LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

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mike acker
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LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by mike acker »

I have gone over this extensively in the hardware section of the Main Edition. So, apology in advance for this addition thread on the same topic

I was able to get some added information though

my brother runs LMDE/2 on an ASUS A88X-Pro MoBo similar to my research box.

Yesterday we reviewed the NO SUCH DEVICE error on his Windows Disc.

my brother reports that his Windows 10 failed immediately after he received and accepted a GRUB update on the LMDE/2 system:
VM2B9296 workhorse windows boot fail.jpg
this is identical to 3 three failures I experienced here

here is the pou data

Code: Select all

john@workhorse ~ $ inxi -pou
Partition: ID-1: / size: 28G used: 7.1G (28%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2 
           uuid: 2b5f1d24-4513-43ac-8ef3-8c94a69daf39
           ID-2: /home size: 882G used: 142G (17%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
           uuid: 76507b4e-8ce1-49d8-8008-29aff64f2381
           ID-3: swap-1 size: 8.50GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda1 
           uuid: 3e8b1230-05e3-41e2-a887-ac51633fc747
Unmounted: No unmounted partitions detected
john@workhorse ~ $ 
again: the UUID from the / partition of LMDE/2 has been installed into the MBR of the failed system.
we ran the handy fix disk with the following result:
VM2B9299 workhorse windows not fixed.jpg
we had to re-install windows. their "repair " option also failed.

His system is setup for dual boot. the A88X-Pro MoBo will allow system discs to boot using either Legacy or UEFI bios -- it's self sensing

perhaps we are not supposed to have UUID data in the MBR on a UEFI system? ( I think they use an "improved" format of the MBR for that ) .

this problem does not apply only to Windows 10: here, it killed 3 MINTs
(1) MINT 17.3 Cinamon -- and -- (2) MINT 18 Cinamon -- and -- (3) MINT 18 KDE

Amendment 1
the MINT 18 KDE system was fixed by installing MINT 18.1 KDE BETA
shortly thereafter this KDE 18.1 Beta received a GRUB update. This was allowed to run with the LMDE/2 and MINT 18 Cinamon disks connected ( but not mounted -- as things were when this problem manifested ). Updating GRUB on the KDE 18.1 Beta did not affect the LMDE/2 system disk or the MINT 18 Cinamon disk. This is why I feel this is an LMDE/2 issue. I could attempt to reproduce this by re-installing LMDE/2 from it's ISO and waiting for the GRUB Update....
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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supertuxkart
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Re: LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by supertuxkart »

Well interesting questions.
I did read your other post.

In the past i did experiment how Grub works and the conclusion is :
Grub can be breaked, expecially on multisystems.
Obviously there are several causes as changing the UUID and when you have several distros in the same disk.

I have all my Mints copied via systemback on external USB.
Once a couple of months i update this systems.
Last time an update has given the same result in the copied system "no such partition", but not in the twins installed system.

So, i'm sorry, i can't be sure on what depends this behaviour, at the moment.
I will go on to find-out why Grub has such problems.
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austin.texas
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Re: LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by austin.texas »

That raises an interesting question. We know that to access a Windows partition from linux, Windows should be fully shut down (no Fast Start or hibernation).
So the question is, if you run sudo update-grub when Windows is hibernated, does Grub fail to detect the Windows OS because of the hibernation?
I have no way of finding out - I don't have Windows. But it seems like a possibility for what your situation is.
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mike acker
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Re: LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by mike acker »

austin.texas wrote:That raises an interesting question. We know that to access a Windows partition from linux, Windows should be fully shut down (no Fast Start or hibernation).
So the question is, if you run sudo update-grub when Windows is hibernated, does Grub fail to detect the Windows OS because of the hibernation?
I have no way of finding out - I don't have Windows. But it seems like a possibility for what your situation is.
remember: this affected 4 system disks -- 3 Linux Mint varieties and 1 Windows 10. The issue -- to me -- is the GRUB update affecting disks other than the system disk it is originating from.

in all 4 cases the damaged disk was a separate physical unit -- not a partition.

your message does evoke a thought though: if the grub update works around the the thought that -- if more than one bootable partition is found then any drive having a bootable partition needs the update -- [ grub-install <dev> ] -- this could be trouble: the bootable partition found on ( e.g. ) sda -- will not also be present on ( e.g. ) sdb . if the boot update [ grub-update ] made for ( e.g. ) sda is then also applied to ( e.g. grub-install ) sdb -- you are going to have a not found partition ( " no such device " ) -- when you then attempt to boot from sdb.


here's the paste report from the attempt to correct the Windows 10:

Ubuntu Paste fix report

I am wondering if it's worth while to re-install LMDE/2 from the original .iso on a spare disk -- it should go back through the GRUB update. the fix disc fixed the Linux/Mint systems OK but not the Win10. The Win10 may have the new format MBR and be using UEFI -- the fix disk might not be up to speed on that yet -- dunno

This may be related only to LMDE/2 -- and at this point I think it is ( see notes re. KDE 18.1 Beta test in earlier thread ) . If this is the case we may not get any other hits on this as there really aren't a lot of folks using LMDE/2,-- and perhaps no one else has been running with multiple system disks connected.

perhaps all we need to do is make a note to the effect that alternate system disks should be disconnected if there is a GRUB update on the LMDE/2

dunno -- thoughts ?

added note:
if i remember rightly there were 2 commands to issue,-- one to get the update and the second to apply it . If I remember rightly I tried that on the LMDE/2 system -- with other system disks connected -- but not mounted -- and I couldn't reproduce the problem that way.
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supertuxkart
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Re: LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by supertuxkart »

austin.texas wrote:That raises an interesting question. We know that to access a Windows partition from linux, Windows should be fully shut down (no Fast Start or hibernation).
So the question is, if you run sudo update-grub when Windows is hibernated, does Grub fail to detect the Windows OS because of the hibernation?
I have no way of finding out - I don't have Windows. But it seems like a possibility for what your situation is.
Well, it's likely Grub will complains about, if i understand how it works.

In the secondhand, it's sure multiboot or quantity of hard disks, does not matter. ( Grub breaks in computers with only two distros installed, without Windows ) but the problem stays maybe in what is written in the config files, due by something wrong.

As i tried for a forum' friend, zeroing the Mbr and reinstalling Grub some systems appeared again.
I wonder if updating just the config files in each system will do the task.
mike acker
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Re: LMDE2 Grub Update corrupting adjacent system discs

Post by mike acker »

thanks to everyone for helping with these postings; I do appreciate it!

at this point I think we have probably done what we can. I may try to re-create the problem. Unless I can manage that we may be at a dead-end on this :(
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