Booting LM 20.3 in emergency mode.

[Ramlez07]

Hi Community. I have LM 20.3 installed in an external ssd. I have no problem to boot on a notebook HP Pavilion and there is a problem booting on a dektop pc. I read this problem in the forum and I am not sure if the answer has been solved earlier.

After booting on dektop and charging grub, the message that appears is: "You are in emmergency mode. After logging in, type "journalctl -xb" to view system logs, "systemctl reboot". To reboot "systemctl default" or "exit" to boot into defalut mode.


After pressing Ctrl D, the following message is: "failed to start default target transaction for graphical.target/start is destructive".

I executed the folowing commands: to change to graphical mode with no results:
systemctl get-default
sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target
sudo reboot

I appreciate any solution.

[mikeflan]

the message that appears is: "You are in emmergency mode. After logging in, type "journalctl -xb" to view system logs, "systemctl reboot". To reboot "systemctl default" or "exit" to boot into defalut mode.

This is usually a result of you modifying the /etc/fstab incorrectly. Can you apply a Timeshift snapshot to before you modified /etc/fstab?

[linux-rox]

I have no problem to boot on a notebook HP Pavilion and there is a problem booting on a dektop pc.

Obvious inference is that the problem is the desktop PC. Is it relatively new? In particular, did it come with Win11 rather than Win10?

[Ramlez07]

Thanks for the answer. I installed linux mint on an external ssd disk. I just typped the commands listed on the message. It works well on the HP PAVILION but not on the desktop. I have two snapshots with Timeshift. The problem, I guess, belongs to some configuration of the desktop pc. LM is on uefi mode. I didn't modify /etc/fstab. It didn't work before creating the snapshots.

[mikeflan]

I installed linux mint on an external ssd disk. I just typped the commands listed on the message. It works well on the HP PAVILION but not on the desktop.

Yep, we understand that from your original post.

I have two snapshots with Timeshift. LM is on uefi mode. I didn't modify /etc/fstab. It didn't work before creating the snapshots.

Thanks for that new information.

The problem, I guess, belongs to some configuration of the desktop pc.

It would appear so. Please answer linux-rox's questions. Is the desktop a new machine? Did it come with Win11 on it rather than Win10?
Please boot your live install USB on the desktop and post the information from typing this in a terminal:

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxxxmprz

Post the output to this forum in "Code" tags. The button that inserts these tags is marked </>, which is in the mini toolbar above the edit box where you type your reply.
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=364929
If your Linux Mint install isn't in English, prefix any commands that you want to share output of with LC_ALL=C. That forces output to be English. For example instead of running the command "inxi -Fxxxmprz", you'd run the command "LC_ALL=C inxi -Fxxxmprz".
More info:
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=318644
viewtopic.php?p=2148154#p2148154dsk

[linux-rox]

The reason for my question is that I have a relatively new desktop PC, an HP All-in-One (shipped with Win11), which will not boot full install USB drives that boot fine on three other computers (one also new, plus two older ones). It's not a general defect of the All-in-One, as it will boot a live session from USB drive, for example. There appears to be a bug in the BIOS/UEFI firmware which causes Grub boot from USB drive to fail, but nothing else I've tested. Ironically, the lead OS on the computer is Mint, and the All-in-One boots that from Grub without difficulty.

The workaround for the problem which works for me is a rEFInd flash drive. This will boot from USB. Then I attach the full install USB drive and hit the Esc key, which causes rEFInd to rescan and add the full install USB drive to its (rEFInd's) boot list. Booting from that works.

Can't promise this will work for you, but worth a try. You can create the drive in a live session or by booting your full install system on the laptop.

[Ramlez07]

Hi mikeflan. I bought desktop pc on december 2015. Actually I installed Windows 11 since august 2022. Windows 11 is in uefi mode. Here I send you the result of the commad in terminal with its specifications:


