[SOLVED]Unable to boot after failed mint19 install

[SnowblindOtter]

Look the title says everything but here are the details:

I was dual booted into Mint 17.3 alongside Win10 on a Toshiba Satellite c55-B. July 18 my computer messed up, and the following morning I wasn't able to load into Linux at all. I loaded into Win10 to make a Mint 19 live usb.
I removed 17.3 and tried to install 19, but the grub failed. I shut my computer down after doing some reading for a while and came back. When I turned my computer on I was met with a grub2.02 screen. This is what I see.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e32pOD ... p=drivesdk

Wimdows 10 does not load.
There is no kernel to load.
I can't do anything and I don't know what to do. I have some irreplaceable stuff on this computer that I hadn't backed up yet, and I need to have this computer for my income. I don't have the money to take this someplace and get it fixed.

[Moem]

I have some irreplaceable stuff on this computer that I hadn't backed up yet

I strongly suggest doing that now, before you do anything else. Boot from a live medium and get your data backed up.
And in the future, if it's important, it should always be backed up (hardware can fail at any moment, get stolen or be lost when your house burns down), and that's doubly true before installing a new OS.

Don't panic. Your computer can most likely be fixed. But backup your data first, please.

[Sir Charles]

I removed 17.3 and tried to install 19, but the grub failed.

Try reinstalling LM 19 but this time without connecting to Internet from the live environment or the installer program.
(click on the arrow to read more)

Due to numerous issues posted here and on ubuntuforums.org recently, I would advise anyone installing Linux Mint 19 from the ISO to do so without an internet connection, install without updates. There seems to be an issue with some recent Ubuntu updates

!! Update from the Linux Mint 19 release notes !!

An issue in the package ubuntu-system-adjustments prevents EFI installations from completing successfully when the computer is connected to the Internet. This issue was fixed in the repositories but it still affects the ISO installation images.

Until new ISO installation images are made, please perform the installation offline (i.e. do not connect to the Internet from the live session or from the installer).

[SnowblindOtter]

I have some irreplaceable stuff on this computer that I hadn't backed up yet

I strongly suggest doing that now, before you do anything else. Boot from a live medium and get your data backed up.

How do I do that? Like I said the moment I hit the power button it shows an empty grub screen that reads

Code: Select all

Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. Gornthe firat word TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible device or file completions.

grub>

I can't boot into Windows, I don't have Linux even installed, and in order to boot a live session I had to manually boot from a usb from Windows. My computer won't boot from the USB on its own and I don't know how to boot from a usb in grub.

I should have mentioned this in my parent, but before I shut down my laptop I saw in Gparted that the entire 350G volume that I designated for Linux had been mounted as /target, and I couldn't unmount it. I was tired, and the best advice I had found was to restart.
I am panicking. I need this computer for my job. I'm pretty sure my Windows partition is still intact, that's on /dev/sda3, and the Linux partition that went haywire is on /dev/sda5, but I don't know what to do.

Try reinstalling LM 19 but this time without connecting to Internet from the live environment or the installer program.

I'll try that, but right now I can't boot into anything at all.

Please guys I'm typing this from my phone. I jumped through hoops to be able to include a photo. That photo is the extent of what my computer will load to. I literally can't boot anything!

[SnowblindOtter]

UPDATE!!! I was able to boot from USB into a live session after panic-pressing buttons and finding out that the right key to hold down for boot options was F12 on Toshiba Satellites!

I have my important stuff backed up, and I was able to delete the corruped partition I'm certain was boning me. Going to try installing now offline, but using the manual partition options instead this time.

Edit: By the way, I'm still fairly inexperienced with Linux so I don't understand the terminology behind things, but I did find out what the screen I kept seeing was called. It was the BASH screen.

[SnowblindOtter]

I was able to successfully install Linux Mint 19 by not connecting to the internet after getting into the live environment.

I'm not sure if I will be able to get back to my Windows partition anymore, but frankly I don't think I will need to anymore now that I know how to get a USB boot from startup manually now. If necessary I can probably just mount the partition and retrieve/store files with my Windows side that way. Thanks so much for your help, you guys. I really appreciate more than you know.


On a more critical note, I'm surprised I had this issue at all... I thought bugs like this don't usually happen in Cinnamon? They should really fumigate a bit more thoroughly, because when I installed 17.3 Cinnamon I didn't have this issue at all.

[michael louwe]

@ SnowblindOtter, .......

.

.
To try to get back Win 10 on the Grub Menu during startup, go to the Terminal of LM 19 and do a sudo update-grub. Reboot.

[Moem]

UPDATE!!! I was able to boot from USB into a live session after panic-pressing buttons and finding out that the right key to hold down for boot options was F12 on Toshiba Satellites!

I have my important stuff backed up

*loud cheering*
Good for you. Your data is safe and I'm sure you'll get the rest in order too.
Hang in there! You'll get through this and life will look a lot better on the otter side.