This brief guide explains how to fix Busybox Initramfs error on Ubuntu Linux. I am using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS as my daily driver on my Dell Inspiron laptop. Today I turned it ON and the boot process dropped me to the BusyBox shell and I ended up at the initramfs prompt.
As far as I can remember, I did nothing wrong. I didn't forcibly power off the system. It was working just fine yesterday! However, today when I powered it on, I encountered an unexpected issue during the boot process. Instead of loading normally, I found myself redirected to the BusyBox shell and eventually reached the initramfs prompt.
BusyBox v1.30.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.30.1-4ubuntu6.1) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands. (initramfs)
I can't get past this screen. Also it doesn't show what exactly the problem is. All I see is just a blank busybox shell.
I wasn't sure about what to do at this point. So I simply passed the exit command to see what happens.
And then I saw the actual error:
(initramfs) exit /dev/sda1 contains a file system with errors, check forced. Inode 4326476 extent tree (at level 1) could be narrower, IGNORED. /dev/sda1: Inode 4326843 extent tree (at level 1) could be narrower, IGNORED. /dev/sda1: Inode 4327012 extent tree (at level 1) could be narrower, IGNORED. /dev/sda1: Inode 4329004 extent tree (at level 1) could be narrower, IGNORED. /dev/sda1: Inodes that were part of a corrupted orphan linked list found. /dev/sda1: UNEXPECTED INCONSISTENCY; RUN fsck MANUALLY. (i.e., without -a or -p options) fsck exited with status code 4. The root filesystem on /dev/sda1 requires a manual fsck. BusyBox v1.30.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.30.1-4ubuntu6.1) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands. (initramfs)
As you can see in the above output, the /dev/sda1 partition is corrupted. The file system in this partition has some errors.
If you ever encountered with this type of problem, you need to check and repair the problematic Linux filesystems with fsck command.
Please note that sometimes you don't see any errors after typing the exit command. In that case, try to run fsck on all filesystems.
What are Busybox and Initramfs?
For those wondering, BusyBox is software suite that provides many common UNIX utilities into a single small executable. It provides replacements for most of the utilities you usually find in GNU fileutils, shellutils, etc.
Initramfs is an initial ram file system based on tmpfs. It contains the tools and scripts required to mount the file systems before the init binary on the real root file system is called.
Fix Busybox Initramfs Error on Ubuntu Linux
1. To solve initramfs error on Ubuntu Linux, you need to repair the filesystem in the corrupted partition using fsck command like below:
(initramfs) fsck /dev/sda1 -y
Replace /dev/sda1 with your partition name. In your system, it could be /dev/sdb1, /dev/sdc1 etc. You can use cat /proc/partitions or blkid or lsblk commands to get your Linux partition details in Busybox. Refer this guide to list disk partitions in Linux. Don't forget to pass the -y flag. Otherwise, you should manually type -y and hit ENTER each time to fix an error.
2. Now the fsck command will start to fix all bad blocks automatically in the filesystem.
After a couple minutes, you will see an output like below:
/dev/sda1: ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***** /dev/sda1: 497733/30531584 files (1.5% non-contiguous), ........
3. Next, type reboot and hit ENTER to restart your system!
(initramfs) reboot
If the reboot command doesn't work, type exit and hit ENTER.
Cross your fingers and wait for the system to reboot! If all went well, your system will boot normally without any problem.
These steps helped me and many others (see the comment section below) to solve Busybox Initramfs error on Ubuntu Linux operating system. If you are stuck in initramfs prompt, this guide will definitely help to fix initramfs error in Ubuntu.
Heads Up: If you keep getting this error often, probably your hard disk is getting weaker. In that case, it is recommended to backup the data and replace the hard disk as soon as possible.
This isn't exclusively for Ubuntu OS. The initramfs error can occur on Debian, and other Ubuntu derivatives such as Pop OS, Linux mint etc. In order to fix initramfs error in Debian-based systems, simply follow the aforementioned steps.
What if I can't Fix it from Busybox Shell? Try Rescue Mode
One of the user has commented that he/she can't type anything in the initramfs prompt. In that case, please boot into the rescue mode and try to repair the filesystem. The following guide explains how to boot in to rescue mode in Ubuntu.
