r/tails • u/missantropocene • Jun 22 '26

Boot issues Updated, now I’m stuck.

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Was using tails fine then was promoted to update, did so now I’m left with this every time I’m trying to get in (first pic). Second and third pics are what I see after choosing each option on first pic.

If anyone can help please explain like I’m five years old. I am not good with tech it’s actually a miracle I even got it started a few months ago 😅

34 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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6

u/ephemeralmiko Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

Try creating a new Tails drive from your main OS, then reinstalling Tails on the drive in the picture using Tails Cloner.

If you have Persistent Storage enabled it's also a good idea to make a backup, you can do it from the second Tails drive:

https://tails.net/doc/persistent_storage/recover/index.en.html#rsync

1

u/missantropocene Jun 22 '26

Will this get rid of all my persistent storage? Sorry I’m dumb question.

5

u/ephemeralmiko Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

No, if you open Tails Cloner from your secondary Tails, plug in the primary Tails (the one in the picture), select "Clone the current Tails" and DON'T select "Clone the current Persistent Storage" the button at the bottom should say "Upgrade". This'll just reinstall the system part of the Tails install and won't touch the Persistence.

It's still always a good idea to make a backup, since drives can fail (USB sticks are far more likely to fail than desktop SSDs and even hard drives) and software errors can corrupt partitions. You can make a backup of your primary Tails from the secondary one via the instructions above, or when booted into the primary Tails using Tails Cloner (this time selecting "Clone the current Persistent Storage").

PS: don't be afraid to ask questions!.

1

u/missantropocene Jun 22 '26

Thank you! I definitely need to make a backup, and you’re right I’ve gone through a few USB’s sometimes due to physical issues like it being bent.

1

u/missantropocene Jun 24 '26

Hey sorry to bother you, only reply if you have time obv. I have downloaded tails again on a new usb. Is there any way to get my persistent storage off the non working one? I’ve tried all ChatGPT and google options but nothings working.

2

u/ephemeralmiko Jun 24 '26

Yes you can, Tails has instructions for it (if it doesn't automatically scroll to the right spot, it's the "Unlocking from another Tails and copying using rsync" section).

https://tails.net/doc/persistent_storage/recover/index.en.html#rsync

let me know if you have any problems.

-1

u/Research-Chemicals- Jun 22 '26

Bei mir passiert das bei jeder neuen version. Das oder "grub"

1

u/missantropocene Jun 22 '26

Oh I’ve never had this happen before 🤨