigshadorakie]

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -lu

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd7c7d7c7

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 156280319 78140128+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 251.0 GB, 251000193024 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30515 cylinders, total 490234752 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc9e94641

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 490231807 245114880 7 HPFS/NTFS
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

[caljohnsmith]

So is your Ubuntu Wubi install on sda1 or sdb1? Whichever it is, how about doing the following (replace sdXY with the partition Ubuntu is on):

sudo mount /dev/sdXY /mnt
sudo fsck -yCM /mnt/ubuntu/disks/root.disk
And please post the output. If it says "file not found", how about posting:

ls -lR /mnt/ubuntu
And we can work from there.

[tigshadorakie]

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fsck -yCM /mnt/ubuntu/disks/root.disk
fsck 1.41.3 (12-Oct-2008)
e2fsck 1.41.3 (12-Oct-2008)
fsck.ext2: No such file or directory while trying to open /mnt/ubuntu/disks/root.disk

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ ls -lR /mnt/ubuntu
ls: cannot access /mnt/ubuntu: No such file or directory

[caljohnsmith]

OK, looks like I'm going to need more info about your setup in order to help, so how about downloading the Boot Info Script (https://sourceforge.net/projects/bootinfoscript/) to your Ubuntu Live CD desktop, open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and do:

sudo bash ~/Desktop/boot_info_script*.sh
That will create a "RESULTS.txt" file in the same directory from where the script is run, namely your desktop; please copy/paste the contents of that file to your next post, highlight the copied text, and click the pound sign # graphic in the Ubuntu forum message box so that the text will get "code" tags put around it. The results of that script will help clarify your setup and hopefully what it will take to get your Wubi install booting again.

[tigshadorakie]

Ok I did it but I dont see the pound sign option anywhere.

[tigshadorakie]

============================= Boot Info Summary: ==============================

=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda
=> Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb

sda1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Boot file info:
Operating System: Windows XP
Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /ntldr /NTDETECT.COM /wubildr.mbr

sdb1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows XP
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Boot file info:
Operating System: Windows Vista
Boot files/dirs: /bootmgr /wubildr.mbr /ubuntu/winboot/wubildr.mbr

=========================== Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive sda: __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd7c7d7c7

Partition Boot Start End Size Id System

/dev/sda1 * 63 156,280,319 156,280,257 7 HPFS/NTFS


Drive sdb: __________________________________________________ ___________________

Disk /dev/sdb: 251.0 GB, 251000193024 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30515 cylinders, total 490234752 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc9e94641

Partition Boot Start End Size Id System

/dev/sdb1 * 2,048 490,231,807 490,229,760 7 HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb1 ends after the last cylinder of /dev/sdb

blkid -c /dev/null: __________________________________________________ __________

/dev/sda1: UUID="9638DF6138DF3F45" LABEL="XP" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sdb1: UUID="48A08168A0815D76" LABEL="Ubuntu-Vista" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/loop0: TYPE="squashfs"

=============================== "mount" output: ===============================

/proc on /proc type proc (rw)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw)
tmpfs on /lib/modules/2.6.27-7-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /lib/modules/2.6.27-7-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
rootfs on / type rootfs (rw)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
/dev/scd0 on /cdrom type iso9660 (ro,noatime)
/dev/loop0 on /rofs type squashfs (ro,noatime)
tmpfs on /tmp type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
gvfs-fuse-daemon on /home/ubuntu/.gvfs type fuse.gvfs-fuse-daemon (rw,nosuid,nodev,user=ubuntu)
/dev/sda1 on /mnt type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,blksize=4096)
/dev/sdb1 on /media/Ubuntu-Vista type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,allow_other,blksize=4096)

=======Devices which don't seem to have a corresponding hard drive==============

=============================== StdErr Messages: ===============================

No errors were reported.

[caljohnsmith]

OK, how about doing:

sudo umount /mnt && sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
ls -lR /mnt/ubuntu
And please post the output.

