My PC not booting MX at all (doesn't even get to GRUB)

[catalinux]

Basically this happens since last night: https://streamable.com/4smu8

I don't know why it happens, there was no update before it started (there was an Intel microcode update or something if I remember correctly, but I restarted my PC after the update and it was all fine) and I didn't mess with any system files myself.

Disk data seems OK. I booted from my live USB to use the boot repair tool, I tried both fixing GRUB configuration and reinstalling GRUB. All of these options finished successfully but they didn't fix the issue. Any solution for this? I don't quite want to reinstall my system because I have to re-uninstall and reinstall some apps I use and do all those configurations to them.

[chrispop99]

Boot live and run GSmartControl. Select your HDD, then look in the error log. If nothing is shown, run the long self-test.

Chris

[orcrist]

This is what's happening also on my laptop (Fujitsu S761). But only after I install a snapshot of MX. I mean this is not happening when I install the MX-17_x64.iso. It doesn't matter if it is a snapshot that I have downloaded or a snapshot of my system that I have created. I manage to correct the issue by running a Windows 7 rescue CD. I dual boot with Windows 10.

[Adrian]

This is what's happening also on my laptop (Fujitsu S761). But only after I install a snapshot of MX. I mean this is not happening when I install the MX-17_x64.iso. It doesn't matter if it is a snapshot that I have downloaded or a snapshot of my system that I have created. I manage to correct the issue by running a Windows 7 rescue CD. I dual boot with Windows 10.

Do you boot UEFI or Legacy BIOS?

[catalinux]

Boot live and run GSmartControl. Select your HDD, then look in the error log. If nothing is shown, run the long self-test.

Chris

No errors whatsoever. Here is the log:

Code: Select all

smartctl 6.6 2016-05-31 r4324 [x86_64-linux-4.15.0-1-amd64] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-16, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Device Model:     TOSHIBA MQ04ABF100
Serial Number:    Y7NCP1XHT
LU WWN Device Id: 5 000039 822702270
Firmware Version: JU002E
User Capacity:    1,000,204,886,016 bytes [1.00 TB]
Sector Sizes:     512 bytes logical, 4096 bytes physical
Rotation Rate:    5400 rpm
Form Factor:      2.5 inches
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
ATA Version is:   ACS-3 T13/2161-D revision 5
SATA Version is:  SATA >3.2 (0x1ff), 6.0 Gb/s (current: 6.0 Gb/s)
Local Time is:    Mon Aug 20 14:46:55 2018 EDT
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x82)	Offline data collection activity
					was completed without error.
					Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.
Self-test execution status:      (   0)	The previous self-test routine completed
					without error or no self-test has ever 
					been run.
Total time to complete Offline 
data collection: 		(  120) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities: 			 (0x5b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
					Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
					Suspend Offline collection upon new
					command.
					Offline surface scan supported.
					Self-test supported.
					No Conveyance Self-test supported.
					Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities:            (0x0003)	Saves SMART data before entering
					power-saving mode.
					Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability:        (0x01)	Error logging supported.
					General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine 
recommended polling time: 	 (   2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time: 	 ( 166) minutes.
SCT capabilities: 	       (0x003d)	SCT Status supported.
					SCT Error Recovery Control supported.
					SCT Feature Control supported.
					SCT Data Table supported.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x000b   100   100   050    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  2 Throughput_Performance  0x0005   100   100   050    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   100   100   001    Pre-fail  Always       -       1303
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       235
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   100   100   010    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000b   100   100   050    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  8 Seek_Time_Performance   0x0005   100   100   050    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       286
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0033   104   100   030    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       233
191 G-Sense_Error_Rate      0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       394
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       52
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       2858
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       48 (Min/Max 19/50)
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   100   100   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
220 Disk_Shift              0x0002   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
222 Loaded_Hours            0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       278
223 Load_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
224 Load_Friction           0x0022   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
226 Load-in_Time            0x0026   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       277
236 Unknown_Attribute       0x0020   100   100   000    Old_age   Offline      -       4294984062
240 Head_Flying_Hours       0x0001   100   100   001    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%       286         -
# 2  Short offline       Completed without error       00%       283         -

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1
 SPAN  MIN_LBA  MAX_LBA  CURRENT_TEST_STATUS
    1        0        0  Not_testing
    2        0        0  Not_testing
    3        0        0  Not_testing
    4        0        0  Not_testing
    5        0        0  Not_testing
Selective self-test flags (0x0):
  After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.
If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.

