22.04 system Upgrade then won't start

[linelocker]

Kubuntu 22.04 Discover said I had a system upgrade and when it restarted it showed a change to to Linux kernal 6.x
I accepted the change (?) and it left me dead in the water and I can't find a way to shore. Is there even a kernal 6? It was 5.19.x
Now it's stuck on

[OK] Finished Terminate Plymouth Boot Screen (This is normal)
[OK Finished Set Console scheme (This is normal)
[FAILED] Failed to start VirtualBox Linux kernal module

(I never saw this line before the system upgrade so I'm thinking this where it breaks)

is the last line on my black screen and I'm forced to use a Winbox to even get to this forum.
Anybody see this or know how to fix it? Happily Windows reads ods files and I had backed up my forum passwords
Any help would be appreciated. I know I haven't given many details but this happened without warning.

What I've done so far R&R'd the graphics card
replaced the CMOS battery
Restarted several times

[Schwarzer Kater]

Can you get to a tty with [Ctrl] [Alt] [2] ?
If you can: what do uname -a and apt policy virtualbox say? I doubt a bit that the "6" was for the kernel - I think it was for the VirtualBox version…
Did you try to boot with the previous kernel?
And have you tried to deinstall VirtualBox (your VMs won't be removed)?

[linelocker]

Can you get to a tty with [Ctrl] [Alt] [2] ?

Can I get to a tty without getting to a GRUB screen first?
Kinda new at all this.

[claydoh]

So, have you tried selecting a different kernel at the Grub menu? Assuming you can get there. As you are seeing the errors you are, you are getting past that part.
If you aren't seeing the menu, you can try hitting <esc> at the end of the POST screen or brand logo.

Not sure how you are getting a 6.x kernel just yet, not without some manual interventions.

But anyway, this oddball kernel probably failed to compile modules for things like Nvidia drivers, among other things - as noted by the virtualbox error.

[Snowhog]

So, have you tried selecting a different kernel at the Grub menu?

Given that the OP states:

Can I get to a tty without getting to a GRUB screen first?

He isn't seeing the Grub menu.

[claydoh]

He isn't seeing the Grub menu.

To see those error messages, the OP is getting past grub, so it may just be hidden.

That's why I added the <esc> clause.

[claydoh]

Ok, this may be the second instance today of oddball kernels getting pulled in by something.
Something the user has installed, or some odd packaging bug is installing these quite non-standard packages.

I am not seeing reports in general ubuntu-land as of yet, so I imagine some specific software or package may be the culprit.
these kernels are not part of any major meta-package that would depend on them, so it is a weird one.

https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...nels-installed

This one is in Kinetic, though.

[Schwarzer Kater]

I can only guess again:

Perhaps they all had installed an external (meaning: not from *Ubuntu's repositories), inappropriate Nvidia driver (something like one that is rather meant for e.g. "CUDA-Enabled Datacenter Products") - and that could have led to installing those kernels…


PS: And there have been problems even with the stock *Ubuntu kernels (and openSUSE's and Arch's and …) with the latest Nvidia drivers and the versions before that - mostly drivers from external sources that were not packaged by the distributions themselves, though…

[claydoh]

Still odd, as the *-oracle, *-oem, and *-nvidia kernels are not at all related to each other, and would not be part of some meta-package together. Well, a packaging bug of course, but then again this would be much more widespread if it were a 'normal' or stock meta-package that was effed up.

I do lean towards some third party (PPA) package or software.

[linelocker]

[OK] Finished Terminate Plymouth Boot Screen (This is normal)
[OK Finished Set Console scheme (This is normal)
[FAILED] Failed to start VirtualBox Linux kernal module

To see those error messages, the OP is getting past grub, so it may just be hidden.
That's why I added the <esc> clause.

I've tried [ESC] Several times
I've tried [CTR] [ALT] [2] Several times
F1 which got me into BIOS where I made sure defaults were set
Spamming [DEL]
I tried hitting F12

One interesting thing happened. I think it was after one of the [CTR] [ALT] [2] that I saw an attempt to boot Kubuntu.
The screen said
Lenovo
Kubuntu with edge glow around it like it does when booting
And I stopped it thinking it was going to boot from the USB drive. Maybe i should have let it go. The stick has Mint on it.

[Silent Observer]

the second instance today of oddball kernels getting pulled in by something.

Third. https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...ork#post669838

i'm running Jammy on bare metal, no dual boot (been Ubuntu flavors only on this my main desktop box since 2014, MEPIS 11 before that). Mine runs fine on kernel 5.15.0-67-generic, but not on 5.15.0-69-generic or any of the various *-nvidia, *-oem, or *-oracle versions that got installed. And some of them won't uninstall (via Synaptic or via sudo apt purge) without reinstalling (for instance) the *-unsigned-* version of the same kernel.

[linelocker]

UPDATE
Got grub by holding SHIFT key down during posting.
I chose Advanced options for Ubuntu,
on the next page from the list with
1) 6.1.0-1008-oem at the top,
[6.1.0-1008-oem recovery]
2) then 6.0.0-1013-oem below that
[6.0.0-1013-oem recovery]
3) then I chose 5.19.0-38-generic and it booted properly.
I don't know how to get the 6.0.0 and 6.1.0 kernel off there but at least I can get past them.
Can someone tell me where kernels are kept in Kubuntu, like in system settings or discover or somewhere?
Thanks all for the help I really appreciate it.

@SchwarzerKater Here's cap of the current listing

I don't understand why it says VB is not installed when version 7 is installed. Maybe I downloaded version 7 before checking Discover listings.. Could that be the problem?


And for all so you don't think I'm crazy. Look at the changes on 4/6

I don't know how to tell what's in the current system upgrade listed available in Discover.

[Schwarzer Kater]

You did not get VirtualBox 7 from the *Ubuntu repositories for sure but must have installed it from e.g. an external source/PPA.
If you don't want to use VMs with bleeding edge systems (kernels) you don't need the newest version of VirtualBox - the one from the *Ubuntu repositories is more than sufficient.

Installing software from external sources without being sure about the consequences can turn a snowball into an avalanche - for example the second, fourth or tenth external source could have installed those kernels. Just a theory, and not saying that VirtualBox 7 was responsible…

claydoh gave an example in another thread how to remove unwanted kernels:

[…]
You can use Muon to search for linux-image and linux-headers, and filter for installed packages. Then select anything with -oem, -nvidia, and -oracle, and uninstall them. […]