Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

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pheasant

Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by pheasant »

Yesterday installed the above to an SSD in a Compaq Presario CQ57 laptop. Aside from a very long boot, everything works well and all software is up to date.

I am new to Linux. Researched topic some hours. I am not to handy with GRUB, but got enough messages to see the approximately 3.5 minute delay is at "Loading initial ramdisk."

output of uname -a:

Linux cq57 4.13.0-37-generic #42~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Mar 7 16:03:28 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Here is /etc/fstab:

# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=29ad6262-60c1-46a4-b9b8-91557413f55f / ext4 noatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=280fa1b4-e338-4cb1-a3db-31587bdc1942 none swap sw 0 0

and the output of blkid:

/dev/sda1: UUID="29ad6262-60c1-46a4-b9b8-91557413f55f" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="45416e69-01"
/dev/sda5: UUID="280fa1b4-e338-4cb1-a3db-31587bdc1942" TYPE="swap" PARTUUID="45416e69-05"

sudo systemd-analyze time
Startup finished in 6.437s (kernel) + 5.841s (userspace) = 12.278s

sudo systemd-analyze critical-chain
The time after the unit is active or started is printed after the "@" character.
The time the unit takes to start is printed after the "+" character.

graphical.target @5.726s
└─multi-user.target @5.722s
└─getty.target @5.711s
└─getty@tty1.service @5.696s
└─rc-local.service @5.003s +205ms
└─network.target @4.988s
└─NetworkManager.service @4.071s +891ms
└─dbus.service @3.776s
└─basic.target @3.632s
└─sockets.target @3.626s
└─uuidd.socket @3.623s
└─sysinit.target @3.555s
└─swap.target @3.547s
└─dev-disk-by\x2duuid-280fa1b4\x2de338\x2d4cb1\x2da3db\x2d31587bdc1942.swap @3.486s +37ms
└─dev-disk-by\x2duuid-280fa1b4\x2de338\x2d4cb1\x2da3db\x2d31587bdc1942.device @3.452s

sudo systemd-analyze blame
3.082s dev-sda1.device
1.797s ModemManager.service
1.352s accounts-daemon.service
1.113s loadcpufreq.service
1.062s systemd-logind.service
1.042s console-setup.service
991ms apparmor.service
891ms NetworkManager.service
812ms systemd-udev-trigger.service
808ms hddtemp.service
737ms speech-dispatcher.service
714ms apport.service
703ms ondemand.service
689ms ntp.service
645ms irqbalance.service
643ms grub-common.service
605ms lvm2-monitor.service
551ms cpufrequtils.service
509ms networking.service
467ms keyboard-setup.service
457ms gpu-manager.service
433ms colord.service
410ms binfmt-support.service
382ms lightdm.service
344ms polkitd.service
321ms upower.service

The BIOS has no settings for AHCI or otherwise. About all I can do is change the boot order.

Thank You kindly.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
j8a

Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by j8a »

Hi, I have installed a SSD on my Dell Inspiron 1501 whith 2 Gb RAM and I think you are very lucky to have such perfomance.
Here are my results.
inxi -Sz
System: Host: pcjochoa Kernel: 4.10.0-38-generic x86_64 (64 bit)
Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 Distro: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia

systemd-analyze critical-chain
The time after the unit is active or started is printed after the "@" character.
The time the unit takes to start is printed after the "+" character.

graphical.target @1min 32.409s
└─lightdm.service @1min 31.635s +767ms
└─systemd-user-sessions.service @1min 30.846s +105ms
└─basic.target @1min 30.400s
└─sockets.target @1min 30.400s
└─acpid.socket @1min 30.400s
└─sysinit.target @1min 30.395s
└─brltty.service @3.274s
└─system.slice @213ms
└─-.slice @192ms

ls /boot
abi-4.10.0-38-generic memtest86+.bin
abi-4.8.0-53-generic memtest86+.elf
config-4.10.0-38-generic memtest86+_multiboot.bin
config-4.8.0-53-generic System.map-4.10.0-38-generic
grub System.map-4.8.0-53-generic
initrd.img-4.10.0-38-generic vmlinuz-4.10.0-38-generic
initrd.img-4.8.0-53-generic vmlinuz-4.8.0-53-generic
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Flemur
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Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by Flemur »

pheasant wrote: Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:40 am... I am not to handy with GRUB, but got enough messages to see the approximately 3.5 minute delay is at "Loading initial ramdisk."
...
sudo systemd-analyze time
Startup finished in 6.437s (kernel) + 5.841s (userspace) = 12.278s
That's odd. Try this in a terminal and look for your several minutes delay

Code: Select all

dmesg | more
"Enter" = move one line; Spacebar= move one page.

Not being able to find a partition which isn't necessary for booting (e.g. swap or data) will add 1.5 minutes waiting, but your /etc/fstab and UUIDs looked OK.
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] if/when it is solved!
Your data and OS are backed up....right?
Mute Ant

Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by Mute Ant »

The vmlinuz and initrd.img files have to be loaded into RAM without any assistance from Linux... because that's what is being loaded. systemd and dmsg will have no clue about the delay, because they aren't running when it happens. It won't matter which kernel you use, you are in exactly the right area looking at BIOS and GRUB. If you really can't change anything on the SSD or in the BIOS, starting the SSD partition using GRUB and a /boot folder on a USB store takes around 30 seconds.

You might try Google with "Your-Motherboard" "Your-SSD" "GRUB" in case it's a GRUB-Driver bug that's been fixed.
pheasant

Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by pheasant »

Thank You both. Right, the delay begins with the message as above (from GRUB?), before kernel is loaded, I guess, rendering those outputs posted above useless, perhaps, but in them I see nothing wrong. I will be back in maybe 24 hours.
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Flemur
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Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by Flemur »

pheasant wrote: Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:36 amThank You both. Right, the delay begins with the message as above (from GRUB?), before kernel is loaded, I guess, rendering those outputs posted above useless, perhaps, but in them I see nothing wrong.
You can see that message in grub.cfg - and it happens after, the "linux" statement, which is what I thought was "linux", technically, but I guess not: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_ramdisk

Portion of grub.cfg :

Code: Select all

menuentry 'Linux Mint 18.3 Xfce 64-bit, with Linux 4.13.0-36-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --c
....
       echo    'Loading Linux 4.13.0-36-generic ...'
       linux   /boot/vmlinuz-4.13.0-36-generic root=UUID=cea6fef3-d45a-42f2-bb83-507d06a6fe9c ro recovery nomodeset

       echo    'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
       initrd  /boot/initrd.img-4.13.0-36-generic
       ...
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] if/when it is solved!
Your data and OS are backed up....right?
pheasant

Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by pheasant »

OK, I've studied GRUB just a bit, but don't know that there is much I can do. However, since I do have a spare traditional spinning hdd, but no spare ssd, I could:

1) Install to a traditional, electro-mechanical hard drive,

2) Buy another ssd and try Mint-xfce again, or

3) Buy another ssd and try a different distro.

I suspect option 1 would be the better choice but I'd loose the benefits of the ssd.

Any thoughts? Thank You.
pheasant

Re: Mint 18.3 Xfce Very slow "Loading initial ramdisk"

Post by pheasant »

Sorry for being so long getting back. The owner of the laptop had to put up with the slow boot till yesterday when we tried Xubuntu. The Login now appears in a little under 30 seconds and performance is good on the ssd.

Thanks for the help!
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