No init found. Try passing init= bootarg.
Busybox v1.21.1 (Ubantu 1:1.21.0-iubantui) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands
(initramfs)
(initramfs)
Built-in commands:
. : [ alias break cd chdir command continue echo eval exec exit export false getopts hash help let local orinit pwd read readonly unset wait [ [[ ash awk basename blockdev cat chmod chroot chvf egrep env expr false fbset fdflush fgrep find grep gunzip gzip hostname iconfig............etc

(initramfs) ubantu
/bin/sh: ubantu: not found
(initramfs)

HELP

Did your Ubuntu ever boot or is this a new install?
If you were able to boot previously, what changes were make just prior to this problem?

OK. This raises a LOT of questions!
Obviously you booted into something running busybox and it was NOT happy.
Do you have a USB device connected? If so, what is on that USB device, is it bootable?
What is your primary storage device? What is on that device, and is it bootable?
What had you EXPECTED to happen?
What kind of hardware is this, can you provide some general information at least?
What did it load the last time it booted and started properly?
What exactly did you DO in the session immediately prior to this boot?

(And, just for my own information, what is "ubantu"? Is that related to Ubuntu?)

Sounds almost like a Flash type of hard drive and a bad power down . SSD or MMC or something.

Usually a live iso run on a usb drive and doing a drive check using gparted during a live run fixes these issues.

Edit: forgot to mention. My 1st step is to make sure bios sees the drive in question.

Hi wpeckham, No all I did was press the power button off because it was unresponsive and I guess it was an improper shut down, then I try logging back in and I can't just in some 'initramfs' window. No, I do not have a USB or USB connected. I have 2 operating systems on this hrddrive and if I try the ubantu one now it only goes to 'initramfs' window. Sorry, think it's Ubantu 12.4, did you need to me to double check on that?

Did I answer your questions needed for closer diagnosis of the solution?

Hi yancek, No, this is not a new install.

Hi rokytnji, I can access the BIOS before choosing UBantu. I need to know which commands to enter in 'initramfs' window. As far as I know I have a SSD

So, 'busybox' is a small Linux system. You can read about it here -> https://busybox.net/about.html

It would seem that your system has dropped you into busybox because it could not find a boot file. That's a good sign. It means your hard drive/partition is still working. Your files are probably still in good condition.

Are you COMPLETELY sure that the machine has no USB ports that it can boot from? Most machines built in the last ten years, have at least one USB port that they can boot from.

If you have access to the BIOS, you may need to enable the USB port as a boot device.

Then, you need to obtain a bootable USB drive/key and boot off that USB drive. I know that Ubuntu can boot off a USB drive.

So can Knoppix, Linux Mint and a whole raft of distros.

Now, the Ubuntu site must have some trouble shooting information. All you have lost so far, is the boot file and probably the correct boot parameters.

Which means, basically, your bootloader, Grub or whatever, is toast. The Ubuntu site will have a procedure to re-build your bootloader.

I don't use Ubuntu myself (hate the nasty thing) but I know they even offer commercial support. Which means, in the event you get desperate, you can call them up and wave your credit card at them, and they will fix it.

Here's a Google search to start you off

https://www.google.com/search?q=No+i...MoWAhATPuYeoDQ

Don't panic.

Hi rhamel,

My computer does have USB ports but I have never used it as I have never used a USB stick for anything. I also don't understand how an empty free USB stick can make it boot. My pc has 4 USB ports

I do have access to BIOS at start-up. As I am reading your potential solution, it looks like you're telling me to somehow enable a USB flash stick to actually boot the port as a boot device. I have no clue how to do that? Do I stick a USB in when in BIOS or before and something will pop up? because all that happens right now when I go to Ubantu is 'initramfs' section. I also do not have a live CD as many other threads are trying to advise. Within 'initramfs' itself if there are commands that can fix the boot load corruption? And if you need me to take a snap shot of 'initramfs' and when I press help or exit in 'initramfs' I can do that too, just a bunch of logs and numerical character mixes appear

thanks

Right, let's go back a step. No, you can't boot from an empty memory stick but you can boot from one that has a downloaded cdrom image copied onto it. Your installation disc would be a good image to use. A lot of people use SystemRescue.

To make such a boot device you need a computer! If you don't have another machine, go to a friend or to an Internet cafe with your memory stick. Download a suitable image (for example the Ubuntu installation disc) and copy it onto the drive. Actually you should always have such a device available, even when things are going well. You never know when you might need it (as you can now see!)

Once you have a bootable memory stick you are almost home and dry. You stick it in a usb port and boot. Some bioses will boot preferentially from usb if they find anything there; most need you to press a special key to trigger usb booting (if so, the key will be displayed on your initial screen before the bootloader comes up).

If you do boot in this way, you will be in a different system but you can mount your hard drive within this system, find out what has gone wrong and put it right.

The fact that you get into an initramfs shows that GRUB has loaded your kernel successfully. The initramfs is a temporary Linux system on a ramdisk which stock kernels use to load basic drivers before switching to the proper root partition on the hard drive. That's the point at which things are going wrong.

yes please.
i guess you mean ubuntu 12.04 - but we also need the last digit: 12.04.x
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

<cue_the_bad_guy_music>....
will tell you (please post it here) what OS release you are on.
It is time to "upgrade", and LTS is the way to go, thanks for asking.

There is no "upgrade" mechanism from an EOL system skipping 2 major releases, sorry.
Backup your stuff much? is /home on it's own partition?
This will save a lot of time/data/crying (yours)

Having an unsupported version of Ubuntu installed is not the end of the world.
"I do not have a CD" means what? No Drive, or no bootable media?
If no Drive. Got USB? How did this OS get on the drive in the first place?

If you look in my signature

But. Easy peasy way to just fix it is with a live usb session. My above quote explains what I am saying in this post also.

Habitual brings up a very good point also about end of life Linux installs.
Hazel has you covered also. She is a sharp cookie.
rhamel also has covered good points.

Especially

I think your biggest issue for now is learning how to make a live linux usb. figuring out how to boot it, and then learning how to run a file check on your Ubuntu partition and then moving on from there to reinstall grub to the mbr. Instead of asking for a shortcut and quick fix with copy and paste reply type of

But I can be a grumpy old fart after a storm like we had yesterday so take my post lightly and with a grain of salt. We are all volunteers anyways and have no reason to help out other than feeling sorry for some clueless user.

I just do not feel like searching for shortcuts today. Maybe someone else does.

Nit destruction after a bit of research:
The word "ubantu" is a valid word that has NOTHING to do with Linux of any flavor. You cannot "boot" into Ubantu because it is not an operating system.

The word Ubuntu is valid, has several related meanings, and is also used for a family of Operating Systems that are Linux based and originally spawned off of Debian. You can boot into Ubuntu.

Just to clarify, no matter how you spell it we must be dealing with Ubuntu (as several here have assumed, including myself).

Thank you.

Some folks are not native English speaking so I tend to forgive posts that are not in the Queens language.

FYI: neither word ( UNUNTU / UBANTU ) is English. Had you that queen in mind, or another?

1 members found this post helpful.

I haven't read every version of Ubuntu translations so I can't assume if the word the OP used is correct or not. However you do know it was Ubuntu don't you.