Unable to boot into live usb or system. Completely locked out. Help!

[SamLearnsLinux]

I was facing a major issue yesterday and did a boot repair based on one of the reddit commenters suggestion. Since then I cannot boot in. Nor into a live usb or the system on the hard disk. Here's the entire thread https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions ... wont_boot/

Yes I have tried different options under boot menu, tried uefi, legacy, booting from my hard disk etc. None work. What do I do? Most of the solutions suggested by commenters yesterday don't work because I am literally on the grub menu and can't go past it. Been locked out of my computer for a day and a half now. Any help is appreciated

[Pierre]

Hi there Sam,

quite seriously - - it's probably much Quicker to actually re-install that LinuxMint System:
- - than it is to actually Repair that LinuxMint System
as I've been there & done that - - on Both the Windows System & on the Linux System.


so, unless you just want to Learn Something, from this disaster - - which is quite understandable .. .
- - you really should just boot up an Live LinuxMint Media & backup anything that's valuable,
and re-install the whole LinuxMint System - again.

[catweazel]

Yes I have tried different options under boot menu, tried uefi, legacy, booting from my hard disk etc. None work.

If you have data you need to get at, download rEFInd and use a USB writer to write it to a flash drive. That ought to get you in, unless something really drastic has happened to other parts of the installation.

[ganamant]

Before reinstalling like Pierre said, I would first address the issue behind the crash. If it was a user error, then OK, don't do again. But if it was a hardware problem, a hard disk change is in order before something worse happens.

If the machine itself won't boot but the disk is OK, then use another computer to salvage any unique data from that disk. Does your computer boot with some other distro, like SystemRescueCD or something like that? Change as many parameters as you can, but only one at a time, so you can hopefully pinpoint the problem and work from there.

[SamLearnsLinux]

Hi there Sam,

quite seriously - - it's probably much Quicker to actually re-install that LinuxMint System:
- - than it is to actually Repair that LinuxMint System
as I've been there & done that - - on Both the Windows System & on the Linux System.


so, unless you just want to Learn Something, from this disaster - - which is quite understandable .. .
- - you really should just boot up an Live LinuxMint Media & backup anything that's valuable,
and re-install the whole LinuxMint System - again.

Thank you. Oh I want to re-install the Linux mint system as well because I don't think I can fix this. But how do I do that when I cannot even boot into my live usb?

[catweazel]

But how do I do that when I cannot even boot into my live usb?

What happens when you attempt to boot into the live session?

[SamLearnsLinux]

But how do I do that when I cannot even boot into my live usb?

What happens when you attempt to boot into the live session?

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

[SamLearnsLinux]

Before reinstalling like Pierre said, I would first address the issue behind the crash. If it was a user error, then OK, don't do again. But if it was a hardware problem, a hard disk change is in order before something worse happens.

If the machine itself won't boot but the disk is OK, then use another computer to salvage any unique data from that disk. Does your computer boot with some other distro, like SystemRescueCD or something like that? Change as many parameters as you can, but only one at a time, so you can hopefully pinpoint the problem and work from there.

How do I diagnose if my hard disk has failed me? I am stuck at the grub menu.

And no my system won't boot at all. My hard drive has Linux mint xfce 19 which won't boot and the usb has mint mate 19 which won't boot either. I don't have anything like systemrescuecd.

[catweazel]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

It sounds like your machine has gone toes up, shuffled off its mortal coil. If you know someone with a computer, try downloading and re-imaging the live media. If that doesn't work, it's highly likely you need to find a replacement.

[SamLearnsLinux]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

It sounds like your machine has gone toes up, shuffled off its mortal coil. If you know someone with a computer, try downloading and re-imaging the live media. If that doesn't work, it's highly likely you need to find a replacement.

I feel the same too. How do I diagnose which part is faulty though? I need to know if it's the hard disk or the ram or the motherboard or the cpu

[Pierre]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

what happens, then, if on the Live Media - - when you select the 2nd Boot Option:
- usually an video compatibility mode ? as that sounds more like an video issue .. .

[catweazel]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

what happens, then, if on the Live Media - - when you select the 2nd Boot Option:
- usually an video compatibility mode ? as that sounds more like an video issue .. .

I got the impression from above that SamLearnsLinux has tried booting a number of times and only got it to start three times. Still, your question is valid as I may have run up a drainpipe faster than a threatened rat

[Pierre]

it could be either issue, but lets start with the Live Boot & see if that will work,
and then get some feedback, on what up with that HDD

[SamLearnsLinux]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

what happens, then, if on the Live Media - - when you select the 2nd Boot Option:
- usually an video compatibility mode ? as that sounds more like an video issue .. .

The second option is 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64- bit (compatibility mode)'

It gives a blank screen too 9 out of 10 times. One time it did load into a log on never ending messages but yeah did not boot into anything I could work with

[SamLearnsLinux]

I select the option 'Start Linux mint 19 Mate 64 bit' and the screen goes blank. Nothing loading sign, no mint logos, nothing. It has booted in only 2-3 times so far since yesterday

what happens, then, if on the Live Media - - when you select the 2nd Boot Option:
- usually an video compatibility mode ? as that sounds more like an video issue .. .

I got the impression from above that SamLearnsLinux has tried booting a number of times and only got it to start three times. Still, your question is valid as I may have run up a drainpipe faster than a threatened rat

Yes that is correct

[JeremyB]

You might want to remove the HDD and see if the ISO boots then, if it will consistently boot with HDD removed, get a new HDD

[SamLearnsLinux]

You might want to remove the HDD and see if the ISO boots then, if it will consistently boot with HDD removed, get a new HDD

Good idea. Just tried this but no difference. Live USB won't boot. Screen goes blank after I select 'Start Linux mint 19 MATE 64 bit'

[Pierre]

so, with that HDD still being removed:
- try some other video methods, thus:
https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132

did you also try the 'nomodeset' option ?.

[Quetzal]

Just a thought from remembering Windows fault finding:-

Maybe check that the RAM modules are firmly seated in their slots - (easy to check anyway when running out of ideas).

If loose, that could give an intermittent fault - though on more remembering - perhaps that used to give a "No operating system found" message.

[ganamant]

Maybe check that the RAM modules are firmly seated in their slots - (easy to check anyway when running out of ideas).

Either that, or maybe one RAM stick has failed. In this case, the sticks should be tested in sequence, only one at a time. At this point, I would do my tests from a live medium with the HDD disconnected, just in case.