[Bug 787625] Re: 10.10 --> 11.04 update fails, leaving computer unusable

[Walter Garcia-Fontes]

*** This bug is a duplicate of bug 876146 ***
    https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/876146

Sorry that the issue got unattended for a long time.  This issues of
fixing the upgrade experience are high priority for the 12.04 release.
I'm closing this bug for now but please subscribe to the active open
bugs on this issue. See Bug #876146 .

** This bug has been marked a duplicate of bug 876146
   Upgrading Ubuntu is risky (unusable or unbootable PC). What can be done to safeguard data, revert failed upgrades and overall reduce the risks?

** Package changed: update-manager-core (Ubuntu) => update-manager
(Ubuntu)

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/787625

Title:
  10.10 --> 11.04 update fails, leaving computer unusable

Status in “update-manager” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: update-manager-core

  I upgraded from Ubuntu 10.10 to 11.04, and I get a black screen with a
  grub prompt.

  I tried upgrading on another machine a few weeks ago without luck. At
  that time, the upgrade process didn't succeed. and I ran the upgrade a
  second time. That version never booted. Unfortunately, I didn't make a
  backup, so I had to wipe out the disk and reinstall from scratch,
  which did work.

  But it is crazy to require users to wipe out their disk just to go
  from version 10.10 to 11.04. I assumed that this was just a buggy
  release, and that it would eventually get fixed.

  So I tried upgrading another machine. This time I backed up the disk.
  This time, the upgrade proceeded almost automatically. However, there
  were two dialogs that came up that asked me whether I wanted to keep
  some modified files. Since I hadn't modified either of these files, I
  said that it was OK to overwrite these with fresh new copies.

  When rebooting after the upgrade, I get a black screen with a couple
  of lines of white text.

   GNU GRUB version 1.98-1ubuntu5

  Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible device or file completions.
  grub>

  typing
     reboot
  brings me back to the same screen.

  What is grub, and what am I expected to do with this?

  Please fix this upgrade software. It will really give Ubuntu a bad
  name until then.

  Is there any way to perform a successful upgrade from 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) to 11.04?
  As noted above, I attempted twice in the last month without success.

  delance said on 2011-05-20: #3
  "I had to wipe out the disk and reinstall from scratch, which did work." No, now Natty 11.04 allows to upgrade system from CD without removing user files. Use "upgrade" choice at boot. Grub2 is the boot loader who loads Ubuntu (or Windows, more precisely Windows boot loader). Sometimes it is badly configured after distribution installation or delivery of a new kernel. In this case, reinstall it from CD: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Reinstalling%20from%20LiveCD

  It sounds like you are saying that I can install 11.04 by downloading
  the CD and then booting off that to upgrade. I hadn't thought of that.
  Maybe it is easy. I am doing this in VMWare on a Mac, but it is
  probably no different than a non-virtul OS.

  However, this doesn't get around the fact that the
     System > Administration > Update Manager
  offers to upgrade the system to 11.04. This is the notification that users will see. They do not have a CD. What magic incantations are needed in the Update Manager in order to have a successful upgrade, i.e. one that boots into Ubuntu instead of the GRUB shell?

  Think of lawyers, and businessmen, who are not hackers. Auto-update is
  perfect for them -- as long as it is reliable. Think of the user
  experience for 99% of the Ubuntu users, not the 1% who are hackers and
  can go through.

  I will *not* upgrade to 11.04 and a new grub from the CD, because
  10.10 works fine for me. I will instead wait until the Update Manager
  is fixed, and I can do an alpha test on two machines to verify it
  (though I will still make a backup).

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