Elementary OS not Booting After Update ["Kernel panic - not syncing"]

Question

Shortly after executing "sudo apt-get update" in Terminal I ran the remaining updates in the App Center. Once I started with these updates, I changed user accounts (stayed logged in to both). It was functional at first, I got to a new webpage before my entire OS stopped working. I could move my mouse but there would be no response from the computer.

After about 10 minutes waiting I forced computer shutdown manually and when I restarted the computer it stops mid-boot, listing the call trace and summary.

The error message that I'm getting mid-boot is: "Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0, 0)"

Answer 1

Choose another kernel from the GRUB menu under Advanced options for Ubuntu and run sudo update-initramfs -u -k version to generate the initrd for version (replace version with the kernel version string such as 4.15.0-36-generic) then sudo update-grub.

Answer 2

I had the same problem. I tried removing the kernels manually with first listing them:

"dpkg --list | grep linux-image"

Then removing them with:

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.13.0-XX-generic

But then I got an error and I was suggested to use:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

This was what solved my problem.

Answer 3

Actually,it is not even necessary to remove older kernel. Just select during boot in grub the older kernel, run it, log to system, open terminal and type:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Additionally, what I recommend, is to check kernels this way:

sudo dpkg --list | grep linux-image

And then

sudo update-initramfs -u -k 5.0.4-generic 

(use the version of the kernel which is damaged and shows kernel panic)

Then update grub

sudo update-grub

If sudo update-grub will not work, then type:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg