Upgrading from 4.7 to 5.0. Boot Error (Solved)

[wickyd]

I've been trying to upgrade my Unraid from 4.7 (which has been working great for over 6 months) to 5.0 (stable).  I've followed the instructions:  backup Flash drive, format flash drives (full, not quick, named UNRAID), copy (5.0) files to flash, delete files in unraid/config and copy the contents of my old config folder to the new one (minus the passwords and smbpasswords files), and run the makebootable.bat, verifying that the ldlinux.sys is present.

 

When i boot to the flash drive now, it just says "Boot Error"

 

I've reformatted and put 4.7 (from backup) back onto the drive and it works fine.

 

i did the upgrade again hoping the first time was a fluke...no luck.  still "boot error".

 

i'm dying to get the plex server running on 5.0.  anyone have any ideas?

Edited June 11, 2021 by wickyd

[itimpi]

It sounds as if your BIOS might need resetting to boot off USB?

[wickyd]

I double-checked my bios, and it seems configured correctly.  Plus, when I put my 4.7 backup back on my flash drive, it works fine, with the same bios settings.  The version change shouldn't affect how the Bios sees my flash...should it?  the only thing i've really noticed is that the ldlinux.sys is twice as big in 5.0 as opposed to 4.7.  (i've also tried to use the ldlinux file from 4.7 on the 5.0.  no luck.  same thing.

[wickyd]

UPDATE:

 

I've tried several different things since my last post.

 

1.  change file system from FAT to FAT32 (just grabbing at straws now) - Boot Error

2.  used the Makebootable.bat from my 4.7 (they were different sizes) - Boot Error

3.  Tried 5.0 without any settings from my 4.7.  (run as a new install) - Boot Error

4.  Finally, because my wife was getting annoyed that she couldn't get to the server, put my backup of 4.7 on.  - Works fine.

 

hopefully someone will have some other suggestions for me, i'd really love to upgrade to 5.0.  as i mentioned earlier, i would love to get plex server running on my unraid to serve up to my roku3.

[garycase]

I've found that on some older systems (or perhaps just specific chipsets), the newer loader won't work.

The older load has more than one line of "dots" as it loads the main UnRAID file;  the newer one only shows about a half line of "dots" (periods).

 

 

Try the following:

 

Do NOT reformat the flash drive.  Simply delete all of the files on it EXCEPT syslinux.    Then copy the entire v5.0 distribution to the flash drive EXCEPT syslinux.  Do NOT run makebootable.

 

Try booting with that.

 

[wickyd]

Try the following:

 

Do NOT reformat the flash drive.  Simply delete all of the files on it EXCEPT syslinux.    Then copy the entire v5.0 distribution to the flash drive EXCEPT syslinux.  Do NOT run makebootable.

 

Try booting with that.

 

 

No Luck.  i first did as you recommended and got the "Syslinux 1994-2008 blah blah" line...then it hung. (i DID also copy my config files sans password and smbpassword files, might that have been the issue?  should i try it like a fresh install?)

 

i also tried leaving the syslinux, syslinux.cfg and ldlinux.sys....same result as above.

 

i was going to try some other random acts of desperation, but the wife was starting to freak out, lol. 

if anyone has any other ideas, i can try them later tonight.

 

 

[garycase]

(i DID also copy my config files sans password and smbpassword files, might that have been the issue?  should i try it like a fresh install?)

 

Yes, I meant to delete EVERYTHING except the syslinux file; and then copy everything from the v5.0 download except syslinux.    i.e. a completely new install except for the boot code.

 

[wickyd]

 

Yes, I meant to delete EVERYTHING except the syslinux file; and then copy everything from the v5.0 download except syslinux.    i.e. a completely new install except for the boot code.

 

 

Just did it.  Same result.  It just hangs at the Syslinux version line.

 

i also tried to put 5.0 (totally fresh install), on a spare flash drive (little 128MB) i had.  It just hung at a blank screen with a blinking curser.

 

I'm starting to run of ideas now.  what else should i try?

[dgaschk]

 

Yes, I meant to delete EVERYTHING except the syslinux file; and then copy everything from the v5.0 download except syslinux.    i.e. a completely new install except for the boot code.

 

 

Just did it.  Same result.  It just hangs at the Syslinux version line.

 

i also tried to put 5.0 (totally fresh install), on a spare flash drive (little 128MB) i had.  It just hung at a blank screen with a blinking curser.

 

I'm starting to run of ideas now.  what else should i try?

 

Was the drive selected in BIOS?

[wickyd]

 

Was the drive selected in BIOS?

 

 

I was pretty sure it was.  First I tried the new (128MB) flash drive with a clean 5.0 install, and I checked bios.  apparently, my bios sees the two flash drives differently.  my original drive is seen as a hard drive, my spare (128MB) flash is recognized as a "removable device".  I DID need to change the bios settings...and it WORKED! 

 

unfortunately, I tried to put my original flash drive back in with a clean install of 5.0 with the bios settings doublechecked for that device (the original flash recognizes as a hard drive, not removable device) and it still gave me "Boot Error".

 

It seems like I can't get the original flash drive to work with 5.0, and I don't really want to use a 128MB drive (I plan on putting quite a few addons and such on it) so i'm thinking I should get a new flash drive.  Any recommendations on make/model/size?  also, is there any way I can get another install key to replace the one I can't upgrade?

 

I'm open to any other ideas also!