What Is an MTD Device Error?
The full error message for an MTD device error is: mtd device must be supplied (device name is empty) MTD stands for “Memory Technology Device.” This refers to your storage device, like a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). The error message itself doesn’t tell you much about the cause of the problem. It means that Linux cannot access the storage device, which is impossible, as your device is posting if you’re seeing the error message.
How to Fix an MTD Device Error
Although this error can cause a bit of panic, as it prevents your device from booting, fixing it will not cause near the same amount of panic.
1. MTD Pstore
This issue is caused by “systemd-pstore.service” loading before mtdpstore loads. This would lead to no kernel modules loading and leave the device stuck in a boot loop. Although this problem is recent, the fix for this is simple. An official bugfix was released on 14th September 2022. Update your distro and main repository using the following commands to get the update.
2. Freeing Up Space
This is also called the “0 bytes error.” Filling your storage can cause your PC to boot loop. I encountered this problem when I filled my VAR partition, so it’s likely a logging issue. The fix for this is simple: access the Grub boot menu by pressing Escape on your keyboard after the bios has loaded to allow you to boot into recovery mode. Select the “Try to make free space” option. Here, you should be able to free up space by using the following commands: or When using rm -rf, make sure you navigate to the folder and files you want to remove using cd. If you need root access, learn how you can open any files as root in Ubuntu. If you’re unable to free up space this way, you can always live boot from a Linux USB and remove files using the GUI. Setting up a Linux USB is easy: download the image file from the Ubuntu website and use the startup creator to make it set up as a startup disk. If necessary, you can also boot to Recovery mode in Ubuntu.
3. Secure Boot
Secure boot detects malware or any malicious files that may launch on boot. The additional security is beneficial but can cause boot issues, including the MTD device error. To fix this, access your motherboard BIOS by pressing the BIOS shortcut key (F12, DEL, F2 or F10). Select the Security tab and disable secure boot. After rebooting, the error message should be gone and your device should boot. This process can differ slightly based on your motherboard. If “CSM Support” is enabled, you may not be able to access Secure boot. Make sure it is on the disabled setting. Tip: if your Ubuntu Software Center is not working, we have the fixes here. Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Nathan Meyer.
