Main linux system: shared motherboard with separated hard drives. Only one hard drive is switched on at time. Has worked successfully for many opensuse installs. With one exception, when both are switched on, I boot to linux and virus scan the mswin system. MSWIN’s system boot is working.
After opensuse leap 43.3 had a boot failure, I installed opensuse leap 15 and restore from backup. I booted linux and it worked fine. I rebooted to an ‘upgrade install’ and let that complete. It worked. I use ‘upgrade installed’ since it it runs faster and I don’t have to reboot again and again.
I installed the nvidia drivers. Rebooted and opensuse leap 15 worked fine. Installed the mp4 codecs. Rebooted and linux system and it fails to boot with “crash dump” shown. I tried using upgrade install, no effect. BTRFS and XFS file system errors.
Need help, if possible, how do I fix this. This is 4 failures with opensuse leap 43.3 and 1 failure with opensuse leap 15,
Clear as mud. “Only one at a time”, then “when both”. Exactly how are you making this “switch”, and why?
MSWIN’s system boot is working.
Which Windows version?
After opensuse leap 43.3 had a boot failure, I installed opensuse leap 15 and restore from backup.
Failed exactly how? Why did you choose this point in time to upgrade? Did you upgrade the existing installation, or install from scratch? Did the new installation create all new partitions? Reformat and use old partitions? With how many disks “switched on”? Restored exactly what from backup?
I booted linux and it worked fine.
Booted what Linux? Why?
I rebooted to an ‘upgrade install’ and let that complete.
Right after you had Linux working fine you upgraded? To what? Why? With how many disks “switched on”?
It worked. I use ‘upgrade installed’ since it it runs faster
Faster than what? How do you know it’s faster?
and I don’t have to reboot again and again.
Why do you keep having to reboot?
I installed the nvidia drivers. Rebooted and opensuse leap 15 worked fine. Installed the mp4 codecs. Rebooted
Rebooted why? When, right after installing drivers? Did you use any applications that use those codecs before you rebooted? With how many disks “switched on”?
and linux system and it fails to boot with “crash dump” shown.
Rebooted how, with only one disk “switched on”, or with more than one?
I tried using upgrade install, no effect. BTRFS and XFS file system errors.
Did you run filesystem checks after the crash dump? Do you really expect an upgrade install to fix a broken installation that still has unsupported software installed (NVidia drivers)? Upgrades should be preceded by removing unsupported software first.
Need help, if possible, how do I fix this. This is 4 failures with opensuse leap 43.3 and 1 failure with opensuse leap 15,
Whatever is causing you to choose to “upgrade” needs to be determined, and fixed. Most people don’t reinstall Linux when something goes wrong. That’s what Windows users do. The cause of failure needs to be found and fixed.
Your description is sketchy, lacking details to help us help you. At this point you should gather some information to share if you want useful help. Start by running https://github.com/arvidjaar/bootinfoscript with all disks “switched on”. Also from any kind of Linux boot, gather the output from hwinfo, lspci and/or inxi commands so we have some idea of what hardware you are using.
A few years ago, I had system with shared harddrive for opensuse and mswin. It worked well.
When you boot to mswin, a security issue comes up. mswin, using some software, can read a linux directory, This makes a security a hole for dual boot single drive system, a drive not encrypted. I decided on putting one hard drive to mwin. The other to opensuse. This created various booting issues.
I found a hardware solution. A friend wired a power switch on the power cable. (details left out). I called the msi motherboard tech support. I explained the wiring setup. 'It’s safe as long the computer is powered down. Case power cable still plugged into socket and case power switch on is safe.
sata1 power cable<----------------------switch---------------------------- >harddrive (on off)
sata2 power cable<----------------------switch---------------------------- >harddrive (off on)
Trial and error got the wiring switch setup working for the bios system.
This setup has two separate drives sharing a motherboard, but not data between them. It’s worked for many years. Opensuse handles the setup and boots normally. MSWIN now and then fails on boot then works. It’s assures a virus on either system doesn’t affect the other.
Sata1 linux - on
Sata2 mswin - on
press key for boot menu then boot to linux, else mswin will boot. Then I can use scanvirus to scan the mswin system.
