Not booting after kernel upgrade

laughingblue · February 3, 2026, 5:40am

I recently ran a system upgrade that upgraded my kernel from 6.18.7 to 6.18.8. On my next boot, the system stalled at A start job is running for dracut initqueue hook for exactly 2 minutes, then at A stop job is running for Rule-based manager for just over 1 minute, and then stopped completely at:

Welcome to EndeavourOS!

systemd[1]: bpf-restrict-fs: LSM BPF program attached

I downgraded my kernel back to 6.18.7, and that enabled it to boot, but it still stalls (always for exactly 2 minutes!) at A start job is running for dracut initqueue hook. Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be causing this?

dalto · February 3, 2026, 5:45am

Unfortunately, that message doesn’t tell us much about why it is slow. It could be hardware/firmware/drivers/config causing it to fail at that stage.

What other packages were updated in that update?

keescase · February 3, 2026, 8:05am

So I checked if there was a kernel update to 6.18.8 , and guess what there wasn’t so that makes me wonder if you are running a cachy kernel which has been recently updated to 6.18.8, or something like that. If it is a cachy kernel I know Cachy doesn’t use dracut so maybe that could be the problem ?

dalto · February 3, 2026, 12:52pm

Dracut doesn’t care what kernel you use. I use the the CachyOS kernels with dracut.

laughingblue · February 3, 2026, 10:47pm

So I checked if there was a kernel update to 6.18.8 , and guess what there wasn’t so that makes me wonder if you are running a cachy kernel which has been recently updated to 6.18.8, or something like that.

I use the standard Arch kernel, but otherwise you are absolutely right; on checking the logs, it was actually an upgrade from 6.18.6 to 6.18.7. I did still install version 6.18.7 from the chroot, meaning that it was a kernel reinstall, not a downgrade, that fixed the boot failure. Still doesn’t explain everything, but perhaps helpful.

Also, I have since tried to boot with the LTS and Zen kernels, and they both behave identically to the standard Arch one: 2min stall, 1min stall, successful boot.

laughingblue · February 3, 2026, 11:44pm

Update: I installed kernel version 6.18.6 on my normal system and attempted to boot it. The boot behaved the same (2m pause, then ~1min pause) and then broke in the exact same way as earlier.

I then used chroot on a live USB to install the same kernel version, 6.18.6, and everything cleared up—no more pauses and a clean boot, and it also cleared up some issues that I’d been having waking from suspend. (I hadn’t previously connected these to the system upgrade because I had also just upgraded my motherboard before the system upgrade, and I hadn’t tested the sleep function between installing the motherboard and updating the kernel.)

I’m staying on kernel 6.18.6 for now, but I’d still love to know what caused this, if I should report it as a kernel bug, and if so, where (as I’ve never done that before).

Here is the (partial) log from the upgrade that broke things in the first place, showing the package changes:

