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JeanSibelius
Asked: 2020-04-09 04:12:14 +0800 CST

Why do I get an "invalid magic number" boot error for 5.x kernels, but not 4.x?

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This has been happening for a while -- running Ubuntu 18.04.4.

I install updates regularly, but for months now, after updating and rebooting, my computer will only boot if I select one of the Linux 4.x kernels in the GRUB options. The 5.x kernels present

Loading [version number] ...
error: invalid magic number. 
Loading initial ramdisk ...
error: you need to load the kernel first.

enter image description here

The error occurs for both the regular and "recovery mode" entries.

I've run GRUB repair, and sudo update-grub. When I update GRUB, it confirms that it's finding all the Linux images:

enter image description here

But I can still only boot into the 4.x kernels.

Edit/update: I have updated the BIOS to the most recent version and the problem persists.

Edit/update 2: it is absolutely not RAM (eight hours and 4+ passes with Memtest86+), BIOS (up to date), and other system components all come up fine on the BIOS' built-in system test. I've reformatted the HDD and reinstalled Ubuntu from scratch and the 5.x.x kernel works fine now. I'm chalking this up to another "Ubuntu: it's a hobby and an operating system!" incident and accepting once again that the OS is just not quite ready for prime time and using it requires a day or two a year to nuke it and start from scratch or deal with other bonkers issues.

grub2 boot kernel

1 Answers

  1. You have BIOS version A23, from March 27, 2018.

    The current BIOS version is A24, from March 31, 2020. It should allow the 5.x.x kernels to boot. Otherwise you may have to try Ubuntu 19.10.

    Note: perform data backups before flashing a newer BIOS

    Note: confirm that I have the correct web page for your Dell Optiplex 990

    The newer BIOS can be downloaded from here. Make sure to select BIOS, and Windows 8 64-bit OS, from the popups.

    Update #1:

    The end result is that the BIOS is now current, memtest ran 4/4 passes successfully, and a reinstall of 19.10 fixed the problem, and the 5.x.x kernels boot properly.

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