What "fallback initramfs" does? Can't boot normally

Hi. I can’t log in normally, I only can do it using the GRUB option “Manjaro Linux (Kernel 5.4.85-1 Manjaro x64) - Fallback initramfs”.

What does that command or parameter? To know what I have to fix for boot normally. Using the normal boot I get a black screen and it never changes.

I already run “sudo mkinitcpio -P” as I read googling but still can’t boot using the normal option.
mkinitcpio result:

[sudo] password for cherno:
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux54.preset: ‘default’
→ -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.4-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-
5.4-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: 5.4.85-1-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: [resume]
→ Running build hook: [filesystems]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.4-x86_64.img
==> Image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux54.preset: ‘fallback’
→ -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.4-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-
5.4-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: 5.4.85-1-MANJARO
→ Running build hook: [base]
→ Running build hook: [udev]
→ Running build hook: [modconf]
→ Running build hook: [block]
→ Running build hook: [keyboard]
→ Running build hook: [keymap]
→ Running build hook: [resume]
→ Running build hook: [filesystems]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.4-x86_64-fall
back.img
==> Image generation successful
==> 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
==> Starting build: 5.9.16-1-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: [resume]
→ Running build hook: [filesystems]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.9-x86_64.img
==> Image generation successful
==> 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
==> Starting build: 5.9.16-1-MANJARO
→ Running build hook: [base]
→ Running build hook: [udev]
→ Running build hook: [modconf]
→ Running build hook: [block]
→ Running build hook: [keyboard]
→ Running build hook: [keymap]
→ Running build hook: [resume]
→ Running build hook: [filesystems]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating gzip-compressed initcpio image: /boot/initramfs-5.9-x86_64-fall
back.img
==> Image generation successful

But even after ran that command I can’t boot normally.

OS: Latest available Manjaro Linux with 5.4.85-1 Kernel (tried with the latest available version too)

Boot: EFI system, using Windows EFI partition for Manjaro GRUB too.

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According to this post,

the “normal” initramfs contains only the stuff that you configured to be there (/etc/mkinitcpio.conf) and the “fallback” contains the default selection of drivers (eg all filesystem drivers, etc…)

so maybe your /etc/mkinitcpio.conf doesn’t include a driver you need to boot?

actually I don’‘t know… I’m not a Linux expert.
But I just installed Manjaro, didn’'t got any error… and it boot fine until an update (I guess… but don’t remember what, I just ran pacman -Ysu). After that, It never boot normally again.

How can I check?

1 Like