Opensuse Leap 15 DVD boot (‘opensuse leap 15’ installed - hard drive sata power on only)
If you do a full install, erasing all partitions, proceed with entering user data and admin passwords with internet connection present. Then proceed with the install until it reboots(‘rebooting’ [ok]). Then opensuse leap dvd shows ‘boot to hard drive’ and you click on it. Opensuse leap boots successfully to the desktop.
>Faster than what? How do you know it’s faster?
An educated guess. Downloads and install time appear to be faster in an upgrade install.
Proceeding from above, system updates appear, 100+. I then reboot opensuse and wait for the dvd menu to come up. I select from the ‘opensuse leap 15’ dvd menu ‘upgrade install’. The follow the steps in sequence until the ‘upgrade’ installs all new updates. I wait for ‘reboot’ [ok]. Then click and wait for the boot to complete to desktop.
>Why do you keep having to reboot?
Wait for ‘opensuse leap 15’ to finish boot to desktop. I wait for ‘system updates’(system tray) to complete. ‘System updates’ now shows ‘no new updates’.
zypper inr -r NVIDIA - this line doesn’t work. So, I skip to next line.
or
zypper in <x11-video-nvidiaG02 or x11-video-nvidiaG03 or x11-video-nvidiaG04>
Following those steps. I reboot to startup the nvidia driver. It works. I am able to access the nvidia graphics xserver menu.
>Did you use any applications that use those codecs before you rebooted?
>Do you really expect an upgrade install to fix a broken installation that still has unsupported software installed (NVidia drivers)? Upgrades should be preceded by removing unsupported software first.
After rebooting with the nvidia driver installed, I use the manual process for installing codecs. (MP4, DVD)
Enter in superuser mode. Usually successful. I can now play dvd and play mp4 videos with VLC.
>Did you run filesystem checks after the crash dump?
Running out of time this session. Will answer next time.
>Whatever is causing you to choose to “upgrade” needs to be determined, and fixed. Most people don’t reinstall Linux when something goes wrong. That’s what Windows users do. The cause of failure needs to be found and fixed.
As shown above the ‘upgrade install’ dvd trick works, I don’t think it’s the problem. Some time ago, I sent my motherboard to msi and received a ‘used’ refurbished fixed motherboard. These boot failures started at about the same time. The mag hard drive is also at least 5 years old.
>Your description is sketchy, lacking details to help us help you. At this point you should gather some information to share if you want useful help. Start by running https://github.com/arvidjaar/bootinfoscript with all disks “switched on”. Also from any kind of Linux boot, gather the output from hwinfo, lspci and/or inxi commands so we have some idea of what hardware you are using.[/QUOTE]
This a complex and long process to explain in clear language every step I take. This message took 45 mins+ to write.
Will report on the remaining items soon as possible.
I have all the data requested, I’m not going to post my hardware info publicly. I will private mail an admin on this post for security reasons,
Using the latest “gparted live dvd” from ‘https://gparted.org/’, I did a right-click ‘check’. Attempt to fix partitions BTRFS and XFS. Both were unable to complete. Text file error output.
| *Phase 1 - find and verify superblock…
|
- block cache size set to 1531760 entries
Phase 2 - using internal log
- zero log…
xfs_repair: read failed: Input/output error
empty log check failed
zero_log: cannot find log head/tail (xlog_find_tail=-5)
ERROR: The log head and/or tail cannot be discovered. Attempt to mount the
filesystem to replay the log or use the -L option to destroy the log and
attempt a repair.
The system won’t boot at all. The monitor light changed color briefly (red → blue). Then turned back to red. It doesn’t even show the bios screen.
The original msi was showing blue scan lines on the bios flash screen. Soon after, it failed. I sent the motherboard back to about < 1 year ago. I got back a “refurbished” motherboard. Fixed motherboard. The replacement motherboard was at least about 3.5 years old. It was showing some of the same blue lines before it failed.
I did check all the motherboard connections. I replaced the video card with one I know works. No successful boot. Yes, all these action with the power off and unplugged.
I’m having it checked by a professional soon. We came to the same conclusion over the phone. The motherboard is “dead as door-nail”, “a rotting corpse”. It’s unlikely that they will get the msi motherboard working.
So, thanks for everyone’s help.
Just one last question. Are these motherboard opensuse 15 compatible?