How to: Fix a full install & retain your settings & software
Posted: Sun 13 Jul 2014, 19:28
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.
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.
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.
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.
.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.