How to: Fix a full install & retain your settings & software

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perdido
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Joined: Mon 09 Dec 2013, 16:29
Location: ¿Altair IV , Just north of Eeyore Junction.?

How to: Fix a full install & retain your settings & software

#1 Post by perdido »

First, I searched the forum and did not find using the "Upgrade" install as a repair method anywhere. If it is on the forum please point me to it.
Please feel welcome to add any additional information you may have or correct any mistakes I may have made.
Thanks!
**********************************************
Problem: You somehow corrupted your Puppy Linux full install to hard drive (not a frugal install!) and you wish to repair it and retain your installed programs and settings.

Solution (possibly: Replace the core system files for puppy by doing a full install "upgrade", as it is referred to in the puppy universal installer. The "upgrade seems to have been
implemented to upgrade from one puppy version to another. It will also allow upgrading itself to the same version which overwrites existing system files.

:idea: In the future, you can avoid this full install issue entirely by doing a frugal install which keeps all your system changes in one save file.
Consider that it is a lot easier to keep a backup of a single file than a whole system and restoring the system is accomplished by copying one file.

First lets determine what kind of corrupt install you have.

Using Gparted as a tool to repair a broken full install
One way to corrupt a full install is losing power and damaging the file system. If you suspect you damaged the file
system in this manner (or another way) then the "upgrade" install may or may not work, I have not used it for a puppy damaged
in this way. In the next post after this one, <click here> bigpup explains how to use gparted to check your file system and repair your
file system. That would be a good place to start if you know your problem was not created by adding and removing a pet through the
Puppy Package Manager or accidently deleting something.

Using the "Upgrade" install as a tool to repair a broken full install
Another way I have seen a puppy install get corrupted is trying to install a pet (using Petget or the Puppy Package Manager) that was
made for a different version of Puppy Linux than you are running, then removing it with the Package Manager when it did not work.
The Puppy Package Manager removes all of the pet, including overwritten files that the system needs. The "upgrade" install could be a
way to fix this kind of problem if you cannot manually figure out what got deleted.

:idea: You can even avoid this full install issue entirely by doing a frugal install which keeps all your system changes in one save file.
Consider that it is a lot easier to keep a backup of a single file than a whole system and restoring the system is accomplished
by copying one file.

***********************************************
The first thing you should do before attempting the Upgrade Install is BACK UP YOUR DATA

Also consider that there is a certain amount of risk overwriting system files, especially if you don't follow the instructions step-by-step.
If you don't pay close attention and follow the instructions step-by-step, it is possible to accidently overwrite your hard drive. :shock: :!: :!:


That all being said....

The following install method will allow you to do an "upgrade" install and keep all your programs and settings.
There is no guarantee that this procedure will work. It has worked every time I have needed it.

You will need the install CD of your version of Puppy Linux, you can also re-install from a USB stick.

Use only the exact same version of puppy you are repairing.
--------------------------------------------------------
This is for Puppy Precise Version 5.7.1 only!
A procedure for Puppy 4.xx is farther down the thread.

To do an "upgrade" install

1. Boot from USB or CD
2. Go to Menu > Setup > Puppy Universal Installer
3. Choose the media you want to install to (same place where the broken puppy is installed to)
3. Choose where to install to (same hard drive where the broken puppy is installed, sda, sdb, etc)
4. Choose where to install to again (same partition where the broken puppy is installed. sda1, sda2, etc.)
5. Click OK to install puppy
6. Tell Installer where are the puppy files
7. After inserting media (already inserted) click OK
8. Choose "FULL" install
9. Choose "UPGRADE"

Then it says "Please wait, copying files"

Just close the next window when done, you do not need to install grub, it is already installed.

Shut down puppy, if asked choose "Do Not Save"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now start computer and puppy boots and everything is like you had it. No need to re-do Opera or anything else.


*******************************************************

This is for Puppy Version 4.xx only!

The following install method will allow you to do an "upgrade" install and keep all your programs and settings.
You will need the install CD of your version of Puppy Linux, you can also re-install from a USB stick
There is no guarantee that this procedure will work. It has worked every time I have needed it.
Use only the exact same version of puppy you are repairing..

The following 5 steps may or may not be needed. If you can already boot your puppy straight into Puppy Linux then skip
these 5 steps and go to "To do an "upgrade" install

1. Boot from USB or CD
2. Choose mouse type
3. Select keyboard
4. In Puppy Video Wizard choose Xorg or Xvesa (I use Xorg)
5. Choose monitor
6. Choose video mode

That gets you to puppy linux.
To do an "upgrade" install

1. Boot from CD or USB
1. Go to Menu > Setup > Puppy Universal Installer
2. Choose the media you want to install to.(same place where the broken puppy is installed to)
3. Choose which drive to install to: (same hard drive where the broken puppy is installed, sda, sdb, etc)
4. Choose where to install to again (same partition where the broken puppy is installed. sda1, sda2, etc.)
5. Click OK to install puppy
6. Tell Installer where are the puppy files
7. After inserting media (already inserted) click OK
8. Choose "FULL" install
9. Choose "UPGRADE"

Then it says "Please wait, copying files"

Just close the next window when done, you do not need to install grub, it is already installed.

