After todays update-->initctl: Unable to connect to Upstart

[stuartv]

I have Mint 18.1 with kernel 4.4 and VirtualBox 5.0. After today's update, my system would not start X. I could only login to the command line.

This:

If you need to remove these packages to get into the system and want to keep virtualbox try sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest*

got me going again. THANK YOU!!!

And my Windows VM (guest) seems to be working fine.

I don't run any guest VMs of Linux.

[Pepi]

sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest*

This didn't work for me

I also tried TimeShift from the root command line and it won't run due to permission stuff?

[Pepi]

sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest*

This didn't work for me

I also tried TimeShift from the root command line and it won't run due to permission stuff?

Had to run sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest* twice and now I'm back

I've had a few updates today ...

[mank_in]

No problem for me ( LM 18.3 MATE with open source intel driver )
Maybe just affected user with proprietary driver installed

[RichardM1]

I got the same error. I have Linux Mint Mate 18.1 64 bit.
Dell Inspiron 531 computer
AMD Sempron Computer.

I got that update. I never installed virtualbox or used it. I think it said virtualbox x86. After I couldn't open any audio/video files in an external partition. Well after logging off and on I got this error.

I tried recovery mode. I still could not get the graphical login from that. I could only get a terminal prompt to log on. Tried the apt-get remove virtualbox. Edited: Can't figure out how to delete the post. Earlier, I didn't notice the asterisk at the end of the comannd to remove virtualbox. Need to make sure you put the Asterisk "*" in at the end. Then It was able to remove all the software that started with virtualbox and rebooted and I was able to log in normally to the graphical. Fixed it.

[Joyouswonders]

Thanks! Worked for me.

Linux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 64-bit

[Shoyeb25]

I am also facing the same issue after the update

[xfrank]

sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest*

This didn't work for me

I also tried TimeShift from the root command line and it won't run due to permission stuff?

Had to run sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest* twice and now I'm back

I've had a few updates today ...

I had the same problem today, the solution was to run "sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest*" (not only virtualbox). Strange bug, normally Linux Mint is super-stable...

[clemens]

#metoo

[Cosmo.]

No problem for me ( LM 18.3 MATE with open source intel driver )
Maybe just affected user with proprietary driver installed

No. Most likely you have a fresh install of Mint 18.3. They are not affected, because - finally - the nonsense with the pre-installed VB-guest-packages had been stopped here. Only system with LM 18, 18.1 and 18.2 suffer from that mistake; also LM 18.3 systems, which had been upgraded from a previous version.

[kmph]

Also affected.

In my case, sudo apt-get remove virtualbox* seems to have solved the problem for now.

=================================================================================================================================================

I'm sorry but I'd like to mention that I'm annoyed.

Linux Mint offers packages with a noticeable delay, often reaching a few years. The explanation is that because of that Linux Mint can offer stability and will not break.

It's not the first time a Linux Mint update breaks my computer.

Is it really true that we have a bleeding edge vs stability tradeoff? Or is it true that as of now there is neither stability nor bleeding edge?

[Cosmo.]

This update gives the late revenge for a wrong decision of the Mint developers, which I pointed out since years.

[keybored]

Thanks everyone. Running 18.1.14 Mate and this morning’s three updates had me po’ed. Used console to delete virtualbox and all appears to be back to relative normality.

[ilya40umov]

Had the same issue. In my case I had a timeshift backup from yesterday, so I just went to one of the virtual terminals and restored that backup which did the trick.

[xenopeek]

Thanks all for confirming removing the virtualbox packages is a workaround. I'm sorry this issue is affecting you all.

If you would, please help me with gathering information for troubleshooting. Run this command from the terminal and share output here:
inxi -SGxx
This will tell us your kernel version and architecture, desktop environment, and details of your graphics card and driver. From what we've found so far (the changelog http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs ... /changelog, the bug report https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... ug/1758946, and the feedback here) I suspect the issue is either related to the kernel version or to the GL driver of the graphics card.

Linux Mint 18.x uses VirtualBox from the Ubuntu 16.04 package base repository directly. The last update to VirtualBox for that repository was version 5.1.34-dfsg-0ubuntu1.16.04.2 uploaded on March 13 and ultimately comes from Debian. Linux Mint 17.x uses VirtualBox from the Linux Mint repositories instead.

[vimes666]

...
If you would, please help me with gathering information for troubleshooting....

Code: Select all

System:    Host: wintersmith Kernel: 4.4.0-116-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: MATE 1.16.2 (Gtk 3.18.9) dm: mdm
           Distro: Linux Mint 18.1 Serena
Graphics:  Card: Intel Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
           bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:0046
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1280x1024@75.02hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Ironlake Mobile
           GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 11.2.0 Direct Rendering: Yes

[UrbanSatyr]

Phew, thanks for the info. Thought my whole system crapped the bed. The 'apt-get remove' fix worked for me. 18.3 cinnamon 64-bit. 4.13.0-37

[12stepMSx]

Same happened to mine after this mornings update. I almost didn't take the update as I don't use VB but it was marked level 2 so I figured no prob I must have in installed already and may need it someday. Each time a update messes up this old puter I get more "once bitten - twice shy"
Anyway glad I found it wasn't just my puter, again and that a fix was posted here.
I removed just the three package components and Walla, back up and running.
I miss the feature Win XP had "System Restore".
You all are the best!
THANKS ALL!

inxi -Fxz

Code: Select all

System:    Host: Krell Kernel: 4.13.0-32-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.6.7 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3)
           Distro: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Machine:   System: LENOVO (portable) product: 2007J2U v: ThinkPad T60
           Mobo: LENOVO model: 2007J2U
           Bios: LENOVO v: 79ETD2WW (2.12 ) date: 04/12/2007
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core2 T7200 (-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 7980
           clock speeds: max: 2000 MHz 1: 1000 MHz 2: 1333 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV515/M52 [Mobility Radeon X1300]
           bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1024x768@60.00hz
           GLX Renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 5.0, 128 bits)
           GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 17.2.8 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.13.0-32-generic
Network:   Card-1: Intel 82573L Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: 3000 bus-ID: 02:00.0
           IF: ens2 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection
           driver: iwl3945 v: in-tree:s bus-ID: 03:00.0
           IF: wls3 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-3: Ralink Keebox W150NU 802.11bgn Wireless Adapter [Ralink RT3070]
           driver: rt2800usb v: 2.3.0 usb-ID: 001-002
           IF: wlx0014d179c099 state: N/A mac: N/A
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (28.2% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: HGST_HTS725050A7 size: 500.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 456G used: 129G (30%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 3.22GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 65.0C mobo: 60.0C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A fan-1: 3478
Info:      Processes: 171 Uptime: 28 min Memory: 906.8/3000.9MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481) inxi: 2.2.35

[Cosmo.]

miss the feature Win XP had "System Restore".

You have. You only need to activate it. It is called TimeShift. Look into the menu.

[tomdkat]

Can anything be done to prevent this kind of issue from happening again? Uninstalling VirtualBox also worked for me, but I would like to keep VirtualBox installed on my system.

Thanks!

The three package components in the update are -

virtualbox-guest-dkms
virtualbox-guest-utils
virtualbox-guest-x11

None of these packages are needed to run virtualbox on the host system. They are packages intended for Mint running as Guest (but only in the same version of VBox).

So folks who have removed the lot but need virtualbox should *fingers-crossed* be able to apt install virtualbox assuming it is just these packages that are causing the issue.

If you need to remove these packages to get into the system and want to keep virtualbox try sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-guest* rather than sudo apt-get remove virtualbox*

Groovy. Thanks for the info!