After clearing CMOS Mint 19.1 can’t access File System

[ElStellino]

Buongiorno,

The other day I received 2 extra RAM modules asmy computer was getting slow with 4GB, and they didn’t work.

As:


as an attempt to make them work I cleared the CMOS via the jumper, and then the computer wouldn’t want to start any more.
The only non‑standard senttings were the order of the boot, and the main hard drive, which I set correctly (well, otherwise GRUB RESCUE>)

My boot has always been "echo off" so I can actually see what happens.
It gets to the point in the text where I can read "Welcome to Linux Mint 19.1!" but then it gets stalled:


I now remember that for a similar problem (new RAM, clear CMOS) I found myself in the same situation a couple of years ago, and at the time I had just reinstalled the OS recuparating /home; but some settings went lost and I wouldn’t want to go for that time consuming route again.







Well, perhaps it’s also written there what I should do, but I haven’t got a clue regardless. And where to do it.

I am now writing from the same computer, using a MInt XFCE live key, so the computer phisically works.

Could someone help me out, please?

As someone once told me off because they deactivated the displaying of other people’s signatures (and in my signature I always write, like others, all the HW specs of my machine) I write them all here again:
Mother Board AS Rock H55DE3
Core i3 530 2.93Ghz
4Gb DDR3 Ram Dual Channel. (2GB+2GB Corsair non-EEC 1333Mhz)
Onboard graphics

Thanks in advance!

[sgtor]

You need to trace it back to the first problem. The RAM didn't work. Take that new RAM out and reboot.
Get into CMOS and reset to default settings then set your hard drive to whatever settings worked before. If your computer works again then you know it's a problem with the RAM not the CMOS.

You could also run a memory check from the live disk but those always take forever. Back in the old days we used to have to match memory sticks to be exactly the same. I don't think that's a problem anymore on newer computers but I haven't really stayed current on hardware so I can't help much more than that.

So after you take the RAM out and confirm that the computer is working try installing the mem again and make sure it's inserted fully. If you get the CMOS error again this time press F1 to get default settings.

[ElStellino]

Sorry, I missed the most important part of the story.

I am now running only the original 2×2GB RAM modules I had before, as there is no way to make the new RAM work (unless I use a single 4GB module, in single channel mode).
I am running the same RAM as this computer had since 2008 when I built it, in the same slots, but the computer still doesn’t boot successfully.
The pictures of the screen are in the original‑once‑upon‑a‑time working configuration.

With the new modules (added to the original, swapped the slots with the old ones, only them in double channel), the computer would stop at the bootup in the very first splash screen, the AMIBIOS American Megatrends one.
While it normally would count the MB of the RAM while it finds it, with the new modules it would just freeze, not counting anything.
It passes this stage only with the original 2×2GB modules, but then it has the problem it can’t find the file system.

As the new RAM modules don’t work on my machine, I asked the seller to send them back, I will ship them tomorrow.

I suspect it’s a problem of qvl, but as I have to build a new computer soon, I don’t bother too much with finding some additional working RAM.
I’d just like to start my computer normally, to prepare for a transition when the new computer will be ready.

Thanks

[ElStellino]

and the RAM sticks are the closest I could find to the original ones, so they are all Corsair DDR3 1333Mhz, just their capacity varies, with the old one at 2GB per module, and new ones at 4GB each, for a total of 12GB if it would have worked.

[sgtor]

Ok, Actually I should have realized that from reading your post. Like I said I don't keep up on hardware so I can only theorize on this but I think you may have corrupted the file system while pulling those jumpers. If I remember correctly you're supposed unplug drives before doing anything with jumpers on the motherboard. That's probably why you just did a whole reinstall the last time this happened.

So this time try fixing the filesystem first. If that doesn't work lets wait for a while and someone with more hardware knowledge may chime in.

So boot up from a live disk and run this for whatever /dev/sdxy you have, the $? will give you the exit code, see below.

Code: Select all

fsck /dev/sda1 ; echo $?

The exit code returned by fsck is the sum of the following conditions:

0 No errors
1 Filesystem errors corrected
2 System should be rebooted
4 Filesystem errors left uncorrected
8 Operational error
16 Usage or syntax error
32 Checking canceled by user request
128 Shared-library error
Source: man fsck

[athi]

Mobo comes with 4 slots and onboard graphic requires slot 1 to be populated.
Please confirm that the dimm are installed in the white slots and are properly seated

Screenshot at 2019-06-17 12-36-49.png

. Screenshot from AS Rock H55DE3

[athi]

Also, per Crucial configurator https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatib ... ORYFilters AS Rock H55DE3 requires use of DDR3L (low voltage dimm).

[ElStellino]

Yes @athi, the RAM sticks I bought were of the same voltage, Non-ECC and Unbuffered like the one I had.
I checked the manual before buying them.
Only difference was the frequency, 1600 instead of 1333Mhz – but they assured me that they automatically clock at the lower frequency – and the capacity, 4 instead of 2GB.
Unfortunately DDR3 aren’t that popular, and it’s a real pain to get things shipped here. So I had to buy what I found, not much choice unfortunately. But they were a close match nonetheless.
And yes, they are in the slots properly, as indicated in the manual.

But my problem is no longer the memory I bought, but that my computer doesn’t boot in original configuration, that has been working for 10 years straight, aside from when I tried another time to install more RAM and I had reset the CMOS.

@sgtor, I didn’t know I had to unplug the drives, that’s probably it.
I tried to perform sudo fsck /dev/sdc5 (as that’s my “important” drive) and found countless errors. Should I say yes to all to correct them?

Thanks.

[ElStellino]

Also, per Crucial configurator https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatib ... ORYFilters AS Rock H55DE3 requires use of DDR3L (low voltage dimm).

They are both sets 1.5V.

[athi]

Sorry, missed that you boot into live USB but cannot read files on the hdd.

I reset bios, upgrade ram etc. on lots of PC with the hdd connected without messing up the file system like this. However, most I ever do is to make sure that hdd is recognized correctly before I reset the bios to previous settings and boot into O/S. I wonder what could cause file system corruption like this.

[ElStellino]

Sorry, missed that you boot into live USB but cannot read files on the hdd.

I reset bios, upgrade ram etc. on lots of PC with the hdd connected without messing up the file system like this. However, most I ever do is to make sure that hdd is recognized correctly before I reset the bios to previous settings and boot into O/S. I wonder what could cause file system corruption like this.

No need to be sorry, you are helping me

I also did these things in other computers without worrying too much, it’s just on mine that I have always problems…
Well, this is the time I will get an SSD for the file system, and then I will work out a way to point the OS to my previous /home folder, untouched.
That would be grand.
I also have to fix the fact that my disks are read as an IDE system, so this is a good chance.

[sgtor]

Yes I would say yes to all for the fixes but I can't promise that it will fix the errors. If it were my computer I would say yes to fix all.

[ElStellino]

thanks sgtor