Spilled the Beans
I was in the middle of upgrading from Ubuntu 16.04 (been putting it off for a while) and the upgrade froze about halfway through, freezing my entire computer. I had to manually reboot it and now it loads to this screen IMG_8402.jpg(sorry for the quality best my camera can do) honestly no idea what to do,
Any help/suggestions are highly welcome!
Last edited by ruby9; February 8th, 2021 at 12:48 PM.
<--- Run xman to see that window.
In the last month, I've been moving my 16.04 systems to 18.04 too. Most of the migrations have had at least 1 issue, but none were the same issue on each.
So - you'll need to create an 18.04 Live-Installer and boot into the "Try Ubuntu" part. Then you'll need to gather some facts, since there could be all sorts of issues and guessing isn't really much of an option.
The first thing to do from the "Try Ubuntu" environment is to provide a summary of your hardware.
inxi -Fz and post that output here wrapped inside 'code tags' - https://ubuntuforums.org/misc.php?do=bbcode#code explains code tags.
Next, check the most simple things, mount the internal storage on the system and run
df -Th - post that with code tags too. An upgrade needs at least 5G free on / and 150MB on /boot/ to work.
If you ran out of storage, mid-upgrade, then you'll need to restore from the backup you made prior to starting and either try again, or just do a fresh install of 18.04 (or 20.04?). Then restore your HOME directory.
BTW, the first image is completely worthless. Please remove that link. To access all those error messages as text (much preferred), boot from the internal disk and let it fail. Then boot from the "Try ubuntu" environment and pull the file from /var/log/messages on the internal storage. You'll need to mount that storage somewhere else, so it won't be /var/log/ ... it will be ......something .... /var/log/ Find the relevant parts and show 5-10 lines above the failures, plus the entire stack from the failure.
If this all sounds too hard and you don't want to wait, just to a fresh install, then restore your data from the backups already made. That would be the fastest way to a working computer.
Spilled the Beans
Thank you, sorry I should have mentioned that my computer's pretty old and can on occasion freeze so the fault might be on my comp instead of the software install (was in a panic since I forgot to backup before trying to upgrade). I booted from the 'try ubuntu' and still see all my files and folders am backing them up now, do you know if there's a way for me to back up firefox bookmarks as well? Only have the disk for 16.04 so will try to reinstall that before trying to upgrade again. You said you've been moving your system from 16.04 to 18.04, didn't know you could do it in parts, any tips on how to do this since where I'm at the internet and power can also go out sometimes and I'd rather not go through the risk again.
May the Ubuntu Be With You!
I suggest a UPS if power is unstable
Ubuntu addict and loving it
Your Firefox bookmarks (and the rest of your Firefox profile) is in ~/.mozilla, which is a hidden directory in your home directory. You could just backup your entire home directory, which contains all your personal documents and settings.Originally Posted by ruby9
That's OK, but if you have a second computer available, it may be easier if you use it to create a 20.04 live disk.Only have the disk for 16.04 so will try to reinstall that before trying to upgrade again.
If your internet connection drops, it's inconvenient, but won't ruin your system. It only starts installing the upgrade after it has finished downloading all packages. A few packages may download additional data during install, but those aren't critical. Power failures are a different matter. A power failure in the middle of an upgrade (and not just a release upgrade, but also the regular ones) can lead to an unbootable system.where I'm at the internet and power can also go out sometimes and I'd rather not go through the risk again.
Spilled the Beans
Thank you, I found it but it won't let me copy the folder saying I don't have permission to copy it. I actually do want to back up the whole home dictionary but get the same message when I try to drop the folder (I'm not very good at using the terminal) to the usb drive: Screenshot from 2021-02-09 11-15-33.jpgYour Firefox bookmarks (and the rest of your Firefox profile) is in ~/.mozilla, which is a hidden directory in your home directory. You could just backup your entire home directory, which contains all your personal documents and settings.
Had no idea about thisIf your internet connection drops, it's inconvenient, but won't ruin your system. It only starts installing the upgrade after it has finished downloading all packages. A few packages may download additional data during install, but those aren't critical. Power failures are a different matter. A power failure in the middle of an upgrade (and not just a release upgrade, but also the regular ones) can lead to an unbootable system.just realized how lucky I've been considering how many times the powers cut out mid update.
Last edited by ruby9; February 9th, 2021 at 12:43 PM.
Ubuntu addict and loving it
Just use sudo. People often overuse it, but this is one of those cases it was meant for. If you want to do it the neat way, you can use rsync to copy. Best if your usb drive has a Linux filesystem, as that will keep file permissions:If you have no Linux filesystem on the usb drive and want to keep permissions anyway, you can pack your files in an archive.Code:sudo rsync -aXS /media/path-to-internal-drive/home/username /media/path-to-usb-drive
A power failure during an upgrade can leave the package currently being upgraded in an inconsistent state, damaging the software in that package. If the package is critical for booting, the computer may become unbootable. There are actually some safeguards to make it less likely the computer becomes unbootable.
<--- Run xman to see that window.
Any power spike is dangerous for computers. Never know what can happen. Using the BSR is the least-worse method. Just yanking the power cord is the worst. I've had a computer completely friend yanking the power cord - that was long ago - so hopefully current computers have spike protection built-in to some small degree. We didn't have that 20+ yrs ago. Of course, lightning strikes nearby are bad for all electronic devices.
+1 for using rsync to a Linux file system. There are a few files in our HOME directories which absolutely must have correct permissions to work. The ones I know about are for ssh and ssh-related uses. If the target storage is FAT32 or exFAT, then you'll need to use tar first so owner, group, and permissions are captured. I don't think any other common archive tool (arj, zip, gzip, bzip, .... ) capture that critical data. Just stuff it all into a tar archive - I'd probably compress it with gzip at the same time - and copy that file over to the USB storage. FAT32 can only hold a 4G file or smaller, so if you have more than that, you'll need to make multiple tar.gz files.
Spilled the Beans
Best if your usb drive has a Linux filesystem, as that will keep file permissions.Sorry I'm not sure what you mean? I'm ver un tech-savvy.If you have no Linux filesystem on the usb drive and want to keep permissions anyway, you can pack your files in an archive.
I've tried this and must be doing something wrong (I've only used the terminal to update) since it's not working this is the file name I'm trying to copy Screenshot from 2021-02-10 10-52-59.jpg this is the usb I'm trying to copy it to and my attempts: Screenshot from 2021-02-10 10-51-24.jpg:Code:sudo rsync -aXS /media/path-to-internal-drive/home/username /media/path-to-usb-drive
Spilled the Beans
Don't know anything about file compression, is any .tar ok to use?
+1 for using rsync to a Linux file system. There are a few files in our HOME directories which absolutely must have correct permissions to work. The ones I know about are for ssh and ssh-related uses. If the target storage is FAT32 or exFAT, then you'll need to use tar first so owner, group, and permissions are captured. I don't think any other common archive tool (arj, zip, gzip, bzip, .... ) capture that critical data. Just stuff it all into a tar archive - I'd probably compress it with gzip at the same time - and copy that file over to the USB storage. FAT32 can only hold a 4G file or smaller, so if you have more than that, you'll need to make multiple tar.gz files.
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