Troubleshoot Pop OS 20.04 that won't start after an upgrade
Troubleshoot Pop OS 20.04 that won't start after an upgrade
Been using PopOs 20.04 for some time now on its own 120gb SSD. I also have a Win10 installation on another SSD. The system was configured to boot straight into PopOs, but if I need Win10 I use the F8 recovery option since updating the GRUB is tricky every time it fails. Yesterday PopOs announced a new version (20.10) and I opted to install without reading the upgrade notes—my mistake. The process halted mid-install, paused for about 20 minutes, then required a restart. After that, I faced a black screen with an underscore cursor at the top left, which was quite alarming. Last time it happened, I pressed "Esc" during boot and entered PopRecovery; I tried several fixes—older versions, recovery mode, editing scripts—but nothing worked. Now, after a restart, I’m stuck on a blank screen, unable to access the recovery menu (my Esc key seems unresponsive). I’m not sure what commands to run or how to resolve this. I’ve read that the latest kernel might not be compatible with all GPU drivers, and some users report similar issues. My R9 290 has annoying drivers, so it’s possible the problem is driver-related. I also suspect my Gnome display manager isn’t working due to unsupported GPU drivers. It’s frustrating since I can boot Win10 easily, but PopOs is essential for my workflow. Anyone have tips or links to fix this?
Hello! Your SSD isn’t showing up properly in the Gnome Display Manager, which suggests an initialization issue. A system upgrade could help by installing a fresh OS or updating drivers. You might try using a terminal to run repair commands or reinstall the display manager if needed.
due to the system restart during the update, your SSD files may become damaged. if you wish to proceed with the upgrade, be sure to take all necessary precautions.
I'll wait for someone else to provide a clearer response... PopOs never sent me a "prompt" to restart. Previously, whenever something was upgraded and then paused mid-install, it kept running after a reboot by using saved cache data. Most other sites say it's related to the new kernel—your feedback is just my opinion, not an explanation.
You shouldn't have restarted if it was half way through, there is a possibility you have corrupted various packages or interrupted the automated configuration. Try running "sudo apt full-upgrade" and see if attempts to upgrade the system again. If it upgrades and falls back to bash after reboot. run "systemctl status gdm" and post the output here.
I've faced a similar issue before. Because of some circumstances, I had to shut down before the Ubuntu upgrade finished. GNOME didn't accept that. Luckily, since all packages were already downloaded, I just ran `sudo dpkg --configure` from a virtual terminal, which worked fine. I'm not sure if this will help others, but it's possible it could. Wishing you good luck and a great day!
Fix any issues manually after completing everything (don’t wait for pauses—run it when finished). Once done, reboot your system using sudo systemctl reboot. If the problem continues, you have two options: reinstall the system or wait for a graphics driver update that supports the new kernel. Downgrading the whole distribution is difficult and rarely works, even for skilled users.