Linux Mint Boots to Busybox

[MrHumbuck]

This is probably an unusual use-case, but I'm trying to install Linux Mint (22.1, XFCE 64-bit) to an SD card on a 2012 Macbook Pro with a broken (completely unrecognised by the system) HDD. I know running an OS off an SD card is silly, but I want to try it. The live USB of Mint runs really well, and the installation appears to go perfectly, but after restarting (when the installer tells me to) and trying to boot from the SD card it boots to Busybox.
Here's the error I get after using the exit command:

BusyBox v1.36.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.36.1-6ubuntu3.1) built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

(initramfs) exit
Gave up waiting for root file system device. Common problems:
 - Boot args (cat /proc/cmdline)
     - Check rootdelay= (did the system wait long enough?)
  - Hissing modules (cat /proc/modules: is /dev)
 ALERT! UUID=355a0464-8ba6-41b9-84f1-5c4dd25c1092 does not exist. Dropping to a shell!

Does anyone know why?

 

[Condobloke]

G'day MrHumbuck, Welcome to Linux.org

Give the following a read and a try

How To Fix Busybox Initramfs Error On Ubuntu - OSTechNix

This brief guide explains how to fix Busybox Initramfs error on Ubuntu. To solve initramfs error, repair the filesystem using fsck command.

ostechnix.com

As you can see in the above output, the /dev/sda1 partition is corrupted. The file system in this partition has some errors.

If you ever encountered with this type of problem, you need to check and repair the problematic Linux filesystems with fsck command.

Fix Busybox Initramfs Error on Ubuntu Linux
1. To solve initramfs error on Ubuntu Linux, you need to repair the filesystem in the corrupted partition using fsck command like below:

(initramfs) fsck /dev/sda1 -y
Replace /dev/sda1 with your partition name. In your system, it could be /dev/sdb1, /dev/sdc1 etc. You can use cat /proc/partitions or blkid or lsblk commands to get your Linux partition details in Busybox. Refer this guide to list disk partitions in Linux. Don't forget to pass the -y flag. Otherwise, you should manually type -y and hit ENTER each time to fix an error.

2. Now the fsck command will start to fix all bad blocks automatically in the filesystem.

After a couple minutes, you will see an output like below:

/dev/sda1: * FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *
/dev/sda1: 497733/30531584 files (1.5% non-contiguous), ........
3. Next, type reboot and hit ENTER to restart your system!

If the reboot command doesn't work, type exit and hit ENTER.

Cross your fingers and wait for the system to reboot! If all went well, your system will boot normally without any problem.

These steps helped me and many others (see the comment section below) to solve Busybox Initramfs error on Ubuntu Linux operating system. If you are stuck in initramfs prompt, this guide will definitely help to fix initramfs error in Ubuntu.

Heads Up: If you keep getting this error often, probably your hard disk is getting weaker. In that case, it is recommended to backup the data and replace the hard disk as soon as possible.

This isn't exclusively for Ubuntu OS. The initramfs error can occur on Debian, and other Ubuntu derivatives such as Pop OS, Linux mint etc. In order to fix initramfs error in Debian-based systems, simply follow the aforementioned steps.

If that has not fixed it, try rescue mode.

In the link above

 

[MrHumbuck]

G'day MrHumbuck, Welcome to Linux.org

Give the following a read and a try
-snip-

Hi, and thanks!
Neither lsblk or blkid work (blkid does nothing, lsblk gives: 'sh: lsblk: not found'). cat brings up one partition called sr0. When I run fsck /dev/sr0 -y I get: 'fsck: error 2 (no such file or directory) while executing fsck.ext2 for /dev/sr0'.

Btw, I'm not sure how the files could have been corrupted? This is a brand new (never successfully booted) installation on a brand new SD card. I even tried installing it a second time, but with the exact same results.