I have a problem starting Unraid after a power failure... When it starts up, it gets stuck at “checking /dev/sda1...” or sometimes it restarts in a loop after the same step.

After doing some research on the forum, I thought my USB key was corrupted, so I recreated it with the USB Unraid Creator tool and replaced the key's config file with my copy. I'm still having the same problem. So I figured that after a few years, my key was problematic. I did the same thing again, but with a new USB key. Still the same problem.

So I thought it was my “config” that was corrupted, and I recreated a “brand new” Unraid USB key directly from the tool, without modification. Well... still the same problem.

I also tried different startup modes (with GUI, safe mode, etc.) and tried different USB ports on the computer, but the problem persisted.

I've been using Unraid for several years without any problems on my config.

Do you have any ideas? Any possible solutions?

Thank you very much.

Edited September 21, 2025Sep 21 by yoda42

Doesn't look like one, but to rule out a config problem, boot with a flash drive using a stock install, no key needed, to see if it's the same.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I tested with my two USB keys, using an image created directly by the Unraid tool with the stock version of Unraid, without any modifications on my part. I even tested creating it in manual mode... just in case. The result was always the same.

Yesterday, I noticed that sometimes it manages to go a few steps further, i.e., the different biz* checksums (but it doesn't always crash at the same checksums).

Thank'

That suggests there's a hardware problem, but you can try booting the flash drive on a different PC to confirm it's booting.

Yes, good point, I'll reassemble a PC to test my keys.

I ran some tests with an Ubuntu image on a usbkey and everything started up without any problems. I ran a memtest and everything looks fine. I'm starting to run out of ideas on the hardware side. I'm looking for a setting in the motherboard, but I can't really see what it could be. I'll test several options without success....

I found the solution in another post. Well, it seems to be related to a CPU issue.