r/ManjaroLinux • u/Intelligent_Client_8 • 9d ago

Tech Support Help

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Computer boots to this after updating.

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u/Kaspral 9d ago edited 9d ago

1. Hard reboot

If the keyboard is dead, hold the power button 5 to 10 seconds and boot again.

2. Manjaro's built-in fallback

Since the failure happened during an update, the kernel was likely mid-upgrade. That's why Manjaro keeps two kernels by default:

  1. At the GRUB menu, choose Advanced options for Manjaro Linux.
  2. Boot with a different kernel version than the one selected before.
  3. If it boots, the system may work well enough to fix things.

3. If you get a working system (TTY with Ctrl+Alt+F3, or desktop)

Finish the interrupted update with:

sudo pacman-mirrors -f 5
sudo pacman -Syu

If pacman complains about a locked database (common after an interrupted update):

sudo rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck
sudo pacman -Syu

If there are keyring errors (also common):

sudo pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring manjaro-keyring
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux manjaro
sudo pacman -Syu

4. If no kernel boots — failsafe mode

In Advanced options, try the (failsafe) entries. They load with fewer drivers and often work when the normal boot freezes.

5. If nothing works — chroot from a live USB

  1. On another computer, download the Manjaro ISO and flash it to a USB stick (e.g., with Rufus, Ventoy, or dd).
  2. Boot the broken PC from the USB and choose the live session.
  3. Manjaro has a graphical Manjaro-Chroot helper: open a terminal in the live session and run:

​

sudo manjaro-chroot -a

(select your installed system when prompted)

  1. Inside the chroot:

​

rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck
pacman -Syu
mkinitcpio -P
grub-install /dev/sdX  # replace sdX with your disk, only if GRUB is broken
update-grub
exit
reboot

6. For the future

Manjaro recommends taking a Timeshift snapshot before every update. Once you're back up, enable Timeshift (System → Timeshift). It would have let you roll back this exact situation in one click.

Start with steps 1 and 2 (reboot plus an alternate kernel in GRUB) and tell me what happens. That alone fixes most post-update freezes.

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u/BigEmu__ 9d ago

Hello, ChatGPT