Another lockout problem after restoring from sleep/hibernate

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I am a long term Linux user, but no expert. Usually I manage to solve my problems but have run into issue on my new netbook that I cannot solve and would appreciate any suggestions. The background is outlined below.

Thanks

Howard

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Lenovo S20 Touch set up as dual boot with UEFI. Windows 8.1 + Suse 13.2 (after a few attempts to overome the UEFI boot up issue.)

System running without any problems for about one month booting into both O/S

Then just before Xmas I booted into Linux via the boot menu, used the system and also installed some updates

Closed lid to put into sleep / hibernate mode (I think Hibernate, but not certain)

The following day I opened the lid and used the power button to restart. Instead of the usual opening to the login screen I got the following text messages

“welcome to grub”
“error: sparse file not allowed”

Booting ‘openSUSE, with Linux 3.16.6-2-desktop (recovery mode)’

[OK] Loading etc etc

until

[FAILED] Failed to start xxx: Virtual|box Linux Additions kernel modules.

Then more [OK] loading

until

[FAILED] Failed to start x Display Manager
See “systemct1 status display-manager.services” for details

Then more loading [OK]

Until

[OK] Reached target graphical interface

where it stops with a “_”

The only two keyboard responses I can get is to restart using the power button or three small green squares in the middle of the screen.

I tried to access the Suse partitions with the live CD and ran into serious issues here (with UEFI set to on and off in the BIOS). The result was same in both cases. Boot up proceeds normally until

“waiting for devices /dev/sr1 to settle…’

repeated many times until

Partition 1 on /dev/sr doesn’t appear … Fatal !

The live CD boots into the desktop and then will view the folder/ file structure but is unable to access most files (due to restricted permissions) and cannot copy/save/modify anything.

#2

Normally close lid is sleep
But the fact that you are seeing grub on open suggest more likely Hibernate

I don’t use and neither recommend Hibernate in a Linux / Windows mix.

You should know that Windows 8 in it’s default state, doesn’t actually shutdown when you tell it to do that. You can google about this as there are hundreds of mentions of it on the web. One sure way to make sure it does ‘shutdown’ is to use your machine ‘Power’ button rather than the screen menu, press it and it ‘should’ power off.
It’s important that Windows is truly OFF if you use Hibernate at all.

If you are not using Virtual Box you could just remove all traces of it from your install. But I’m not sure it’s really to blame for anything.

Again. Try ‘Sleep’ rather than ‘Hibernate’

#3

Remove the file /boot/grub2/grubenv to get rid of that message and get the boot menu back.
As it was just before Christmas and you installed updates before hibernating, this sounds like this problem I suppose:
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/503756-OS-13-2-Hibernate-(aka-suspend-to-disk)-doesn-t-work-when-booting-with-quot-Advanced-options-quot

Booting ‘openSUSE, with Linux 3.16.6-2-desktop (recovery mode)’

You’re booting to recovery mode, that’s probably the whole reason for your problems, and even more indicates that you experience the above mentioned problem.
Removing grubenv and booting normally again should hopefully fix your system.

[FAILED] Failed to start xxx: Virtual|box Linux Additions kernel modules.

You have the VirtualBox guest additions installed, but they only work inside VirtualBox, not on real hardware.
You can remove them (search for “virtualbox” or “guest” in YaST), or just ignore that message.
It doesn’t cause problems.

[FAILED] Failed to start x Display Manager
See “systemct1 status display-manager.services” for details

Well, that’s your real problem I suppose. The graphical system fails to start.
As mentioned, this might be caused by booting to recovery mode.

The live CD boots into the desktop and then will view the folder/ file structure but is unable to access most files (due to restricted permissions) and cannot copy/save/modify anything.

You need root permissions for accessing most of the system files.
Use “sudo”, “su -”, “kdesu”, “gnomesu”, or maybe “Filemanager – Superuser Mode” to access and change them.

#4

Thanks for the suggestion to delete the file /boot/grub2/grubenv file which should work, if only I can find a way into accessing the drive with root access. As I mentioned when booting from the live CD I get the messages, which appear to be stopping me from writing to the Hard Disc:-

“waiting for devices /dev/sr1 to settle…’

repeated many times until

Partition 1 on /dev/sr doesn’t appear … Fatal !

The live CD boots into the desktop and then will view the folder/ file structure but is unable to access most files "

When I tried to log in with root access the system will not let me access (most) files in my home or root directories. I did manage to copy two files from my desktop to a backpack hard drive but nothing else.

I am considering deleting the Linux root directory via Windows and reinstalling but suspect this will cause problems with the UEFI boot up.

Thanks for the suggestions and I will have another go at deleting the offending file this evening

Howard

#5

/dev/srX are removable drives, so this is probably a CD/DVD drive that’s giving those errors.

When I tried to log in with root access the system will not let me access (most) files in my home or root directories. I did manage to copy two files from my desktop to a backpack hard drive but nothing else.

As I said, use “Filemanager - Superuser Mode”, or one of su, sudo, kdesu, gnomesu to access system files.

And you have to mount the hard disk partition first of course.

Or why not just boot your system, login to text mode as root (you might have to press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to get to a login prompt) and run this:

rm /boot/grub2/grubenv
#6

Very many thanks - I logged into a text terminal (should have tried that for myself!) and deleted the grubenv file and then rebooted into Suse without any problems.

Also the hibernate has been changed to sleep

Howad

#7

Note that you can not run two OS’s from sleep. Sleep is suspend to memory you load another OS and memory is wiped. Also you should not run 2 OS from hibernate. If you are using Grub to control the boot to both OS then it should awaken the hibernation image without display of a menu. But if you are controlling the boot from an EFI boot menu then you can boot to the other OS but it may mess up the boot to the current OS, as you have now seen. If you must switch OS’s frequently better to run one in a Virtual Machine. Or always shutdown before changing.

#8

Thanks - I always shut down when swapping O/S and for the past few years have been working almost entirely with Linux with Windows reserved for the occasional Sat Nav update / Go Pro software.

Unfortunately one of my essential programs for work is DraftSight (Auto Cad compatible and not Open Source but available for Ubuntu/Fedora) and has recently changed from 32 to 64 bit. I upgraded my hardware and then then found that the current MESA driver has a major performance issue with the Intel integrated video card on my Netbook. The cause has been identified but not yet corrected so am using Win 8.1 as an interim fix until the updated MESA driver is issued.

#9

Well, hibernate (or resuming from hibernate rather) should work fine as long as you boot the default boot entry, i.e. the latest kernel.