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linux-image-2.6.32-23-generic update boot problem

Asked by Brett Potts

I received a notification of updates, which included one for 'linux-image-2.6.32-23-generic'. However, when I rebooted (as was indicated after the update) the grub loader, instead of loading the kernel automatically, decided to show me a set of menu options which included the 2.6.32-23, 2.6.32-22, 2.6.32-21, as well as several others.

I thought that if I selected the 2.6.32-23 menu option, it would load the kernel, then run some kind of update completion script to remove the grub menu, leaving the system to boot directly into the new kernel and return the system to the original gui login procedures, but no. Now, every time I select the 2.6.32-23 kernel, the system puts up some incomprehensible (and I mean gibberish) messages, then promptly dumps me into a console login which sometimes flickers as though the screen is resetting itself and, on occasion, logs me out and returns to the login prompt. After that, nothing really works properly. When I reboot the system, grub returns me to the menu selection and I have to choose a kernel all over again (something I didn't have to do before the update).

If I select the 2.6.32-22 kernel grub menu entry, everything works properly.

I've tried removing the 2.6.32-23 kernel update, but it only removes the package, not the grub loader menu itself. Before this update grub booted directly into my kernel and I never needed to know it was there (a fact I rather enjoyed being 'grub-ignorant').

I suppose my questions are:
1) what (if anything) is the problem with the 2.6.32-23 kernel, and can it be fixed?
2) if there isn't a fix, and if I remove the package, how do I reset grub to load the 2.6.32-22 kernel which works?

Any help would be greatly appreciated (as I am slowly losing my mind).

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Sam_ (and-sam) said : 		#1

First I'd boot with -22, then purge the image of -23, e.g. with Synaptic Grub gets updated automatically.
Search for linux-image. When the image is removed the menu entry is gone.
Reboot to test.

Reinstall -23, reboot and test again.

If the issue remains, report a bug while -23 is booted.
LANGUAGE=C ubuntu-bug linux
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProcedures

In case take a look into /etc/default/grub if settings meet your preferences.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2#grub%20%28/etc/default/grub%29

Revision history for this message
Brett Potts (b-potts) said : 		#2

HI guys, and thanks for the reply.

Sanity is now (partially) restored. I did remove the 32-23 package, but grub still insisted in going into a menu and I still had to select the 32-33 kernel.

I looked in the root directory and saw that there was a 'vmlinuz' link to /boot//vmlinuz-2.6.32-23-generic and a 'vmlinuz.old' linked to /boot//vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic, as well as an initrd.img linked to /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-23-generic and an initrd.img.old linked to /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-22-generic.

I moved the vmlinuz.old to vmlinuz and the initrd.img.old to initrd.img and rebooted, and grub went straight to loading the kernel without a menu, so everything appears to be back to normal. I think that if I had not removed the 32-23 kernel image package, I still would have been able to rename the links as above, and things would have worked out the same.

I'm just wondering what was wrong with the 32-23 image that it wouldn't work properly. Is it experimental? or is there some incompatibility with my system that needs to be detected and reported? If so, please let me know. I'd like to find out, myself.

Thanks again.

Revision history for this message
Sam_ (and-sam) said : 		#3

> or is there some incompatibility with my system that needs to be detected and reported?

Without the kernel image 2.6.32-23 debugging wouldn't make much sense.
You need to reinstall, boot, reproduce the issue and file a bug.
LANGUAGE=C ubuntu-bug linux
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

> I'd like to find out, myself

Search the web: ubuntu boot issue 2.6.32-23

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