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Martin Hope
CloudE11
Asked: 2021-01-07 12:08:43 +0800 CST
  • 0

Minimal BASH-like editing is supported but 'linux' generates an error: "filename expected."

I'd like to get back to the GRUB with options I could arrow-key to highlight.

I've used this guild without an issue but the same primitive GRUB still appears.

Boot-repair, on LiveUSB, allows me to add a repository to the computers source list so I could try its suggestion to install GRUB Legacy or reinstall GRUB if I could add the source.

Is this the right source? If so, the computer's OS source list menu won't allow me to add it.

Perhaps the BASH commands could be used to boot the OS? I can't make it load the kernal.

boot
Martin Hope
CloudE11
Asked: 2021-01-05 11:23:03 +0800 CST
  • 1

Basically:

Recently, I successfully upgraded an old 4 GB laptop from 16.04 LTS to 18.04 LTS but soon after completing it I tried to make the jump to 20.04 LTS and a problem arose.

I was browsing on the 18.04 system when it started to restart. Last I remember it was near 70% of the way through the installation part.

enter image description here

Troubleshooting possible causes:

I'm not sure why its broke now. Maybe it was lack of updating the system before the final LTS upgrade; or, maybe it was that I was browsing and missed a message just before it restarted.

Attempted fixes:

  1. Entering GRUB and putting "nomodeset" on the Linux line as suggested. I've spaces either side of that input.
  2. Copying directory contents to a external HDD. This worded with a 20 GB partition but I need the contents of the main 200 GB partition but the Documents folder is "unreadable". The permissions menu tells me I am not the owner so I can't change the permissions.

I need to back-up the data and, if possible, upgrade the system to recover and use the OS - instructions on how to clone the disk, in this case, as a failsafe would be helpful. I'll check soon to see is, at least, the cloning covered but the rest doesn't seem to be. I'd appreciate it if anyone could provide the relevant information to do all that. Thanks for reading.

Additional info: boot-repair(its LiveOS)

SUMMARY:

In hindsight the update to 20.04 must have completed. Therefore, the answer here applies to computers which don't load the OS when the computer restarts after finishing an OS upgrade.

This computer didn't support UEFI and the problem was loading to a black screen or a black screen with 1.2 lines of non-helpful computer speak, no matter how many restarts.

boot