[tigshadorakie]

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo umount /mnt && sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ ls -lR /mnt/ubuntu
/mnt/ubuntu:
total 145
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 2008-12-18 22:39 curl_log.txt
drwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 2008-12-18 22:39 docs
drwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 2008-12-18 23:07 install
-rwxrwxrwx 2 root root 225 2008-12-18 22:42 metadl_log.txt
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25214 2008-10-27 17:37 Ubuntu.ico
-rwxrwxrwx 2 root root 118608 2008-12-18 22:39 Uninstall-Ubuntu.exe
drwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 2008-12-18 22:39 winboot

/mnt/ubuntu/docs:
total 0

/mnt/ubuntu/install:
total 0

/mnt/ubuntu/winboot:
total 408
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 806 2008-10-27 17:37 menu.lst
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 192307 2008-10-27 17:37 wubildr
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 209235 2008-10-27 17:37 wubildr.exe
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 8192 2008-10-27 17:37 wubildr.mbr
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

[caljohnsmith]

Did you all ready try to uninstall Ubuntu? Because you don't seem to have the Ubuntu main partition any where. Usually it is under /ubuntu/disks/root.disk. Do you have any idea of how it might have been deleted or maybe moved? I think now would be a good time to consider doing a standard Ubuntu install to its own partition. You could for example shrink your sdb1 partition and put Ubuntu on the sdb drive, or you could shrink your sda1 partition and put Ubuntu on the sda drive. How does that sound?

[tigshadorakie]

I didn't delete Ubuntu at all yet. It still shows up under my Add/Remove programs in XP. Is there any type of viruses or scripts that can do anything while surfing the net? I thought Linux was very secure and I don't use antivirus or a firewall.

[caljohnsmith]

OK, we could do a search and see if we can find your Ubuntu partition. How about doing:

sudo umount /mnt && sudo mkdir /mnt/sda1 /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
find /mnt -size +1000M -printf "%s - %p\n" | sort -n
It might take a little while for the "find" command to run, but please post the results once it finishes.

[tigshadorakie]

Yeah I am going to put Ubuntu on its own partition, maybe even it's own Hard drive. I have to figure out how I want to work it. I have some important things on both drives and I don't want to accidently format one of them or the wrong one. I will have to mess with this later tonight or tomorrow. Your suggestions and help are still appreciated though, if you think of something. I'll be checking the forum again in a bit.

[tigshadorakie]

ok I will try that, I'll post the results

[tigshadorakie]

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo umount /mnt && mkdir /mnt/sda1 /mnt/sdb1
umount: /mnt: not mounted
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
fuse: failed to access mountpoint /mnt/sda1: No such file or directory
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
fuse: failed to access mountpoint /mnt/sdb1: No such file or directory
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ find /mnt -size +1000M -printf "%s - %p\n" | sort -n
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

[caljohnsmith]

My mistake, you just need a "sudo" in front of the "mkdir" command. I corrected my previous post, so please try again.

[tigshadorakie]

still does the same thing.

[caljohnsmith]

How about trying instead:

sudo umount /mnt
sudo mkdir /mnt/sda1 /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
find /mnt -size +1000M -printf "%s - %p\n" | sort -n

[tigshadorakie]

just to let you know the cursor is blinking after the -n. It has been doing this since a little after your last post. Is it doing something?

[caljohnsmith]

just to let you know the cursor is blinking after the -n. It has been doing this since a little after your last post. Is it doing something?
Great, that means its working, but it will probably take quite a while; it is searching through your entire sda and sdb drives, so that's about 330 GB total. But at least if your Ubuntu partition is hiding somewhere, that command should find it.

[tigshadorakie]

I don't know if your suppose to do it this way, but for that one I copied what you put down and pasted it in the terminal all at once. I don't know if it needed to posted one line at a time. This is the output as of right now.

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo umount /mnt
umount: /mnt: not mounted
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mkdir /mnt/sda1 /mnt/sdb1
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ find /mnt -size +1000M -printf "%s - %p\n" | sort -n

[caljohnsmith]

That looks just fine; the "find" command should be cranking away right now looking through your HDDs for any large files, and it will output them when done. Unfortunately looking through 330 GB is going to take a while though, you may want to leave it and come back in say an hour or so.

[tigshadorakie]

Just want to let you know I did a fresh install of Ubuntu and things seem to be much better. Grub loads up properly and gives me the option of using Ubuntu or Windows. Thanks for all your help. I just wish I knew why it all of a sudden went bad. Maybe something happened in Windows. I won't use Wubi anymore that is for sure. Thanks!

[caljohnsmith]

I'm glad to hear your new Ubuntu install went OK; I think you will run into alot less problems since you decided to do a standard Ubuntu install to its own partition. Cheers and hope your Ubuntu experience goes smoother now. :)