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I recently did a kernel update on a s2600cp server running Ubuntu 18.04.

When booting into the latest installed kernel version from GRUB. My monitor displays a blinking cursor in the top left corner, but is otherwise unresponsive. I tried ctrl + alt + f2 to drop into another terminal with no luck. After a couple of minutes the machine reboots itself.

I know the blinking cursor often indicates faulty graphics drivers so I tried adding the nomodeset boot flag with no luck. I also tried acpi=off and noapic and combinations of the three, but I still only get the blinking cursor.

I tried booting into recovery mode with the same results.

The only way I am able to log into the system is by booting into the older kernel. For now I can change the GRUB menu to boot into the older kernel by default, but I would like to know if there's any way for me to debug this issue any further. I would like to figure out what's going wrong, but there's no way for me to get any output at boot time.

**Edit: ** I've also removed the splash and quiet options from the GRUB entry.

Derick
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  • This question seems like it's a better fit for the SuperUser.com; this one doesn't seem related to an enterprise/business environment. Or it could be a good fit for AskUbuntu.com – code_dredd Aug 22 '18 at 16:24
  • Hi code_dredd this is an Intel Xeon based server running on a S2600 board. It's being used as a virtualization host in a business environment. I don't think it'll be a great fit for superuser I'll try Ask Ubuntu as well. – Derick Aug 22 '18 at 16:31
  • No, don't cross-post. I'm guessing you must've updated the post with that info, but if it was there initially, I must've missed it. If it's a business/enterprise environment, then this is likely the place it should be. – code_dredd Aug 22 '18 at 16:37
  • You might want to take a look at [this question and its answer](https://askubuntu.com/q/838212/535457), as it _may_ be helpful. – code_dredd Aug 22 '18 at 16:38
  • You should try to uninstall and reinstall the kernel. Distribution kernels normally are not that buggy that they don't book at all. You can also check your grub parameters for the `quiet` option and remove it, maybe that shows something useful. – RalfFriedl Aug 22 '18 at 16:44
  • Since you can boot and login using older kernels, are you able to get a hold of the `/var/log/kern.log` file from a failed boot attempt? – code_dredd Aug 22 '18 at 16:47
  • @RalfFriedl thanks I forgot to mention I removed the quiet option in my original post. – Derick Aug 22 '18 at 16:51
  • @code_dredd. I'll have a look at the kernel log and see if I can find anything on the failed boot. – Derick Aug 22 '18 at 16:53

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