12.04 boot error after upgrade, unable to fix it with boot repair prog

[verena2]

After updating ubuntu 12.04 I could not get past the loading screen. I tried to fix it with boot-repair. No change. Here is the pastebin url.
Any help to fix the boot sector is appreciated.


http://paste.ubuntu.com/8034387

[kansasnoob]

After updating ubuntu 12.04 I could not get past the loading screen. I tried to fix it with boot-repair. No change. Here is the pastebin url.
Any help to fix the boot sector is appreciated.


http://paste.ubuntu.com/8034387

I'm rusty at dealing with grub issues but it looks like a dual-boot, is it?

What exactly happens when you try to boot?

If it's a dual-boot you should be offered the option of booting either the installation on sda1 or sda6. Will neither boot?

I really don't understand what's up with the install on sda6 using sda1 as /boot:


=============================== sda1/etc/fstab: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sdb1 during installation
UUID=93d61a2d-f879-4fa3-971a-39388fee2a8a / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sdb5 during installation
UUID=7841ef5b-9b28-4f36-ac2e-474782a4e4ca none swap sw 0 0


=============================== sda6/etc/fstab: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sdb6 during installation
UUID=bdfacb48-97d4-40d8-bb5b-06329b77d986 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /boot was on /dev/sdb1 during installation
UUID=93d61a2d-f879-4fa3-971a-39388fee2a8a /boot ext4 defaults 0 2
# swap was on /dev/sdb5 during installation
UUID=7841ef5b-9b28-4f36-ac2e-474782a4e4ca none swap sw 0 0


/boot detected in the fstab of sda6: UUID=93d61a2d-f879-4fa3-971a-39388fee2a8a ()

[kansasnoob]

I notice oldfred's around now so ................. free bump. He knows 100 times more than I do about boot issues.

[oldfred]

per kansasnoob:


I really don't understand what's up with the install on sda6 using sda1 as /boot:

While fstab says that your grub.cfg shows the same UUID, & set root for sda6 not sda1. So it looks like grub was updated in sda6 to not use a /boot in sda1.

And your reinstall from Boot-Repair reinstalled grub from sda1 to MBR.
The grub menu in the install in sda1 has a broken entry to boot install in sda6. It refers to kernel 3.8 from sda1 as if using /boot, but is also missing initrd boot line.

All the grub.cfg entries in sda6 do not refer to sda1, and refer to kernels 3.13 & 3.11 which are newer than those in sda1.

Just to confirm, are the 3.13 and 3.11 kernels really in sda6 or sda1?

Best to not have separate /boot partition for most desktop installs. And you cannot mix one installs /boot with another install or its /boot partition.

I might remove /boot entry in sda6's fstab (just add # to convert to comment) and use Boot-Repair to do a full uninstall and reinstall of grub in sda6. That may bring in the newest kernel or if it does not you should include this command:
apt-get dist-upgrade

[verena2]

:p Thanks for your help. I got to the log in screen with it. But now I can only log in as guest. Grrrr. How do I fix that now?

@oldfred the 3.13 and 3.11 kernels are in sda6.

[oldfred]

Then you do not have nor want the /boot as sda1.

Do you have different User ID & passwords for each install?

I only have some links.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LostPassword
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword
http://askubuntu.com/questions/140513/how-can-i-regain-admin-privileges