If your Ubuntu system is crashed due to power failure or network connectivity issue in the middle of the upgrade process, you might end up with broken Ubuntu. In that case, you can easily fix broken Ubuntu without reinstalling it as described in the following guide.
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131 comments
When this type of problem occurs, the sensible approach is to boot the system from a rescue CD/DVD/USB-memory stick with the same GNU/Linux distribution version and then first check hardware (dmesg shows for example whether hard disks are operational or producing failing messages) and then if they are properly functioning to fsck -CfV all of the [unmounted] file system partitions. If that does not fix the boot up problem, then it is possible from the rescue booted system to do further repairs and even to reinstall any essential corrupted software.
Works. Easy thank u
Thanks dear. . I worked for me!
Mine worked! My suffix was: /dev/sda5 however. Thanks for the help!!!
The instruction works for me! I’m really excited now!
Thanks very much. It worked for me too
I can’t type “exit” or anything at the prompt. So this won’t work for me.
It works! Thank you very much bro ..
thank you very much bro
I got the same issue. I followed every instruction mentioned and came to the final step. I typed reboot and from then it was still showing wait for the system to reboot for almost 2 days…. What should I do now?
I have a dual boot in my laptop with windows and ubuntu
Are you really waiting 2 days? Better boot your system with a live cd, backup your data and reinstall the OS. BTW, the solution posted here is tested with Ubuntu 20.04 GNOME desktop (DELL laptop). It worked perfectly in my case.
thanks its working
It did work for me, thank you so much.
In my case, i did create this problem by following the instructions of a member from a forum where i was looking for a solution about why can’t i install any package on my ubuntu.
He did said that i should type : fsck -n -f and then reboot.
I did just that and to my surprise: initramfs and busybox happened.
Thank you again for your help
For me forcing reboot in the end did the trick. reboot -f. Thanks for sharing this article !
Glad it worked for you. Happy to help.
Thank you so much ❤️ your all these instructions help me to defeat the problem
Thank you SK.
I got my 32 bit Mint 19.3 back with all in their place, after following your instructions.
Glad it worked for you.
Thanks.
I have an issue ,showing BusyBox v1.30.1 (Ubuntu 1:1.30.1-4ubuntu6.4) built-in shell (ash)
I’m getting the error with different ‘exit’ output on a YUMI Lubuntu 16.04 Live USB. The output runs screenfuls and doesn’t scroll. Somehow I nonetheless expect a similar problem.
Thanks a lot. It was helpful although I’d to use sda2 but the command worked.
I had to use a different sda number but once I found out what it was it did as described. The only thing that didn’t work was reboot. I have Ubuntu 20.04. The reboot command didn’t work so I tried exit and after a minute or so it started rebooting.
I type
fsck /dev/sda1 -y
an it says
fsck from util-linux 2.34
What do I do??
probably you didn’t enter the correct system path?
just replace this part [/sda1] with your file system path then try again!
Thankyou so much it is solved!!
my problem was in dev/mapper/rgunbuntu
Same here. Under what situation did you get your error? Did you have forced disconnection of drive?
Thanks u just saved my life . I wanna add something in my case the reboot command didn’t work so I just shut it through the power button .and it was another sda not sda1 it was sda3 in my case .
Thank you
many thanks SK
In my case it was sda3 and reboot didn’t work..i tried exit and it worked.. Thanks
Hii..I am Pavan Kumar from Tamilnadu, India…I tried this and it worked…. Thankyou….
You’re welcome. Glad I could help.
Using Mint 19, just had this happen today. Followed the instructions in this article and everything is now working perfectly fine again. Thank you!
You’re welcome. Glad it helped to fix your problem.
Man, y saved my life. Thank you
Thanks a lot …solved.
Thank you so much for this article – just saved me from having a long night of backing up everything and reinstalling! Thank you!!!
Thanks for the article. It worked very well. The only thing which didn’t work was the reboot command, but Ctrl+Alt+Delete did it. Thank you very much.
thank you man
Thank you I’m happy
Great thanks. It solved my issue. Only thing now is that I seem to be stuck on the login screen. When I enter my password the screen try to load but come back to the login screen. I have no message saying it’s the wrong password and I have been carefully with typos. If I enter a different password, I’m told it’s incorrect so I’m confident my password is OK but I’m stuck in a loop.
