Stuck on boot/grub.

[LarsMan89]

I did not install this Linux kernel myself. Needing a laptop I bought a Lenovo G50-80 with an SSD drive. I was asked which kernel I would like and I just said whichever he liked. I got Linux Fedora.

A had it for a couple of years, then a few months ago I had an update. Fedora Linux 38 to 40. Then it showed this:

GRUB version is 2.06. At boot up you get 4 choices for "Fedora Linux 40 (Workstation Edition)" but all choices end up with the text: Generating "run/initramfs/rdosreport.txt"

How do I go about this? I am not a complete beginner with Ubuntu/Linux but this is beyond me.

 

[dos2unix]

It looks like some hardware changed or failed.

Do you know the root password? Have you tried pressing Control-D ?

Normally in Fedora, in grub, near the bottom an option will be something like

Fedora Linux (0-rescue-long uuid)

Have you tried this rescue option?

 

[LarsMan89]

Pressing Control-D shows the same message.
And I'm not sure about the root password but I think I know. He gave me a simple letter.

 

[dos2unix]

If you press [Enter] it should ask for you for a root password.

Do you have a "Live" Linux USB drive you boot from?

Anything important you need off this computer?

 

[Brickwizard]

Do you know the root password?

Standard protocol is for the sodo password to be set Admin and the user password as user or left blank

 

[LarsMan89]

If you press [Enter] it should ask for you for a root password.

Do you have a "Live" Linux USB drive you boot from?

Anything important you need off this computer?

I boot directly from the SSD, not USB involved, and yes I have many files I hold dearly on the partition.

Apparently, I don't know the root password since shows "command not found"

Is this a hopeless enterprise? Can I do anything to save the laptop?

 

[dos2unix]

If you can't get into recover mode, and you don't know the root password.

The next best option is to create a Live Linux USB thumb drive and boot from it.
We can then mount your drives on the computer and see if they are recoverable.

 

[LarsMan89]

If you can't get into recover mode, and you don't know the root password.

The next best option is to create a Live Linux USB thumb drive and boot from it.
We can then mount your drives on the computer and see if they are recoverable.

Ok, good. I'll keep you updated whenever I've borrowed a friend/family's computer and installed a Live Linux USB thumb drive.
Does it matter which version?

 

[dos2unix]

Does it matter which version?

Not really, Fedora 41 is the current version, but it doesn't even have to be fedora.

 

[Condobloke]

Standard protocol is for the sodo password to be set Admin and the user password as user or left blank

Just to tripe check.....did you try the above ^^^...?

 

[LarsMan89]

Not really, Fedora 41 is the current version, but it doesn't even have to be fedora.

Been a while, but I now have a Linux ISO installed onto a USB. It even is a Fedora type, just to be sure.
What's the next move?

 

[LarsMan89]

Standard protocol is for the sodo password to be set Admin and the user password as user or left blank

I'll try that.

 

[LarsMan89]

$(mount -o remount,rw /sysroot)
Showed me this.

 

[osprey]

$(mount -o remount,rw /sysroot)
Showed me this.View attachment 25543

This boot output is presumably from a live disk as mentioned in posts #11 and #12. Normally a live disk will boot to a desktop environment, or to a text login prompt, depending on how a user has managed it by letting it do its own thing or adding a kernel boot option to boot to text.

This boot shown in post #13 has provided a root shell, which is what a rescue disk might do rather than a default live disk. If you can clarify what's actually been booted, that would help.

One needs to find out what the problem is. The first place to look is usually the logs. Commands such as the following can be useful:

journalctl -b -x -p 3

Options meanings: -b (this boot), -x (explanation of errors), -p (priority of message 3=error). One can add the option: --no-pager, to avoid truncation on screen.

Another command that may show problems is:

dmesg | grep -i -E 'error|fail'

If there are files such as: /var/log/syslog, /var/log/messages, then they can be inspected in a terminal for errors with commands such as:

cat /var/log/syslog | grep -i -E 'error|fail'
cat /var/log/messages | grep -i -E 'error|fail'

Multiple log files may show the same output, but it's worth checking as much as possible.

It's also worth checking the file: /etc/fstab, to see if it's configured to mount the intended partitions and to determine that they are all mountable.

To get an idea of the disk and partition arrangement, it would be useful to run:

lsblk

If the file mentioned in post #1 exists: /run/initramfs/rdsosreport.txt, its contents may reveal something of interest, but it may only be generated from a system boot rather than a live disk boot.

The above are the first steps worth taking. Some things to look for include missing drivers, failed systemd services, bad configurations in the fstab file, missing firmware, missing microcode, filesystem errors, among others.

If the issue is actually the grub bootloader, as the thread title suggests, then it may be worth considering re-installing grub as outlined here: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/grub2-bootloader/.
Usually a grub problem will be signaled by the system throwing the user into a grub prompt, but it's not clear this has occurred here.

 

[LarsMan89]

I tried those, it's showing a lot of... stuff.

 

[dos2unix]

I agree with @osprey. This is all over the place and makes little sense.
Also the first post was Jan 10, it's now Apr 21. Half mixed system updates, different boot drives.
This is a mess.

I would probably download the latest fedora42 "live" iso.

Fedora Workstation

We're so glad you've decided to give Fedora Workstation a try. We know you'll love it.

fedoraproject.org

And re-create the USB drive. Do not use rufus with Fedora, it will not work (not in iso mode).

 

[909mjolnir]

thanks for the info on boot error log checking.
those are helping me suss out some errors I keep getting that flood my shutdown screen and a few that show up on my bootup screen.

 

[osprey]

I tried those, it's showing a lot of... stuff.

The main error reported in the output appears to be:

BTRFS error (device sda3): parent transid verify failed on logical ...

This appears to be a filesystem error.

Since I'm not familiar with the btrfs filesystem and have no machine here running it, it becomes a matter of research online about this error. A first glance brought up an official site on troubleshooting: https://btrfs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/trouble-index.html, and another seemingly interesting one: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46472439/fix-btrfs-btrfs-parent-transid-verify-failed-on. Sorry I can't help much on this one.

The ACPI errors do not appear to be a problem. They are common in linux because the manufacturers of BIOS/UEFIs often skimp on full compliance with the relevant standards for the implementation, but the kernel is fully compliant, so it complains but is well enough equipped to run normally despite those errors.