Ubuntu 11.10 linux 3.0.0-13 has stopped booting

**sdd** · December 10th, 2011

That is correct for 3.0.0-13. I did not look at 3.0.0-14 just got fed up and kicked it out!

Also my grub config did not use the uuid for the boot drive.

Does any one know how to the the update manager to relode 3.0.0.14 again. It updated, failed but would not update again. It says I am up to date even though I have purged 3.0.0-13 and 3.0.0-14.

Or should I use synaptic. If so does any one know what are ALL the packages I should install.

SDD

**Joshun** · December 10th, 2011

Hi,
If you want to update to the latest kernel image available, do

Code:

sudo apt-get install linux-image

To update the initrd image, do:

Code:

sudo update-initramfs -u

If for some reason, that still doesn't work, do:

Code:

sudo update-initramfs -c -k 3.0.0-14-generic

Joshua

**Joshun** · December 10th, 2011

If none of those work, what is the output of these commands:

Code:

file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs

Code:

file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib

In some cases, you have to link /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib to /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.

If your output of 'file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs' is

Code:

/usr/sbin/update-initramfs: symbolic link to `/usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib'

and the output of file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib is

Code:

/usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib: POSIX shell script text executable

then do:

Code:

sudo rm /usr/sbin/update-initramfs

Code:

sudo ln -s /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib /usr/sbin/update-initramfs

Then run the commands mentioned in the previous post again (sudo update-initramfs -c -k 3.0.0-14-generic and then sudo update-initramfs -u).

**sdd** · December 11th, 2011

Joshua Still no luck
(however the story has a happy ending. please read on)

After installing as instructed the grub dir looks like this:

drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 12288 2011-12-10 23:29 grub
drwxr-xr-x 25 root root 4096 2011-12-10 23:20 ..
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 2011-12-10 23:20 .
-rw------- 1 root root 1367 2011-11-21 21:30 vmcoreinfo-3.0.0-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 730770 2011-11-21 21:29 abi-3.0.0-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 135131 2011-11-21 21:29 config-3.0.0-14-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 2696015 2011-11-21 21:29 System.map-3.0.0-14-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 4660944 2011-11-21 21:29 vmlinuz-3.0.0-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 13740675 2011-10-13 18:49 initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4658096 2011-10-12 15:34 vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 1367 2011-10-07 21:08 vmcoreinfo-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 2694177 2011-10-07 21:02 System.map-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 730503 2011-10-07 21:02 abi-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 134754 2011-10-07 21:02 config-3.0.0-12-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 176764 2011-05-03 00:07 memtest86+.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 178944 2011-05-03 00:07 memtest86+_multiboot.bin

As you can see there is no initrd.img-3.0.0-14-generic

file initrd.img
--> initrd.img: broken symbolic link to `/boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-14-generic'

file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs
--> /usr/sbin/update-initramfs: symbolic link to `/bin/true'

file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib
-->/usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib: POSIX shell script text executable

So I did the following:
root@stuart-VPCF11Z1EI:~# sudo rm /usr/sbin/update-initramfs
root@stuart-VPCF11Z1EI:~# sudo ln -s /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib /usr/sbin/update-initramfs
root@stuart-VPCF11Z1EI:~# sudo update-initramfs -u
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-12-generic
root@stuart-VPCF11Z1EI:~# sudo update-initramfs -c -k 3.0.0-14-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-14-generic

I can now see initrd.img-3.0.0-14-generic in the /boot path and file initrd.img returns:
-->initrd.img: symbolic link to `/boot/initrd.img-3.0.0-14-generic'

However the problem STILL persisted....

I then went back to my grub.cfg to update it fixing the root=UUID stuff and adding the initrd - but then I thought lets let grub do it so I did an update-grub.

When I checked the grub.cfg it was all fixed

I tried again an I can now BOOT to 3.0.0-14

That is brilliant thanks so much.

Do you have any idea what the root cause is. It would be nice to think that it would be fixed for 3.0.0-15. At least I now have a path to fixing it even if it remains broken.

Once again Joshua a big thanks.

**Joshun** · December 11th, 2011

I'm pleased its fixed, I know how frustrating it is when an otherwise brilliant operating system stops working. I think, in theory, a new kernel should be fine since update-grub is usually called automatically after an update. As for the cause, your file /usr/sbin/update-initramfs was a symlink to /bin/true, so the system thought the update-initramfs script was run successfully but in reality it did nothing (just ran dummy exe /bin/true). Now that you have linked update-initramfs to the proper file, in this case update-initramfs.distrib, the problem should be solved

**ppeterb** · December 22nd, 2011

The answer goes further back. Installers ubiquity and aptitude (and perhaps more) invoke a filtering process dpkg-divert. This looks at files coming in and can divert them to another location, rename them, or a bunch of other really ugly things. Do a man dpkg-divert for more information on the process. Use the command dpkg-divert --list to see how it affects your system

update-initramfs was diverted to update-initramfs.distrib in my system but I cannot find out why. The whole scheme is an amateurish undocumented crop of patches.

Copy or rename /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.distrib to remove .distrib to keep updates and installs operating. Use a dpkg-divert command (this is not easy, see the man) to implement a real fix - but be alert to the problem returning.