Can't boot 13.1 after software (kernel?) update Jan 9, 2014

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I installed 13.1 about two weeks ago. It’s a dual-boot laptop with Windows 7. I have been running 12.x on it for a couple years. I’ve done a few successful software updates on 13.1 since installing it.

13.1 was running fine until I used yast yesterday for some updates from the repository. I think maybe it installed a new kernel.

After the update, I got a notification that a reboot was required.

I tried to reboot, but the BIOS just goes into a loop trying and failing to boot up. I never get a menu allowing to boot Windows or openSuse.

I can boot from the 13.1 installation DVD and can run the rescue system. I can mount the hard drive partitions and navigate the installed / and /home.

Presumably something in the software update process trashed the boot system.

I notice that /boot/grub/device.map and /boot/grub2/grubenv were both modified on Jan 9, apparently the time of the software update. Note that one of those is in grub and the other is in grub2. Those are the only files in /boot/grub or /boot/grub2 modified recently.

Is anyone else having this problem? And how can I fix it?

#2

There was no kernel update yet for 13.1.

I notice that /boot/grub/device.map and /boot/grub2/grubenv were both modified on Jan 9, apparently the time of the software update. Note that one of those is in grub and the other is in grub2. Those are the only files in /boot/grub or /boot/grub2 modified recently.

Is anyone else having this problem? And how can I fix it?

Try to remove /boot/grub2/grubenv. Then the menu should show up again.
Maybe it tells grub2 to automatically boot an invalid boot menu entry.

#3

Okay, thanks. I just tried that. I don’t see any change in the behavior.

I don’t know, but my feeling is that the MBR was changed so that it never looks on the Linux filesystems. Control doesn’t seem to leave the BIOS.

#4

Then try to re-install the boot loader.
For grub2 there’s a step-to-step guide here:
http://forums.opensuse.org/content.php/128-Re-install-Grub2-from-DVD-Rescue

But please note that due to changes in 13.1 this is not 100% correct anymore.
Instead of:

**mount /proc**

you have to run:

**mount -t proc proc /proc**

And instead of:

**mount /sys**

use:

**mount -t sysfs sysfs /sys**
#5

Thank you.

I followed those instructions through running grub2-mkconfig, and I got an error message like

/usr/sbingrub2-probe:error: failed to get canonical path of `/dev/sda5'.

/boot/grub2/grub.cfg was unchanged by grub2-mkconfig. I did not go ahead with the last step in the instruction, running grub2-install.

Now might be a good time to show my disk layout. As I mentioned, it’s dual boot with Windows 7. I’ll try to show the important parts of fdisk -l:

/dev/sda1      7  HPFS/NTFS/EexFAT
/dev/sda2      7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3  *   5  Extended
/dev/sda4      c  W95 FAT32(LBA)
/dev/sda5     82 Linux
/dev/sda6     83 Linux swap
/dev/sda7     83 Linux
/dev/sda8     83 Linux

/dev/sda5 is to be mounted on /, and /dev/sda7 is to be on /home.

#6

I found that I made an error in following the instructions indicated above. In particular, I forgot to run “mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev”. Sorry about that.

Following the instructions, now I can boot my 13.1 system.

However, I don’t get the usual boot menu, and so I don’t get an option to boot Windows.

There were numerous error messages when I ran grub2-mkconfig.

#7

I edited /etc/fstab to include the long unique serial-number-like identifiers of /dev/sda5 and /dev/sda7. Then I redid the grub installation procedure. Now I am getting a choice to boot Windows. I have the outputs of grub2-mkconfig and grub2-install in case they are of any use.

Thanks very much for your help, Wolfi323.

It seems that my problem is mostly resolved, except for explaining why it happened in the first place, and wondering whether it is going to happen again.

#8

I notice that when a reboot is needed that apper notifies you to reboot before it is fully done with the updates… Always wait until the updates are complete before rebooting.

#9

This is fixed with Apper 0.8.1 from the 13.1 update repo.
See here: https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=802960

And since the OP stated he had already done a few updates successfully, I would think that he already has the updated Apper installed…

#10

Now might be a good time to show my disk layout. As I mentioned, it’s dual boot with Windows 7. I’ll try to show the important parts of fdisk -l:

/dev/sda1      7  HPFS/NTFS/EexFAT
/dev/sda2      7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3  *   5  Extended
/dev/sda4      c  W95 FAT32(LBA)
/dev/sda5     82 Linux
/dev/sda6     83 Linux swap
/dev/sda7     83 Linux
/dev/sda8     83 Linux

/dev/sda5 is to be mounted on /, and /dev/sda7 is to be on /home.[/QUOTE]

I find that my account of fdisk -l was not completely accurate, in case someone finds a contradiction. I wrote it from memory and made one or more errors. But the given instructions did solve the problem. Thanks again to all contributors.