Steps to Resolve the “Target is Busy” Error

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The error umount: /mnt/system: target is busy typically occurs when there are still active processes or files using the mount point, preventing it from being unmounted. Here’s how to address this issue:

Steps to Resolve the “Target is Busy” Error

  1. Check for Active Processes Using the Mount Point Use the lsof (List Open Files) or fuser command to identify any processes that might be using the mounted filesystem: lsof +D /mnt/system or fuser -m /mnt/system This will list any processes using the /mnt/system directory. If you find any, you can either stop the processes or forcefully terminate them.
  2. Kill Processes (If Needed) If there are any processes using the mount point, you can kill them. For example, to kill a specific process: kill -9 <PID> Or to kill all processes using the mount: fuser -km /mnt/system
  3. Retry Unmounting Once the processes have been killed, try unmounting again: umount /mnt/system
  4. Lazy Unmount (If the Above Steps Fail) If the above methods do not work, you can try using a “lazy” unmount, which will detach the mount when it’s no longer busy: umount --lazy /mnt/system
  5. Check for Mounted Filesystems After unmounting, verify that all filesystems have been unmounted: mount | grep /mnt/system
  6. Reboot if Necessary If the filesystem still cannot be unmounted, and it’s safe to do so, reboot the system. Rebooting can help clear any lingering processes holding the mount point: reboot