Shut down puppy, choose "Do Not Save"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now start computer and puppy boots and everything is like you had it. No need to re-install all your software.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

An ounce of prevention...or what steps you can take to keep your puppy file system tuned up once your install is up and running again.

mikeb explains how to add an automatic file system check to run each time you boot your Puppy Linux full install.
See this post <click here> for his method on how to modify your rc.sysinit to do that.


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Last edited by perdido on Sun 04 Mar 2018, 18:28, edited 19 times in total.

User avatar
bigpup
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Joined: Sun 11 Oct 2009, 18:15
Location: S.C. USA

#2 Post by bigpup »

Problem: You somehow corrupted your Puppy Linux full install to hard drive and you wish to repair it.
The first thing to do is check the file system.
This may be the file system corrupted not the install.

Do this by using Gparted from a Puppy live CD or USB.

Run the program Gparted and have it do a check of the hard drive.

To use Gparted:
Boot with the Puppy live CD
At the Puppy boot screen hit F2 key.
Use the boot option puppy pfix=ram.
This keeps the hard drive from being mounted.
Hard drive can not be mounted for Gparted to work.

In Gparted
right click on a partition
Select check
If it finds anything wrong it will correct.

If you have more than one partition on hard drive
run a check on all of them.

Also, you need to state in your procedure that the upgrade install needs to be to the exact same location as the full install you are upgrading.
The exact hard drive partition the full install is on.

Also, point out this may or may not work.

Also, there are some repair options, offered as boot options, when you boot with a live Puppy CD or USB.
(must be same Puppy version as the one you are trying to repair)

At boot hit F2
enter boot option

puppy pfix=clean -file cleanup (simulate version upgrade)

puppy pfix=purge -more radical file cleanup (to fix broken systems)
This one may do more than you want and you may loose added stuff
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
YaPI(any iso installer)

User avatar
perdido
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Joined: Mon 09 Dec 2013, 16:29
Location: ¿Altair IV , Just north of Eeyore Junction.?

#3 Post by perdido »

bigpup wrote: The first thing to do is check the file system.
This may be the file system corrupted not the install.
Thanks bigpup, I changed my original post to reflect this and referred possible file system corruption to your instructions on using Gparted.

Also, you need to state in your procedure that the upgrade install needs to be to the exact same location as the full install you are upgrading.
The exact hard drive partition the full install is on.

Also, point out this may or may not work.
Thanks, I overlooked that very important item and pointed out the procedure may or may not work.

Your input is very much appreciated!


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mikeb
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Joined: Thu 23 Nov 2006, 13:56

#4 Post by mikeb »

You can add a file system check to just before the filesystem is remounted read/write in rc.sysinit ... -y for unattended... I found that helped full install reliability even on ext3.

mike

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perdido
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Location: ¿Altair IV , Just north of Eeyore Junction.?

#5 Post by perdido »

mikeb wrote:You can add a file system check to just before the filesystem is remounted read/write in rc.sysinit ... -y for unattended... I found that helped full install reliability even on ext3.

mike
Thanks mikeb!
I pointed toyour method to do a file system check every boot of a full install.


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slavvo67
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Joined: Sat 13 Oct 2012, 02:07
Location: The other Mr. 305

#6 Post by slavvo67 »

Perdido:

It may be advisable to add a comment at the beginning for those who lack the common sense of backing up their important data before trying any update or fix. I may add, you might want to advise people against a full install until they are familiar and comfortable with Puppy and/or Quirky.

I never did a full install on my main machine but have done so on plenty of toy boxes without issue. I also never have less than 2 backups.

Kindest regards,

Slavvo67

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perdido
Posts: 1528
Joined: Mon 09 Dec 2013, 16:29
Location: ¿Altair IV , Just north of Eeyore Junction.?

#7 Post by perdido »

slavvo67 wrote:Perdido:

It may be advisable to add a comment at the beginning for those who lack the common sense of backing up their important data before trying any update or fix. I may add, you might want to advise people against a full install until they are familiar and comfortable with Puppy and/or Quirky.

I never did a full install on my main machine but have done so on plenty of toy boxes without issue. I also never have less than 2 backups.

Kindest regards,

Slavvo67
Thanks for the suggestions, backing up is now hilighted in red as part of the instructions. Also mentioned the benefits of a frugal install.

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