Thanks for your explanation 😊
I solved my case perfectly
Thank you very much friend ❤️❤️
Thanks sir
Thank you so much. It got worked fine
Thanks, crazy I had the exact same issue this week! Down to the same HW dev sda1!
Your instructions were perfect.
Glad I could help. Regards.
Thanks brothe.
Thank you very much mate. Issue got resolved 🙂
Hi SK
I am also resolving my problem by using the couple of commands, but its not permanent solution as it happens more often to me.
I would love to have the permanent fix if you have any.
Love from India.
If this error happens often, it could hdd problem. Please check hdd. Regards.
Thanks for your help . It worked perfectly
dear thanks after I fix this then I boot again to windows 10 after restart again come back the error is there is the final solution for it I have SSD and HDD inside the laptop
I guess it is HDD/SDD related issue. If you keep getting this error, it is time to check your hard disk health.
Thanks SK you are a life saver…i had same issue on my ubuntu. I followed every instruction but it didn’t work instantly because mine was sd5 not sd1 like you mentioned above. Anyway It worked flawlessly and you certainly helped very much here. I am sick and tired of reinstalling the whole damn OS every time i hit a problem. This time because of you i am very happy man and can sleep nicely. Cheers
Glad I could help. You’re very welcome. Cheers.
Thank you
Hi there,
I’ve asked this few places but nobody has given me a good answer (maybe they genuinely can’t though)… How does this happen?
I have to do this far too often and it seems to be happening to me after going into standby for a short while. I haven’t changed anything, added packages, used the terminal or anything.
I’m using KDE Neon
Thanks in advance,
Mike
This happens probably due to ailing disk. Could be a bad sector or other hard disk health issues.
It’s worked for me with command ‘reboot’ on step 3. Thanks a lot!
Welcome.
Worked like butter!
thanks for amazing tutorial!
Thank you sir it works
thanks my bro ,this solution was awesome
My ubuntu broke and using the method here, I fixed it and retrieved my files. Thanks, dude.
Fresh Kubuntu 20.04 install on a 1 year old SSD (used lightly) and I got this error 2 times just today. I used Manjaro until yesterday and never had similar issues. If this is indeed caused by a “bad sector” wouldn’t the SSD be able to handle it on its own?
I am not sure. It could be bad sector. I don’t have any reliable source to prove it though.
Thanks a lot!! You saved me and my system! I just literally had to follow each step as it is mentioned in the article and I was able to fix the issue! Thank you so much!
My ubuntu version is 18.04 LTS
Thanks for help. It is really helped me out.
That works for me. Thank you very much
Thanks. This was really helpful. I thought my system was a goner.
fsck -f /sda5
exit
this is worked for me
It worked well. sda7 was bad partition for me. Reboot using initramfs(exit) .
.Its important to check affected partition initially using exit().
THANK YOU PAL =)
Works like a charm!
but this issue repeats on next day or two days after. Is there any permanent fix for this?
If the issue repeats often, you must check your hdd health. I had this issue with a dying hard disk. After replacing the hdd with sdd, the problem is permanently gone.
Solucionado, excelente. Solo se debe cambiar el número del sda? y el comando rebbot no funciona, lo reinicie manualmente y arranco la maquina. gracias.
exit
fsck /dev/sda5 -y
Eso fue todo
You’re very welcome. Glad it helped.
Thanks.
Thank you soooooo muuuuch!
This was the clearest solution a novice could have hoped for and it WORKED!
Thanks it worked 😘
Thanks a lot
You made made my day
Glad it worked out for you.
ty
Thanks, Its work for me
fsck /dev/sda2 -y
I did this and it worked but my entire file system did not allow me to read or write afterwords. After a reboot I had the same problem.
It will fix the filesystem from read-only mode to normal mode, not the other way around. Try the same steps one more time. If it doesn’t solve your problem, you may need to change your hard drive.
