PC reboot during installing 11.x --> Ubuntu startup problems

[HarryE]

All,
As a new Ubuntu user, I decided to allow Ubuntu to upgrade from 10.?? to 11.0
All went well, but during the installation of 1 hour, my pc went into "sleep" modus, and it is impossible to get it out of this modus in Ubuntu.

So I had to reboot my pc, but during the start-up of Ubuntu the process stops somewhere at the point "checking battery status [OK]". Then everything just stops. I tried all Linux Ubuntu versions and save modii, the only thing that is still working is good old Windows XP, thank God!

What can I do to get my Ubuntu starting up again?
I do not like to start all-over with installing Ubuntu: then I will loose all my docs and pics that I've saved in the Ubuntu partition... help!

Thanks,
Harry

[Paddy Landau]

Lessons for next time: Disable power saving mode before upgrading! Back up all your data before installing!

Unfortunately, recovering from a failed installation is problematic. It may be possible but I'm not sure how.

Here is what I have, and I hope it works for you:


When you boot, you are given the option between Ubuntu and Windows. Probably your second option is the "recovery mode".
Choose the "recovery mode"; then "drop to root shell prompt".
Type the following commands in order. (You may need to add sudo to the front of each command.)

apt-get --fix-broken install
dpkg --configure --pending
apt-get ist-upgrade
If step 3 works, you should be able to reboot and run Update Manager again.

If, however, that does not work, you can try a different approach...

If you burn a Live CD (or preferably USB), you can boot from it to access your Ubuntu home folder. Caveat: If you encrypted your home folder, the following will not work without some sweat and tears.


When you boot from the Live CD, find your /home/[username] folder in Nautilus.
Check that you can see all your files in that folder.
Press Ctrl-H so that you can see the hidden files and folders (those beginning with a dot).
Now you need to back up everything in that folder. Copy the entire home folder to a safe place -- your Windows data area would be a good idea if there is space.
Boot into Windows and check that your files really are there.

Now, you can reinstall Ubuntu from scratch. Once you have recreated your user and successfully signed in, first run all updates. Then, copy the entire folder back again from Windows -- this will restore all your settings! All you need do is reinstall any programs you want installed.

This is a relatively painless procedure. I would always recommend a fresh installation over an upgrade, because I've seen too many problems with upgrades.