Grub-EFI wont boot without a USB key 9 out 10 time

[Christian Parent]

I have installed Ubuntu 12.10 manualy on a dual boot with a USB key. Almost every time I boot my system, I need to have a USB key in a port so it can keep on going. It does not need to be a boot key or one with Ubuntu on, anything will do as long as it is in the port.

If the key is not in, it will freeze when right after selection menu, if I boot in recovery mode, I see that it stop at the second line (loading memory disk or something like it, need to check and translate)

How can I fix this ?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: grub-efi 2.00-7ubuntu11
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Oct 22 07:54:57 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Beta amd64 (20120926)
SourcePackage: grub2
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

It will freeze after "Loading initial memory disk" (or something like this, this is a translation from french) and stay on the purple screen.

If I put the usb key in (no matter what is on it) after that line, it gonna read on the usb key then, keep on it's boot procedure.

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Confirmed the bug in person.

Looks to me like it's not even getting to load the kernel, I tried changing the parameters in grub to see kernel messages on the screen, but it reacts the same way -- just getting a "Loading initial memory disk" message from the command list in grub, and nothing else.

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Setting priority to Medium; my best guess at importance for this bug. I expect it's very much hardware-dependent; the system is an Asus Zenbook of some sort.

Christian, can you please add the details about your laptop? Maybe add the output of 'sudo lshw' or something, in case it can be useful.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Can you try goingn to the grub command line and retyping the initrd and linux command lines the menu normally executes, followed by the boot command?

You can press E to edit the menu and see the commands, and C to get to the command line for manual entry.

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

Done, after the boot command, it freeze right away. Just so you be sure I done the right thing, here is what I have input (with and without quiet splash):

$linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-17-generic root=UUID=28584366-874d-4e68-aa27-eca80e966f40 ro quiet splash $vt_handoff
$initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-17-generic
$boot

Also, I have noticed that It does not have to be a usb key, my usb mouse (with cord because the logitech unifier does not behave this way) will get it to boot also.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

So the initrd and kernel commands work, but after the boot command it is just hung, with no further output? Can you try adding the nosplash and noquiet command line options to the linux line?

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

done and it makes no difference

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Sorry, I forgot to mention you also need to remove the vt_handoff option, so it should just be the uuid, ro, noquiet, nosplash.

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

No change in the behavior and still, simply having a usb mouse in one of the usb port let it boot.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

If you plug the usb mouse in and boot with the nosplash noquiet options, do you see the kernel text boot messages or does it go straight to the desktop?

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

I do see the boot messages in that case !

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Without the usb mouse plugged in, before issuing the boot command, can you run:

set debug=all

Then see if there is any additional output after the boot command?

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

It gives me many malloc lines but, I also have those in between:

Token 288 text [boot]
arglist
Token 259 text []
cmdline
token 0 text []

and the last one is:

append command

followed by:

script.c:50: malloc 0xbcebf1c0

[Christian Parent (mobidoy)]

I just found out that this behavior occures when the XHCI pre-boot mode is enabled in the BIOS. Disabling it solve the issue.

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Closing bug as Invalid since it's reportedly caused by a specific BIOS configuration.