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Can't escape grub 2 terminal

cn flag
Robbie Mallett

I recently installed Ubuntu 20.04 on my new laptop, dual booted with windows 11. It's an Acer - Aspire 5 A514-54.

I then found out that I need Ubuntu 21.10 to make my wifi card work (see this post). Annoying! So I went into the windows partition and deleted what was in the ubuntu partition, leaving it showing as "unallocated". I loaded the Ubuntu 21 installation on the USB drive (just as I had done with Ubuntu 20), and rebooted from windows 11 holding the shift key, expecting to be given the option to boot into the ubuntu USB and install (or boot into windows).

Unfortunately this time the restart has put me in some sort of 1990s hellscape from which I cannot escape or even shut-down!

Things I have tried:

  1. Typing exit again and again.

Just loops back round into "GNU GRUB version 2.04".

  1. Following this tutorial "Stuck in GNU Grub 2.0 Screen?".

I type ls to get:

(proc) (hd0) (hd0,gpt1) (hd0,gpt2) (hd0,gpt3) (hd0,gpt4)

I then iterate through each of these with ls (hd0,gptX)/ getting several answers. The interesting answers are:

grub> ls (proc)/ 
luks_script

grub> ls (hd0,gpt1)/ 
efi/ System Volume Information/

grub> ls (hd0,gpt3)/ 
Intel/ $AttrDef $BadClus ... other stuff ... $Boot ... Documents and Setttings Dumpstack OneDriveTemp/ ... Windows/ Windows.old/

grub> ls (hd0,gpt4)/ 
Intel/ $AttrDef $BadClus ... other stuff ... $Boot ... Recovery/ System Volume Information/

Now the guy in the video recommends using ls (hd0,gpt1)/efi/boot to discover a file called bootx64.efi and running a command called chainloader on this. I do that, and no text is returned. I then type boot, which serves up the following:

Failed to open \efi\boot\grubx64.efi - Not Found
Failed to load image \efi\boot\grubx64.efi: Not Found
start_image() returned Not Found. failing back to default loader

Can anybody help? It feels a lot like I've totalled my laptop minutes after powering on and I'm pretty devastated.

I'm looking for somebody to help me get out of this situation, ideally by booting back into windows and destroying whatever it is about the phantom Ubuntu partition that is doing this.

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heynnema avatar
ru flag
heynnema
Insert Ubuntu Live USB, turn on computer, when BIOS splash screen appears, hit the F12 key to bring up the BIOS boot menu, and you can select the Ubuntu Live USB. (the F12 might be different on your computer, based on vendor differences... you can try F10, etc.)
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cocomac avatar
cn flag
cocomac
Oh, and you haven't totaled your OS. If you really messed up, you might have to reinstall the OS, but that isn't too hard. But the laptop itself is almost certainly fine (and you can recreate the EFI partition if needed, it's just is a bit of work)
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cn flag
Robbie Mallett
I've got the ubuntu USB plugged in, but the computer just boots straight into grub mode. I've tried rebooting and holding f10, f12 etc. I've checked on somebody elses computer and the USB is definitely working, i.e. we can boot into it on their laptop.
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heynnema avatar
ru flag
heynnema
The timing of the F12 key is critical if it is to work. Try hitting the F12 key repeatedly AS SOON as you see the BIOS splash screen. Once booted, you can install Ubuntu 21.10.
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heynnema avatar
ru flag
heynnema
When you deleted the Ubuntu partition, you also deleted files/folders critical to GRUB being able to boot or dual boot. Never do it that way.
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cn flag
Robbie Mallett
I'm using the "halt" and "reboot" commands to do this - is that right? I'd say that after hitting enter on "reboot", I have about 3 seconds as the computer switches off straight away. "ACER" then flashes up on the screen for probably <0.5s. All through this process I'm hammering f12/f10, but it just goes straight to the grub screen.
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heynnema avatar
ru flag
heynnema
No, hit F12 after a power up. If you have to, hold down the POWER button to force a hard shutdown, then power up and do F12. Sometimes the vendor will display the required F keys on the BIOS splash screen, and you can confirm the F12/whatever key. If none of this works, try the F2 key to get into your BIOS, and see if you can get to the boot menu from there, or if you can boot the USB from there. Also, depending on your configuration, you might have to hit `Fn F12`.
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cn flag
Robbie Mallett
Ah just discovered it's f2 on this machine, which allowed me to change the boot priority order. Since you've basically answered my question on how to escape (hold power button, then f2 to get to bios). if you summarise and put as an answer I'm happy to mark as correct.
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Score:1
heynnema avatar Ubuntu
ru flag
heynnema

From the comments...

Be deleting the Ubuntu partition, you also removed critical files/folders that GRUB needs to boot or dual-boot. Hence the GRUB prompt. Don't do it that way.

F12 at the BIOS boot splash screen didn't bring up the BIOS boot menu, so that the Ubuntu Live USB could be booted, so that Ubuntu 21.10 could be installed. This function key can vary between manufacturers.

Holding down the POWER button can force a hard shutdown.

We entered the BIOS by using the F2 key, changed to boot order to make the USB first, then we were able to boot to the Ubuntu Live USB to install Ubuntu 21.10.

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