Thank you so much, it works just fine
Thanks this saved my night
Worked for me except Exit didn’t show the error. I rebooted into Ubuntu Recovery mode to find the path. Second time this has happened to me in 18 months, on different versions of Kubuntu and different discs. Thanks for the clear guide. Will dave this for next time!
Thank you so much, it worked for me
Thank you so much! Problem solved
Glad it worked out for you.
Very helpful 👍 at first , i could do that
You saved me and my uni work thank you!!!!
Thank you very much SK..
Sentil Kumar (Sk) needs to be cloned and “distributed” widely. His complete, organized and ACCURATE instructions to deal with the busybox problem worked. Thanks ever so much for your sharing this information!
Glad you find it useful. Happy to help.
Thanks a lot, worked like a charm
I have tried typing this:
fsck /dev/sda1 -y
All I get is a message saying e2fsck 1.45.6 (20-Mar-2020)
/dev/sda1: clean, 324/127488 files, 120192/127487
Does anyone here know what this means please?
Also, typing reboot and hitting the enter key does nothing.
As you can tell, I am new to Linux and I have a ton of files on my laptop with Pop_OS! installed and I am so scared that I have lost everything on it….
I accidentally posted this question to another form, so sorry in advance to the admin
It means that the disk file system has been repaired and you’re good to go. If “
reboot” command doesn’t work, typeexitand hit ENTER key. I got this error multiple times, and fixed it as described in the article without losing any data. If you’re worry about your data, first use a live boot media to backup your files, and then try to fix the filesystem errors. Since you’re newbie, I recommended you to ask any expert’s help. Good luck.Man, you are a life saver.
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot.
It didn’t work at first but again I restarted computer and tried the steps it worked fine and now my Ubuntu is running as usual
Thanks a lot, sir. It worked for me…. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Thank you so much, it worked absolutely magical for me
Thanks a lot.. It solved the problem.
PS: move the comment box to the top. If there are many comments, it’s hard to go to the last comment..
Worked for me on Mint 19.3 Cinnamon, the error occurred after a power failure that affected my neighborhood. I had to enter -y to quite a few errors.
Its worked thank u Sir
I would like to try your solution, but it will not allow me to type any thing at all after (initramfs). I can’t get the cursor to move and nothing happens when I try to type. What can I do? Please help!
If you can’t type anything at initramfs prompt, I believe it is beyond from repair. In that case, you should boot into live cd and try to repair the filesystem from the rescue mode. The following link explains how to boot into rescue mode. https://ostechnix.com/how-to-boot-into-rescue-mode-or-emergency-mode-in-ubuntu-18-04/
You have saved a life with this awesome tutorial.
Great work. Thanks
Thanks. This worked and everything is running fine 🙂
Glad it worked. Happy to help.
I am facing another problem in busybox it is cat /pronc/modules; ld /dev what should i do plz help me
It is not related to busybox, as far as I know. It could be a different issue.
Man, man, Thank you very much.
I’m 74 years old and searched a week for this help for busybox problem.
You made me very happy, because …IT WORKED…
People in Tamilnadu, India can be very proud of Senthilkumar Palani (aka SK), because he helps people everywhere for putting this help on the internet.
Thanks again and good I wish you all the best.
Greetings from Holland
Happy to help. I am very glad it worked for you. Regards.
Worked well for me, thanks a lot
It’s a worthy solution. Initarms error solved. Thank you very much.
Thanks buddy it was really helpful 😌
Hi, I tried your resolution, its working for a while, but after some time when I do restart again the same issue is coming & also while booting it is reading all files, its taking more than 30 mins. pls help me
If the same issue is coming up often, the disk is probably getting weak. You must check your hdd/sdd health and replace it with a new one.
Thanks buddy it was really helpful 😌 great…..
Thank you! It worked with some minimal changes, except “reboot”. But “exit” worked fine and Ubuntu 20.04 now works! Greetings from Lithuania!
The instruction works for me! Thanks bro
Thank you so much, I thought I would never sort the problem out. Your tutorial worked perfectly.
Glad it worked. Happy to help.
My problem was on sda2,
I used:
1. fsck/dev/sda2 -y
2. reboot -f
That was enough for me, thank you anyway
It saved my day! Thank you so much for sharing!