Arch Linux

aereaux

Member

Registered: 2015-06-02

Posts: 3

Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

The only kernel I have installed is linux-lts, but every so often I upgrade mkinitcpio or a pacman hook triggers mkinitcpio and it tries to use linux.preset and fails because that kernel is not installed.

(5/6) Updating linux initcpios...
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-lts.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts -g /boot/initramfs-linux-lts.img
==> Starting build: '6.12.63-1-lts'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [consolefont]
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [encrypt]
  -> Running build hook: [zfs]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [fsck]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-linux-lts.img'
  -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-lts.preset: 'fallback'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts -g /boot/initramfs-linux-lts-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: '6.12.63-1-lts'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [udev]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'ast'
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci_renesas'
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [consolefont]
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
  -> Running build hook: [block]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'bfa'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qed'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'aic94xx'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla2xxx'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla1280'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'wd719x'
  -> Running build hook: [encrypt]
  -> Running build hook: [zfs]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [fsck]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-linux-lts-fallback.img'
  -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
==> ERROR: Invalid option -k -- '/boot/vmlinuz-linux' must be readable
error: command failed to execute correctly

I have removed the linux.preset several times (it doesn't look like it's owned by any package), and it keeps being regenerated.  Where is that coming from and how can I fix this?

Thanks in advance!

KevinCrrl

Member

Registered: 2025-05-27

Posts: 15

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

But did you previously have the linux package, or have you always used linux-lts? In my case, the linux.preset is still there, but in .pacsave format, and I no longer use the linux package:

$ ls /etc/mkinitcpio.d
linux-hardened.preset  linux.preset.pacsave  linux-zen.preset

And everything is generated correctly:

==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-hardened.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-hardened -g /boot/initramfs-linux-hardened.img
==> Starting build: '6.17.11-hardened1-1-hardened'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [systemd]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [sd-vconsole]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [fsck]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-linux-hardened.img'
  -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-zen.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-zen -g /boot/initramfs-linux-zen.img
==> Starting build: '6.18.2-zen2-1-zen'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [systemd]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [sd-vconsole]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [fsck]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-linux-zen.img'
  -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
==> Initcpio image generation successful

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 13,418

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

What all was installed/upgraded on that transaction where linux.preset appeared?

xerxes_

Member

Registered: 2018-04-29

Posts: 986

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

You may try to comment out all lines in file /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset by adding # in the beginning of every line (if hash is not already there).

aereaux

Member

Registered: 2015-06-02

Posts: 3

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

I may have at one point had `linux` installed, but it has been a while.  Now there is nothing but `linux-lts.preset` (after I have deleted `linux.preset` when it appears).  I don't know if I ever had a pacsave

$ ll /etc/mkinitcpio.d
total 1.0K
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 551 Nov  3 07:51 linux-lts.preset

I don't know what else is upgraded in the transactions where this appears, as it sneaks in and I don't notice it until the mkinitcpio starts failing.

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 14,623

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

The presets are created by /usr/share/alpm/scripts/mkinitcpio .

line 24 - 34 show how it detects which presets to generate .

Check your /usr/lib/modules folder, it probably has leftovers from when you did have stock linux kernel installed.

---

Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

aereaux

Member

Registered: 2015-06-02

Posts: 3

Re: Only linux-lts installed, but mkinitcpio trying to use linux.preset

The presets are created by /usr/share/alpm/scripts/mkinitcpio .

line 24 - 34 show how it detects which presets to generate .

Check your /usr/lib/modules folder, it probably has leftovers from when you did have stock linux kernel installed.

Thanks, this is exactly what I need!  It looks like I have a good number of old files here, maybe created by kernel-modules-hook or by dkms.  Is it safe to delete all the ones that aren't owned by a current package?