Boot drive is full for no known reason

I have two laptops running Zorin. They both have identical Samsung 256GB SSD and pretty much the same software. One is HP ENVY 4 and the other HP DM1-4175NR.

Last night the DM1 began throwing install errors and reported that only 5MB of the boot drive was free. Gparted confirmed the lack of space.I checked the other laptop with gparted and it shows 218GB free. I've only begun using Zorin so there hasn't been much time for a data build up and over 200GB seems like a lot without really working at it. Being fairly new to Linux, I'm unsure how to determine what's happening. Any guidance would be appreciated.

I just noticed what might be a key difference. The DM1 (having the problem) is going to be my traveling machine and the drive is encrypted (done during installation). That might change things.

Hi,

also; make sure your system is up-to-date:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

Run "DPKG" per the guide, a network cable is required!!.

Regards Wolfman

Thanks, Wolfman. Your detailed assistance is always thorough and beyond all expectations. I learn a lot just reading your posts for various issues.

I tried various recovery modes as suggested, but could not get network connection. The terminal would list a couple of lines of information and then hang. The one function that seemed to work was system information, which showed only 19Gb used on the boot drive. GParted still shows 225 MiB in use and 17.81 free.

Attempts to use dist-upgrade and dpkg were met with failures and error codes. Given my rudimentary Linux knowledge and the myriad possibilities for these errors (including the possibility that this laptop is having hardware issues), I'm thinking of nuking the system and reinstalling Zorin OS.

I'm leaving on a two week trip soon and intend to do so without a Windows computer for the first time in 20 years. For my purposes on the trip I only need email, browsing and the usual audio/video tools. Unless this machine is really having a hardware meltdown, I'm probably going to be safe after a fresh installation.

As always, I'm open to suggestion.

Thanks for the help. Your explanation of options goes into my Linux toolkit.

Hi MG,

are you trying to run "DPKG" with a WiFi connection?, if so, you will only get error messages if you don't know exactly what you are doing!.

Look at the update guide again and change your software download sources location and try again, see the guide for info on how to do this!.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman, I'm not entirely sure. This model of netbook has a 'wifi' key which shows orange when not in use and blue when active. I observe that it is orange throughout the recovery process, but have no idea if Linux turns it on without changing the led.

The screen shows the following below the yes/no window:

fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
/dev/mapper/live--vg--root: clean, 443319/14753792 files, 6002626/58991616 blocks
/dev/sda1 was not cleanly mounted, check forced.
/dev/sda1: 288/124496 files (5.6% non-contiguous), 231009/248832 blocks
mountall: fsck /boot [1108] terminated with status 1

Perhaps there is clue in there.

Jim

I removed the wifi/bluetooth module and the got the same error when attempting to enter recovery and connect to the network.

Wolfman wrote:Hi MG,

are you trying to run "DPKG" with a WiFi connection?, if so, you will only get error messages if you don't know exactly what you are doing!.

Look at the update guide again and change your software download sources location and try again, see the guide for info on how to do this!.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

Regards Wolfman

Mooneyguy > Forgive me > ...if I missed the boat here.
But just in case
If your trying run " DPKG " via WiFi > Wireless .....you will definitely get error's.
Wolfman was stating to be physically plugged into the internet only when trying to run "DPKG".
Having the "LAN Cable" > internet cable plugged in... should override the wireless connection automatically to wired.

While the wired cable should rule, I couldn't be sure. So I removed the wifi module completely to be sure. Now I know.

Hi,

when entering the recovery menu, you must first click on "Network" and then on "DPKG" and follow it through, it shouldn't matter that you have a WiFi module installed because as you said, the network cable should kick in first!.

Restart your PC afterwards!.

Don't worry about FSCK for the moment!.

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman, That's what I did, but clicking on Network ends the process after the messages I mentioned above.I haven't found a way to get to the next step. Your process was well documented and I have been following it step-by-step. Thanks for your continuing interest and help.

Wolfman, I've been careful to follow your well-detailed instructions step-by-step. After getting the recovery window, I select network. Each time the process halts after outputting the data I mentioned above. I listed it in hopes that some part of it might point us toward the source of the error.

I appreciate your willingness to pursue this. It is above and beyond...

Kind regards,

Jim

Can we please see a screenshot of your gparted partitions?

Wolfman, I've been careful to follow your well-detailed instructions step-by-step. After getting the recovery window, I select network. Each time the process halts after outputting the data I mentioned above. I listed it in hopes that some part of it might point us toward the source of the error.

I appreciate your willingness to pursue this. It is above and beyond...

Kind regards,

Jim

Here goes my first attempt at a screenshot.

Hi mooneyguy, first off I don't see a need for '/boot' partition unless you have a strange hardware config. The extended partition looks corrupt and suspect you tried to choose to encrypt your '/home' at boot time - never do this or you will end up with a corrupt install. If you are using your entire drive I advise the following layout:

1. Boot with your live DVD of Zorin.

2. Choose the 'something else' option during installation process, but be sure you are connected to the internet so you get all the updates and codecs at point of installation.

3. When GParted launches, delete all your partitions (I have assumed that you already have a backup of your data whilst Zorin was functioning correctly).

4. Create a 'Primary' partition of 30 Gb and mark it '/' and format to ext4 fs (fs=file system)

5. Create an 'Extended' partition for the rest of the drive and then:

a. create a 'swap area' at the END of the drive (this is what Zorin would do if you let it do it automatically). The size of your swap area should match your RAM - if your installed memory is less than 4 Gb your swap area should not be anything less than 4 Gb.

b. create a '/home' partition at the BEGINNING of the extended partition of what is left after creating the swap area.

c. Be sure that: i. You DON'T put your username in capitals (or any part of it)
ii. You DON'T attempt to encrypt your '/home' folder at point of install.

Good Luck!

My early suspicion was that the encryption option might be the source of my problem since it's the only significant difference between my two Zorin laptops. Since I have little on this unit beyond the OS (it's only been a few weeks since I started this project and I haven't done much data generating yet), starting over will be relatively painless and educational.

Thanks to all for taking the time to walk me through this. After years of holding back, I'm committed to learning Linux and enjoying it. You have helped more than you know.

Glad to hear it mooneyguy! Enjoy the Zorin experience!

For me the charm of Zorin is that it's a bit of a crutch. I can use the familiar Windows-like desktop for my core functions (email and browsing) while being able to delve into the wonders of Linux without giving anything up. I don't doubt that one day I'll cast off the Windows-like stuff and become totally immersed in Linux.

Hi MG,

is this solved now?.

For future reference, don't encyrpt your home folder as it seems to always lead to problems under Ubuntu based systems!.

Regards Wolfman

Wolfman, Not quite yet. I'm leaving on an extended trip today and don't have time to reinstall Zorin until my return. Luckily, I have that second laptop with non-encrypted OS. And now I have a fun project awaiting my return.

Again, thanks to all for the help. I'll let you know if this doesn't solve it.

MG