Hi y'all,

it's getting tiresome...

Unraid fails to load the bootloader every time I update the system, resulting in me having to reflash the flash drive.

What is going on here? I'm sick and tired of this shit.

I currently don't have any logs for obvious reasons. All I see is a black screen from the connected KVM. The KVM is working fine though. The MSI splash screen of my motherboard showed up no problem but right after it goes to black.

The update said in the change log NOT to reboot so I'm going the give mind can help me. Otherwise I'll be reflashing the drive AGAIN for the third time this month...

I'm running Linux on all is my machines, from servers to my main PC, laptop and multiple handheld devices. Not one has this issue besides Unraid.

I'm deeply frustrated with this OS to the point I recommend friends to just use Debian on their servers and stay away from this mess.

If you turn off the server and then wait a couple of seconds and turn it back on again does that work?

6 minutes ago, Andrew Z said:

If you turn off the server and then wait a couple of seconds and turn it back on again does that work?

The change logs explicitly state not to do that so I haven't while trying to update from 7.2.6 to 7.3 but I did try that while updating from 7.2.5 to 7.2.6 and there it did not help.

You can turn it off once the server receives the reboot comamnd.

If the flash drive keeps needing reflashing, there may be an issue with it; I would recommend trying a different one. Alternatively, with 7.3.0, you can boot from an HDD/SSD.

1 hour ago, JorgeB said:

You can turn it off once the server receives the reboot comamnd.

If the flash drive keeps needing reflashing, there may be an issue with it; I would recommend trying a different one. Alternatively, with 7.3.0, you can boot from an HDD/SSD.

This happens regardless if which USB drives I use. This happened with every single one I have tried.

The reboot didn't help either, sadly.

Booting off the flash is the only reason I'm still on Unraid tbh. Idk what they are doing but their updater literally killed flash drives before for me. Over the years I have spent at least 150€ just on flash drives that Unraid destroyed.

Not to mention that their USB flashing tool does not function on CachyOS since it cannot access the flash drive for some reason.

Every time I need to manually flash it.

If Unraid wasn't as janky it would be great...

If it happens with multiple flash drives, it suggests a hardware issue, since this is not normal behavior.

To rule out a config problem, you can boot with a different flash drive using a stock install, no key needed, and then see if a stock install has the same issue, if yes, it can only be hardware.

12 minutes ago, JorgeB said:

If it happens with multiple flash drives, it suggests a hardware issue, since this is not normal behavior.

To rule out a config problem, you can boot with a different flash drive using a stock install, no key needed, and then see if a stock install has the same issue, if yes, it can only be hardware.

I'll try that but I will have to buy a new flash drive for it. I don't have any left so I sadly can't test it right away.

I am currently reflashing the drive however, using the 7.3 zip with my old config.

This is the only way this works.

And again it works without issue after reflashing.

I will try updating with a different drive in the coming days. I'll update you guys then.

Thanks for your help

If you want to continue to boot from flash instead of the new "internal boot" method, note that not all flash drives are created equal. This thread (and others in the Boot Devices subforum) might be useful:

17 hours ago, trurl said:

If you want to continue to boot from flash instead of the new "internal boot" method, note that not all flash drives are created equal. This thread (and others in the Boot Devices subforum) might be useful:

Thank you but I am aware of that.

I have used many different flash drives. Some recommended ones and other ones. Some work better others worse. So far the Intenso stick I'm using currently has performed great.

The problem with the recommended ones is that they are barely available anymore and if they are they are insanely expensive. We are talking 70€ for 32GB with a Samsung Bar for example and they have failed on me in the past as well.

With the one I'm using right now I am pretty certain it's not the flash that's the issue.

3 hours ago, DezzyTee said:

I have used many different flash drives.

The problem with the recommended ones is that they are barely available anymore and if they are they are insanely expensive. We are talking 70€ for 32GB with a Samsung Bar for example and they have failed on me in the past as well.

The Samsung Bar is the least bad option, not the best.

Please check the MLC Flash drives thread. You can find lots of reasonably priced MLC NOS USB drive options that are still selling in the range of $10--25 though shipping to Europe would add a significant price premium.

You might also want to check a MLC $4 industrial drive: eBay item number:326046070546

The MSI motherboard detail: some MSI motherboards have had documented USB power management and write reliability issues on certain chipsets.

A USB port that works fine for normal operations but has voltage instability under sustained write load would produce exactly this failure pattern -- corrupting specifically during the update write sequence.

Try the update from a USB 2.0 internal header connection rather than an external USB port.

If the failure is related to the external USB port's power delivery or signal integrity during sustained writes, an internal header connection would eliminate that variable.

Yeah you have something seriously wrong with your motherboard for this to keep happening on multiple USB drives. USB drives while not know for their longevity, do not just die after a few bytes are written...

Also when these USBs "die" are they detectable in other systems? Like can you plug them into your pc and read them?

"USB drives while not known for their longevity" is too broad a statement.

USB drive longevity varies enormously by NAND type, controller, and use case.

Quality MLC drives on internal USB 2.0 headers routinely outlast other server components in Unraid's always-on near-zero-write boot environment.

Cheap QLC consumer drives on USB 3.0 external ports can fail within weeks.

The range between those extremes is significant and drive selection matters enormously.

More importantly for DezzyTee's specific situation -- the failure pattern across multiple different drives points away from drive quality as the cause.

Drives that are recoverable by reflashing aren't dying from wear.

Something in the update write process is specifically corrupting the bootloader, and when the same failure reproduces across multiple brands and models the common factor is almost certainly the USB port or motherboard's USB controller behavior during sustained writes.

The most useful test before buying another drive: try connecting the current flash drive to an internal USB 2.0 header via a cheap 9-pin adapter rather than an external port, then attempt the update.

If the corruption stops occurring the problem was always the external USB port's power delivery or signal integrity during write operations -- not the drives.