I am unsure whether I should try the Windows Recovery Media thing since I made it for a different computer

[Stevo]

If those apps save their configuration in your home folder, you can choose to save your home folder if you eventually do chose to do a reinstall. But your error says something about a media error and that you should check the cable--which is weird if you can access your boot drive in a Live session! Have you tried reinstalling GRUB with MX Boot Repair from the live session? Take care to install it in the correct partition.

[Adrian]

But your error says something about a media error and that you should check the cable--which is weird if you can access your boot drive in a Live session!

That is because it tires to boot with PXE since it doesn't find a bootable disk but since PXE doesn't have an IP address it shows that error (my guess). It might be worth making sure the disk order is correct in GRUB configuration (although I see in the video you selected the drive manually).

[fehlix]

...I booted from my live USB to use the boot repair tool, I tried both fixing GRUB configuration and reinstalling GRUB. All of these options finished successfully but they didn't fix the issue. Any solution for this?

Hmm.., if you have made everything correct with Boot repair,
i.e.: reinstall GRUB + repair GRUB-configuration
you should have a working grub on your MX-Linux partition, if you selected the correct boot method.
If you for sure you made no mistake, the only option I see, would be to boot into grub on the hd with an external grub.
You can either try sg2d from here https://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/
which provides you with an external grub to boot internal grub's on HD.

Or try my little manual DIY method:
Create your own MX-Linux-Rescue-Boot ISO:
Here we go:
Boot from MX Linux LifeMedia.
Open Thunar and click on MX-Linux root-partition (to mount) and close Thunar.
Right-click on Desktop -> Open Terminal Here
copy / paste below commands into the terminal :

Code: Select all

mkdir -p disk/boot/grub
cp /media/*/*/boot/grub/grub.cfg  disk/boot/grub/grub.cfg
grub-mkrescue -o MX-Linux-Rescue-Boot.iso  disk

Now you have created a ISO-file MX-Linux-Rescue-Boot.iso
which you can boot from to access MX Linux on the hd.
Burn the iso with Xfburn on CD
or write onto USB-Stick with MX-Usb Maker using DD-Mode.

[catalinux]

But your error says something about a media error and that you should check the cable--which is weird if you can access your boot drive in a Live session!

That is because it tires to boot with PXE since it doesn't find a bootable disk but since PXE doesn't have an IP address it shows that error (my guess). It might be worth making sure the disk order is correct in GRUB configuration (although I see in the video you selected the drive manually).

well, yeah... it doesn't even boot to GRUB. All it can do is trying to boot with PXE (don't know what that thing is) since it does that thing automatically, after which I get to my laptop's boot menu. After I select the drive where to boot from, the process repeats.

Now, I have four partitions on my hard drive (ordered the way they appear in GParted):

• One FreeDOS partition which I forgot to delete after installing MX

• The root partition (labeled automatically as rootMX17.1)

• The swap partition

• The home partition (labeled as homeantix automatically at install)

I first chose the repair GRUB configuration option. It defaulted to rootMX17.1 so I guessed that was the needed one. It then rebuilt the crub.cfg file, having found /boot/vmlinuz-4.15.0-1-amd64 as the linux image, /boot/initrd.img-4.15.0-1-amd64, then the memtest image (in /boot too) and FreeDOS.

Then I chose the reinstall GRUB option; I reinstalled it on the MBR, chose sda as location and the /boot location as rootMX17.1

Did I do anything wrong so far?

Edit: did my own external GRUB and it's working. Although seems cool security wise (i.e. no one will even ever get access to your system, haha) I really hope there is a fix for this besides reinstalling the system.

[KoO]

You can either try sg2d from here https://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/
which provides you with an external grub to boot internal grub's on HD.

This might get you to the system so you can backup your stuff.
Can't see what's is on the boot screen F12..