[SOLVED] Error while Installing Update

[mntusr]

Hi,
I'm running LM20.2 on my laptop (dual boot with Win 10)
While installing regular updates today, I'm seeing this message:

Window title is Configuring shim-signed
& it says,

Code: Select all

Writing GRUB to boot device failed - continue?

When I click on the help button it shows,

Code: Select all

GRUB failed to install to the following devices:
/dev/sda2
Do you want to continue anyway? If you do, your computer may not startup properly.

Kindly let me know how I should proceed here.
Thanks a lot.

[all41]

Window title is Configuring shim-signed
this is a strange message--being dual boot with Windows did you also get Windows updates?
Windows will often overwrite your boot tables
This part:

GRUB failed to install to the following devices:
/dev/sda2
Do you want to continue anyway?

Do not continue here--danger zone--wait for forthcoming expert advice. Be patient--the expertise you need may be
on the other side of the globe--hang loose till you get that guidance.
Best of luck and cheers

[mntusr]

Thank you @all41
ok.. will wait for more expert advice.

this is a strange message--being dual boot with Windows did you also get Windows updates?

I don't use Windows at all.. was on the laptop when it came.
Just started it once after LM20.2 install to check whether it was loading and restarted to LM immediately..
Don't think there was time for updates.

[AZgl1800]

Thank you @all41
ok.. will wait for more expert advice.

this is a strange message--being dual boot with Windows did you also get Windows updates?

I don't use Windows at all.. was on the laptop when it came.
Just started it once after LM20.2 install to check whether it was loading and restarted to LM immediately..
Don't think there was time for updates.

In this particular case, when you installed LM 20.2 and the Live Session asked to erase disk that is what I would have chosen.

That would have totally reformatted the SSD/HDD and only LM would exist, all fragments of Windows OS would be gone.

[mntusr]

Thank you @AZgl1500.

In this particular case, when you installed LM 20.2 and the Live Session asked to erase disk that is what I would have chosen.

It is retained for other members of the family who sometimes uses it though not frequently.
And its been running Linux Mint from November 2019 without any such issues.

[Larry78723]

So you do have Win on that computer? Is Secure Boot disabled in your bios?

[AZgl1800]

Thank you @AZgl1500.

In this particular case, when you installed LM 20.2 and the Live Session asked to erase disk that is what I would have chosen.

It is retained for other members of the family who sometimes uses it though not frequently.
And its been running Linux Mint from November 2019 without any such issues.

That is similar to my daughter's laptop, she only uses Win10, but I installed Peppermint on it right after I gave it to her for Christmas 3 seasons back.....

Win10 installed an update, and all of her Data Files disappeared, so I tried out Peppermint because it would run MS Office in the cloud... but not ACCESS, so that experiment failed.

Knowing what I do today, I would have installed Cross Over with a license and left her on Linux.
I have Cross Over on this 19.3 Cinnamon laptop and it is running MS Office Pro 2003 faster than it ever did on the old Win7 PC it was first installed on.

[mntusr]

Thank you @Larry78723 and @AZgl1500
Sorry, got tied up with some other work and couldn't reply earlier.

So you do have Win on that computer? Is Secure Boot disabled in your bios?

Yes, Windows 10 came installed on it. Secure Boot is disabled.
Thanks..

[mntusr]

Apologies for bringing this up again..
While regular updates on my LM 20.2 system I got this message window:
Window title is Configuring shim-signed
& it says,

Code: Select all

Writing GRUB to boot device failed - continue?

I had restarted the machine as I was not sure what to do.
Will installing regular updates mess up the system?
Any help appreciated.
Thank you..

[mikeflan]

Hi mntusr.

Will installing regular updates mess up the system?

Probably not, but it is possible. Are you running Timeshift? Do you have a LM live boot USB or CD readily available?

If you have a Timeshift snapshot already taken, go into Update Manager and look at the updates presented to you. Unclick (deselect) all the ones pertaining to Grub if there are any. Then do those updates. Use the computer for a day or so. If all is good, take another Timeshift snapshot and then do the remaining updates. If you get that error message again and you are able to back out, please do back out and post back here.

It doesn't hurt to leave some updates undone for many days, so don't worry about that.

[mntusr]

Thanks a lot @mikeflan.
Will do as suggested and update.

[mntusr]

Hi,
Apologies, Got to do it only now, due to work.

If you have a Timeshift snapshot already taken, go into Update Manager and look at the updates presented to you. Unclick (deselect) all the ones pertaining to Grub if there are any. Then do those updates. Use the computer for a day or so. If all is good, take another Timeshift snapshot and then do the remaining updates. If you get that error message again and you are able to back out, please do back out and post back here.

As @mikeflan suggested, took a snapshot.
Deselected the Grub2 update suggested by Update Manager.
Shim and Shim-signed are also suggested.
When I clicked Install Updates, I get the following message, with title "An error occured":

Code: Select all

E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. 
E: _cache->open() failed, please report.

Any help appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

[mntusr]

Do I have to reinstall LM 20.2
Sorry to bring this up again.
But i cannot install anything and cant find any information or fixes for my issue.
Thanks a lot..

As @mikeflan suggested, took a snapshot.
Deselected the Grub2 update suggested by Update Manager.
Shim and Shim-signed are also suggested.
When I clicked Install Updates, I get the following message, with title "An error occured":

Code: Select all

E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. 
E: _cache->open() failed, please report.

[mikeflan]

It would appear that if you don't have a Timeshift snapshot of the working system, before the grub problems arose, you will probably be doing a fresh install of LM. I strongly encourage people to set up Timeshift immediately and take a manual snapshot immediately after the first update of the newly installed system. Then take automatic snapshots on some schedule.

[mntusr]

Thanks a lot @mikeflan.
I have some software installed.
I will lose them if I install again, if I'm not mistaken.
Kindly let me know.
Thanks again..

[mikeflan]

Yes, that is true. You might be able to save your configuration files and reuse them (i.e. '.thunderbird', etc in your home directory). Make sure you include those in the backup of your personal files.

[mntusr]

Thank you @mikeflan.
btw, an hour back, I just tried an update and the updates installed successfully and I can't see the errors now.

[mikeflan]

How about that. It's nice when the magic works in your favor.
Take Timeshift snapshots at strategic times and maybe you will be OK.

Please mark this issue solved. Go to your original 1st post (top of topic), click the edit pencil, add [Solved] at the beginning of the title and click Submit.

[mntusr]

Thanks @mikeflan.

Take Timeshift snapshots at strategic times and maybe you will be OK.

Took a snapshot after installing all updates and restarting.. hope there won't be more errors related to this.

Please mark this issue solved

Topic marked as solved.. thanks.