Can't enter GRUB menu - ESC shows grey screen

Nudnik_de · 22 January 2023 22:56

Hi there,
today I noticed that I can’t enter GRUB menu any more while I tried to select another kernel. When I press ESC during boot I get a grey screen forever. When I changed GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu there is no success. I have also extended GRUB_TIMEOUT to 15s but I just get a longer boot time but GRUB menu remains hidden.
Any idea what I should try?

Nachlese · 22 January 2023 23:19

Maybe it is not grub, but an unfinished update?

This is the only slightly altered default grub configuration that I have.
compare with yours?
(only GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT has two additional parameters):

awk '$1 ~ /^[^;#]/' /etc/default/grub

GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Manjaro"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="mitigations=off audit=0 udev.log_priority=3"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=true
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false
GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-gray/black"
GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="green/black"
GRUB_THEME="/usr/share/grub/themes/manjaro/theme.txt"

Nudnik_de · 24 January 2023 10:47

This is my configuration:

GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Manjaro"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="apparmor=1 security=apparmor udev.log_priority=3 bootsplash.bootfile=/bootsplash-themes/manjaro/bootsplash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=true
GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-gray/black"
GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="green/black"
GRUB_THEME="/usr/share/grub/themes/manjaro/theme.txt"
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

Nachlese · 24 January 2023 11:00

You should probably, at least temporarily, disable the bootsplash.
I don’t know whether it is enough to just remove the reference from /etc/default/grub
You might also need to change the initial ram disk configuration
/etc/mkinitcpio.conf

I just don’t know.

There is a package:
bootsplash-manager

Don’t know anything about it.

…

there is some newline in your output (which I don’t have) - maybe my command hides something that would be important to see.
try this as well:
grep "^[^#]" /etc/default/grub

same result?

Nudnik_de · 24 January 2023 11:45

Commenting out the bootsplash just deactivated it. Still getting a grey screen when pressing ESC on boot. No way to enter GRUB menu. Just did the most recent updates, still no change.

One thing that I noticed is a UEFI dbx update in discover that is not installing. Saying I need to update GRUB and SHIM. GRUB is updated, SHIM is not installed…

Nachlese · 24 January 2023 11:49

I think you should rather not use discover - but pamac-manager instead.
Shim is related to secure boot - unless you configured that yourself you don’t need it.
Manjaro will require you to disable secure boot, though.

Nudnik_de · 24 January 2023 12:03

using pamac-manager anymway, discover only for Plasma specific workplace updates. It’s mandatory for plasma workplace

Tried also to remove the apparmor settings and added your entries, no change. There is s.th. else that I noticed. update-grub refres to kernel 5.9 which is not installed at all…

Nachlese · 24 January 2023 12:14

I thought that
update-grub
would also re-create the initramfs images - apparently not
Your output shows that it is simply using the existing files.

you could try regenerating them:
sudo mkinitcpio -P

That will likely fail because of the 5.9 kernel that no longer is there as you say - but I don’t know how to correct this
other than just deleting the corresponding kernel image and initramfs

ps:
please use text instead of images if at all possible
and run your commands with LANG=C before them - the output will be in english then
(I can read german - not everyone can)

Nudnik_de · 24 January 2023 14:38

Have deleted the 5.9 related entries in /boot
then executed `

sudo mkinitcpio -P

This is the output which tells me there are still issues:

[dominik@dominik-acer ~]$ sudo mkinitcpio -P
[sudo] Passwort für dominik: 
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux510.preset: 'default'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.10-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.10-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: 5.10.164-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.10-x86_64.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux510.preset: 'fallback'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.10-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.10-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: 5.10.164-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla2xxx
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla1280
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: bfa
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qed
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.10-x86_64-fallback.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux515.preset: 'default'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.15-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: 5.15.89-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux515.preset: 'fallback'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.15-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: 5.15.89-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla2xxx
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla1280
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: bfa
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qed
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64-fallback.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux519.preset: 'default'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.19-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.19-x86_64.img
==> ERROR: specified kernel image does not exist: `/boot/vmlinuz-5.19-x86_64'
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux519.preset: 'fallback'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.19-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.19-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> ERROR: specified kernel image does not exist: `/boot/vmlinuz-5.19-x86_64'
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux59.preset: 'default'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.9-x86_64.img
==> ERROR: specified kernel image does not exist: `/boot/vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64'
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux59.preset: 'fallback'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.9-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> ERROR: specified kernel image does not exist: `/boot/vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64'
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux61.preset: 'default'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-6.1-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-6.1-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: 6.1.7-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: xhci_pci
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-6.1-x86_64.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux61.preset: 'fallback'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-6.1-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-6.1-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: 6.1.7-1-MANJARO
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla2xxx
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: bfa
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qed
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: qla1280
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: xhci_pci
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [bootsplash-manjaro]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-6.1-x86_64-fallback.img
==> Image generation successful

Nudnik_de · 24 January 2023 18:15

Found the problem! After playing around with the GRUB settings I activated the beep option

# Uncomment to get a beep at GRUB start
GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"

I realized that GRUB is loading but is not visible. So I changed the setting for text console output instead of graphical:

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal
GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT=console

That did the trick. Dunno why graphical GRUB menu is not working anymore…

system · 27 January 2023 08:16

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