mint@mint:~$ inxi -Fxxxmprz
System:
Kernel: 5.15.0-41-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.2.0
Desktop: Cinnamon 5.4.8 tk: GTK 3.24.33 wm: Mutter vt: 7 dm: LightDM 1.30.0
Distro: Linux Mint 21 Vanessa base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy
Machine:
Type: Desktop Mobo: MSI model: A68HM GRENADE (MS-7891) v: 1.0
serial: <superuser required> UEFI-[Legacy]: American Megatrends v: 1.3
date: 04/13/2016
Memory:
RAM: total: 6.99 GiB used: 910.2 MiB (12.7%)
RAM Report:
permissions: Unable to run dmidecode. Root privileges required.
CPU:
Info: dual core model: AMD A4-4000 APU with Radeon HD Graphics bits: 64
type: MT MCP smt: enabled arch: Piledriver rev: 1 cache: L1: 96 KiB
L2: 1024 KiB
Speed (MHz): avg: 1396 high: 1397 min/max: 1400/3000 boost: enabled
cores: 1: 1397 2: 1396 bogomips: 11977
Flags: avx ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm
Graphics:
Device-1: AMD Trinity 2 [Radeon HD 7480D] vendor: Micro-Star MSI
driver: radeon v: kernel ports: active: HDMI-A-1 empty: DVI-D-1,VGA-1
bus-ID: 00:01.0 chip-ID: 1002:9993 class-ID: 0300
Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.3 driver: X: loaded: ati,radeon
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa gpu: radeon display-ID: :0 screens: 1
Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
Monitor-1: HDMI-0 mapped: HDMI-A-1 model: Samsung SMT27A550
res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 82 size: 598x336mm (23.5x13.2")
diag: 686mm (27") modes: max: 1920x1080 min: 720x400
OpenGL: renderer: AMD ARUBA (DRM 2.50.0 / 5.15.0-41-generic LLVM 13.0.1)
v: 4.3 Mesa 22.0.1 compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: AMD Trinity HDMI Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:01.1 chip-ID: 1002:9902
class-ID: 0403
Device-2: AMD FCH Azalia vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel
v: kernel bus-ID: 00:14.2 chip-ID: 1022:780d class-ID: 0403
Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.0-41-generic running: yes
Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.99.1 running: yes
Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.48 running: yes
Network:
Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s
lanes: 1 port: e000 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
IF: enp1s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Device-2: Realtek RTL8188EUS 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter type: USB
driver: r8188eu bus-ID: 2-1:2 chip-ID: 0bda:8179 class-ID: 0000
serial: <filter>
IF: wlx98ded0198b01 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 1.47 TiB used: 268.62 GiB (17.8%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Kingston model: SA400S37120G size: 111.79 GiB
speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: B1E1 scheme: GPT
ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZEX-60WN4A0
size: 931.51 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: HDD rpm: 7200 serial: <filter>
rev: 1A01 scheme: MBR
ID-3: /dev/sdc type: USB model: Mass Storage Device size: 465.76 GiB
type: N/A serial: <filter> scheme: MBR
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 3.49 GiB used: 27.4 MiB (0.8%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102
ID-2: /media/mint/E2B size: 200.19 GiB used: 114.75 GiB (57.3%) fs: ntfs
dev: /dev/sdc1
ID-3: /media/mint/Software Extra size: 265.56 GiB
used: 153.87 GiB (57.9%) fs: ntfs dev: /dev/sdc2
Swap:
Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 20.6 C mobo: N/A gpu: radeon temp: 10.0 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos:
Packages: apt: 2078
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 21 _Vanessa_ - Release amd64 20220726]/ jammy main
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com vanessa main upstream import backport
2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse
Info:
Processes: 192 Uptime: 1m wakeups: 0 Init: systemd v: 249 runlevel: 5
Compilers: gcc: 11.2.0 alt: 11 Shell: Bash v: 5.1.16
running-in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.3.13

[linux-rox]

Windows 11 is in uefi mode.

Likely so, as sda is GPT. OTOH, sdb is MBR, so it's almost certainly legacy mode. Which also is the mode in which the live session booted from sdc.

Please boot the external drive on the notebook, run inxi -SMD, and report the output.

[Ramlez07]

Here I send the specifications of HP Pavilion, booting on LM on the notebook. If I'm not wrong LM is in uefi mode.


ramlez@ramlez:~$ inxi -SMD
System:
Host: ramlez Kernel: 5.15.0-58-generic x86_64 bits: 64
Desktop: Cinnamon 5.6.7 Distro: Linux Mint 21.1 Vera
Machine:
Type: Convertible System: HP product: HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14-ba0xx
v: Type1ProductConfigId serial: <superuser required>
Mobo: HP model: 830F v: 31.25 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: Insyde
v: F.59 date: 07/12/2022
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 447.14 GiB used: 36.66 GiB (8.2%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Kingston model: SA400S37240G size: 223.57 GiB
ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: A-Data model: XPG EX500 size: 223.57 GiB

[linux-rox]

If I'm not wrong LM is in uefi mode.

Correct. Moreover, the desktop is able to boot in UEFI mode, though it was booted in legacy mode when you booted the live session.

Two things to try. First, when you boot, there should be an option to get to a BIOS/UEFI boot menu. With HP, that's usually F9. Attach full install USB drive to the desktop, get to the F9 boot menu and see whether a boot from there works. If you see the USB drive listed more than once, try each one. I have a USB drive which for reasons unknown will boot on an HP laptop from one position on the list but not two others.

If that doesn't work, we now know the rEFInd flash drive I mentioned earlier has a chance. Boot with it. Attach the full install USB drive; hit the Esc key; rEFInd will rescan the system, recognize the vmlinuz boot file on the USB drive and offer it as an option. Usually works.

[Ramlez07]

Thank you for your answer. There's no problem booting LM with the external ssd drive. In fact, I press F9 in the HP to boot Mint. I use everyday Mint booting the ssd in the notebook. The reason of the problem I posed is to boot LM in desktop; to leverage LM in desktop. I configured desktop in UEFI mode. I checked Mint and I saw that it's in uefi mode. I think, it's not a big trouble not booting in desktop. I conform for a while, using LM with the notebook. Thank for your time and predisposition, also to whom read the post.

[Ramlez07]

Live ISO installation boots in desktop with no problem.

[linux-rox]

I think, it's not a big trouble not booting in desktop.

To me, this implies you have decided it isn't worth the trouble to solve the problem.
Fair enough. Your computer, your decision. Just want to make sure I have understood correctly.

[Ramlez07]

The reason I coul not boot in mergency mode was because I installed LM in the ssd in tne notebook and not in desktop. BIOS desktop does not let me configure ACPI. Thus, I understand that LM on the external ssd does not have the peripheral drivers of desktop. The problem is not solved but comprenhended.