[2026-02-02T18:58:09-0800] [ALPM] removed vi (1:070224-6)
[2026-02-02T18:58:09-0800] [ALPM] upgraded glibc (2.42+r51+gcbf39c26b258-1 -> 2.42+r51+gcbf39c26b258-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded openssl (3.6.0-1 -> 3.6.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libldap (2.6.10-2 -> 2.6.12-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded pam (1.7.1-1 -> 1.7.2-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libunistring (1.3-1 -> 1.4.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded curl (8.18.0-2 -> 8.18.0-3)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxext (1.3.6-1 -> 1.3.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded expat (2.7.3-1 -> 2.7.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded harfbuzz (12.3.1-1 -> 12.3.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:10-0800] [ALPM] upgraded appstream (1.1.1-1 -> 1.1.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:11-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gettext (0.26-1 -> 1.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:11-0800] [ALPM] upgraded jansson (2.14.1-1 -> 2.15.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:11-0800] [ALPM] upgraded cryptsetup (2.8.3-1 -> 2.8.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:11-0800] [ALPM] upgraded archlinux-keyring (20260107-2 -> 20260131-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded aspell (0.60.8.1-2 -> 0.60.8.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded avahi (1:0.9rc2-3 -> 1:0.9rc3-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-cssselect (1.3.0-2 -> 1.4.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxxf86vm (1.1.6-1 -> 1.1.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded mesa (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:12-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-translations (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-base (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-pyqt6 (6.10.2-2 -> 6.10.2-3)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxrandr (1.5.4-1 -> 1.5.5-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-imageformats (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded svt-av1 (3.1.2-1 -> 4.0.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded ffmpeg (2:8.0.1-2 -> 2:8.0.1-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-declarative (6.10.1-3 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-multimedia-ffmpeg (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-multimedia (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-speech (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-svg (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxcomposite (0.4.6-2 -> 0.4.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxkbfile (1.1.3-1 -> 1.2.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxdamage (1.1.6-2 -> 1.1.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-positioning (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-webchannel (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:13-0800] [ALPM] upgraded noto-fonts (1:2026.01.01-1 -> 1:2026.02.01-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:14-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-webengine (6.10.1-2 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:14-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libavif (1.3.0-3 -> 1.3.0-5)
[2026-02-02T18:58:14-0800] [ALPM] upgraded calibre (8.7.0-8 -> 8.7.0-9)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded cmake (4.2.2-2 -> 4.2.3-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxinerama (1.1.5-2 -> 1.1.6-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded discord (1:0.0.121-1 -> 1:0.0.123-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded eos-bash-shared (26-1 -> 26.1.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded procps-ng (4.0.5-3 -> 4.0.6-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded parallel (20251222-1 -> 20260122-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded eos-rankmirrors (25.11.4-1 -> 26-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded fastfetch (2.57.1-1 -> 2.58.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded ffmpeg4.4 (4.4.6-3 -> 4.4.6-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:15-0800] [ALPM] upgraded firefox (147.0.1-1 -> 147.0.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] installed python-firewall (2.4.0-5)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded firewalld (2.4.0-2 -> 2.4.0-5)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded fuse-common (3.17.4-1 -> 3.18.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded fuse3 (3.17.4-1 -> 3.18.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded git (2.52.0-2 -> 2.53.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded glew (2.3.0-2 -> 2.3.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gstreamer (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded orc (0.4.41-1 -> 0.4.42-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-base-libs (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded wavpack (5.8.1-1 -> 5.9.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-good (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-bad-libs (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libadwaita (1:1.8.3-1 -> 1:1.8.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gnome-keybindings (49.3-1 -> 49.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libnautilus-extension (49.3-1 -> 49.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded nautilus (49.3-1 -> 49.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded harfbuzz-icu (12.3.1-1 -> 12.3.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gnome-control-center (49.3-1 -> 49.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-libav (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugin-gtk (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-bad (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-base (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded gst-plugins-ugly (1.26.10-3 -> 1.26.10-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded inetutils (2.6-1 -> 2.7-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-shadertools (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qt6-5compat (6.10.1-1 -> 6.10.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded kio (6.22.0-1 -> 6.22.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded less (1:685-1 -> 1:691-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-glibc (2.42+r51+gcbf39c26b258-1 -> 2.42+r51+gcbf39c26b258>
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-openssl (1:3.6.0-1 -> 1:3.6.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-libldap (2.6.10-1 -> 2.6.12-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-curl (8.18.0-3 -> 8.18.0-4)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-expat (2.7.3-1 -> 2.7.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-libxext (1.3.6-1 -> 1.3.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-libxinerama (1.1.5-2 -> 1.1.6-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxmu (1.2.1-1 -> 1.3.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-libxmu (1.2.1-1 -> 1.3.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-libxrandr (1.5.4-1 -> 1.5.5-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-mesa (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded vulkan-mesa-implicit-layers (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-vulkan-mesa-implicit-layers (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded vulkan-radeon (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded lib32-vulkan-radeon (1:25.3.3-3 -> 1:25.3.4-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libatomic_ops (7.8.2-1 -> 7.8.2-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libheif (1.21.2-1 -> 1.21.2-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libspelling (0.4.9-2 -> 0.4.10-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:16-0800] [ALPM] upgraded libxpm (3.5.17-2 -> 3.5.18-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:17-0800] [ALPM] upgraded linux (6.18.6.arch1-1 -> 6.18.7.arch1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:18-0800] [ALPM] upgraded linux-headers (6.18.6.arch1-1 -> 6.18.7.arch1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:18-0800] [ALPM] upgraded nilfs-utils (2.2.12-1 -> 2.2.15-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded nodejs (25.3.0-1 -> 25.4.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded node-gyp (12.1.0-1 -> 12.2.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded noto-fonts-extra (1:2026.01.01-1 -> 1:2026.02.01-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded npm (11.7.0-1 -> 11.8.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded oath-toolkit (2.6.13-1 -> 2.6.14-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-numpy (2.4.1-1 -> 2.4.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-orjson (3.11.5-2 -> 3.11.7-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded qpdf (12.3.1-2 -> 12.3.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-pikepdf (10.2.0-1 -> 10.3.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-termcolor (3.2.0-3 -> 3.3.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:19-0800] [ALPM] upgraded python-wheel (0.45.1-4 -> 0.46.3-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded reaper (7.59-1 -> 7.60-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded sof-firmware (2025.12.1-1 -> 2025.12.2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded transmission-gtk (4.0.6-10 -> 4.1.0-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded tree (2.2.1-1 -> 2.3.1-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] installed vim-runtime (9.1.2077-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] installed vim (9.1.2077-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] installed ex-vi-compat (2-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded wine (11.0-1 -> 11.1-2)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded winetricks (20250102-1 -> 20260125-1)
[2026-02-02T18:58:20-0800] [ALPM] upgraded xorg-xkill (1.0.6-2 -> 1.0.7-1)
...
[2026-02-02T19:10:11-0800] [PACMAN] Running 'pacman -S lm_sensors'
[2026-02-02T19:13:05-0800] [PACMAN] Running 'pacman -S i2c-tools'