π ~1 min read
Table of contents
Symptom & Impact
Server boots into GRUB rescue, making the operating system inaccessible for workloads.
Environment & Reproduction
Appears after partition edits, dual-boot removals, or disk order changes in BIOS.
Root Cause Analysis
GRUB core image cannot locate correct root partition and boot modules.
Quick Triage
Identify disk layout, verify root UUID, and test manual set root and normal commands.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis
Enumerate GRUB devices, inspect partition UUIDs, and confirm /boot content from rescue media.
Solution – Primary Fix
Chroot into installation, reinstall GRUB to correct disk, and regenerate boot configuration.
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Solution – Alternative Approaches
Use Boot-Repair or fallback to manual GRUB stanza creation for emergency startup.
Verification & Acceptance Criteria
System boots without rescue prompt and kernel selection appears correctly.
Rollback Plan
Restore previous bootloader config and revert partition map from backups if needed.
Prevention & Hardening
Document boot disk order and keep rescue media and boot config backups current.
Related Errors & Cross-Refs
Connected to initramfs drops, missing root UUID, and kernel not found errors.
Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
View all Ubuntu 14.04 LTS tutorials on the Tutorials Hub β
Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.
References & Further Reading
GNU GRUB manual, Ubuntu boot-repair guidance, and chroot recovery instructions.
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