Ubuntu is a popular Linux operating system composed of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is preferred by people as it is comparatively safer, has a smooth interface, and is great for programming unlike Windows or other operating systems but it still has certain drawbacks.
In this article, we are going to focus on one such problem usually faced which is Ubuntu not booting, and look at the solutions to fix it!
Why isn’t Ubuntu booting?
There might be several reasons for Ubuntu not booting. Here are the reasons which you must first check and identify to find out the root cause of the problem.
The Ubuntu scans your OS to start the booting process, so it might be unsuccessful if it finds your OS to not be secured. The same issue could be faced if you have strong protection or security enabled, as the scan could be prevented.
In case if you have booted another LINUX system or operating system like Windows after Ubuntu, then it would have affected the GRUB boot loader by over-writing the loader as it has its own boot loader.
Another possibility of Ubuntu not booting might be dependent on your system’s performance, space, and BIOS settings. All these could be checked to decide on what steps would fix Ubuntu not booting or starting as it should!
How to fix Ubuntu not booting?
In Ubuntu, there are options to re-install or recover instead of the automatic repair tools and safe mode for installation in Windows. To check if the problem is with your GRUB2 loader, follow the steps and check out its fix.
Access the GRUB2 boot loader
The GRUB2 boot loader initiates the booting of the LINUX system and provides several menu options and settings. Its menu is however kept hidden and to access it for starting the booting process by continuously pressing the ‘Shift’ key or the ‘Esc’ key.
A menu box would appear, if not, then try restarting your device. If you have installed more than one operating system, then you first select the Ubuntu operating system and begin your booting process.
If you are not able to access the GRUB2 boot loader, then it might have been over-written by the Windows or other operating system and, needs to be repaired. The advantage here is that this won’t affect your other operating system as GRUB2 loader can boot Windows also. So, it is recommended that you boot LINUX after Windows.
Now that you have identified your problem, check out the steps to repair the GRUB loader using the installation disc or USB:
- Ensure that you have good Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Use the Ubuntu USB or CD with the LINUX system for Ubuntu and insert it into your device for reinstalling.
- Restart your device and start the booting process.
- Click on the ‘Try Ubuntu’ option after booting to get Ubuntu to your desktop. If you have already installed then you might know that you can alter the language settings accordingly.
- Launch the ‘Boot Repair’ from the dash, by clicking on the ‘Ubuntu logo’. You can also launch it by typing ‘boot-repair’ in a terminal.
- Click on the ‘Recommended Repair’ option to perform the Ubuntu required repairing and ensure safe booting, especially if you are a beginner.
- Further, you would get a URL that you can share with the help-center in the case your OS is not booting even after this.
- On successful booting, your Ubuntu can be used as usual.
Now we have seen the graphical method used to fix Ubuntu not booting issue. This is a simple and safe method but you are familiar with this process and still, it’s not providing the solution then try the terminal method to fix your Ubuntu.
To know how to fix Ubuntu not booting problem by terminal method, follow these steps:
- Open the Ubuntu dash by clicking on the Ubuntu logo and type ‘Terminal’. You can also use the shortcut – Cntrl+Alt+T to open a terminal.
- Once the terminal is opened, use the following commands:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
- This command installs the boot repair PPA as it is not available in the default Ubuntu repository.
- Press ‘Enter’ to proceed.
sudo apt-get update
- Now, the boot repair PPA would have been added and the repository would get updated with it.
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
- This command is used to install the boot repair.
- Press ‘Enter’ to continue.
- After successful installation, use the following command prompt.
boot-repair
- This will begin the boot repair process. You can also choose the ‘Boot Repair’ option from the boot repair application menu.
- Click on the ‘Recommended repair’ to fix and boot your OS.
If this fails, click ‘Yes’, to the prompt stating “Upload the report to a pastebin” to reach out for help from experts.
On successful installation, you would find such a dialog box. Press ‘OK’ to finish the process and fix Ubuntu not booting issue by using the terminal method.
You can also use the following steps to boot your computer in case of any malfunctioning in safe mode, by using the ‘Boot Recovery Mode’:
- Wait for your OS to start and after the logo is flashed, immediately press the ‘Esc’ or the ‘Shift’ key.
- This will open the system BIOS, which is the GRUB loader in this case.
- Click on the ‘Advanced options’ and then press ‘Enter’.
- A new menu would appear. From this menu search for the ‘Recovery mode’ option and click on it.
- The word ‘recovery’ or ‘recovery mode’ would be written within parenthesis.
- From the ‘Recovery menu’ from which you can perform the following tasks:
- Click on ‘Resume’ for resuming the normal booting process.
- Update your GRUB boot loader.
- Get system summary.
- Repair broken packages by using the ‘dpkg’ option.
- Clean and make space in the system.
In this article, we have summarised the solutions to Ubuntu not booting. Hope this was useful in solving your trouble with the Ubuntu LINUX operating system and the smooth functioning of your device.
Latest Articles