package grub-common 2.04-1ubuntu26.13 failed to install/upgrade: installed grub-common package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1

[Paul Reddy]

This is a single operating system home pc where the system disc is a 2.5" Samsung 860 Pro 512GB mounted on a ASMedia PCIe card, I also have 3 1TB Seagate 3.5" mechanical hard drives with NTFS file system on them which are data drives left over from the time when I used to use Windows 7, hence the NTFS partitions.

Every time I do a clean install, the following Monday I get error messages again, and can only boot the pc via the grub menu thereafter. Obviously Monday being the start of the new week is something to do with it. It does not matter which day of the week I do a clean install, the following Monday is always the same result.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: grub-common 2.04-1ubuntu26.13
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-34.36~20.04.1-generic 5.11.22
Uname: Linux 5.11.0-34-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
Date: Tue Sep 14 10:27:29 2021
ErrorMessage: installed grub-common package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2021-07-06 (69 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20210705.1)
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.11.0-34-generic root=UUID=cb0bee09-2844-4f73-923b-3ee38fbd9666 ro quiet splash
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.8, Python 3.8.10, python3-minimal, 3.8.2-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: N/A
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.7ubuntu3
 apt 2.0.6
SourcePackage: grub2
Title: package grub-common 2.04-1ubuntu26.13 failed to install/upgrade: installed grub-common package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

It seems your /boot/grub/grubenv gets corrupted on a weekly basis then - It fails to find that first line:

# head -1 /boot/grub/grubenv
# GRUB Environment Block

Deleting the file should get you started again. Maybe there is an issue with the PCIe card or the SSD causing the file(system) to get corrupted?

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

What does run weekly is fstrim, and maybe that causes some corruption somewhere in your hardware chain.

I'd do some hard disk stress testing.

[Paul Reddy (paulreddy)]

I can assure you there is nothing wrong with any of the hardware!!!!!

Everything was working fine until some months back, then all this trouble started, it is definitely software in origin.

I can load other operating systems and everything works fine, it's something to do with ubuntu 20.04! I used 18.04 for over a year before moving to 20.04.

[Paul Reddy (paulreddy)]

I had another weird boot today!

It looked like it was not booting, but it was because the Ubuntu logo screen was left over from the boot, and I could not see the desktop UI
https://www.how2shout.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/New-Ubuntu-20.04-Boot-splash-screen.png

First with the busy wheel, and then without.

So after leaving it for about 27 minutes, I held in the power button for five second to switch of the pc, then restarted.

In the next boot, I got the message:
Invalid Environment Block
Press any key to continue

Then it seemed to boot ok.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for grub2 (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]