2

Possible Duplicate:
What should I do when Ubuntu freezes?

I was updating my Desktop from 10.04 to 12.04 and the server crashed before the update was done is there any way to fix this other than reinstalling the OS.

If not is there a way that I can back up by RAID configuration, Apache, php, sql, Python, ethernet connection, cron jobs, samba, LDAP, etc. and other useful apps, export a list of all of the things I have installed and config files automatically?

Community
  • 1
GeneralZero
  • 21
  • Does your system boot at all? If so, please give us the output of 'uname -r' – fabricator4 Sep 24 '12 at 17:39
  • it hangs at ubuntu press s to skip or m for manual recovery of / but can boot in to single user mode – GeneralZero Sep 24 '12 at 17:55
  • OK, boot into single user mode and give us the output of 'uname -r' please. – fabricator4 Sep 24 '12 at 18:56
  • 2.6.32.43-generic – GeneralZero Sep 24 '12 at 22:19
  • OK, the upgrade did not work at all - the booted kernel is still the 10.04 kernel. I would say installed versions of various programs may be messed up though, hence the problems. I've got some old instructions around here someone for doing a distribution upgrade from command line. Maybe if you can kick the upgrade off again it will finish normally. Unfortunately there's no easy way of undoing what has been done. – fabricator4 Sep 26 '12 at 17:50
  • I reformatted the drive and started from scrach – GeneralZero Nov 02 '12 at 17:02

1 Answers1

1

Before you go any further I seriously recommend backing up all your data, and all the hidden dot files in your home directory. To make a list of installed programs do:

dpgk --get-selections | grep -v deinstall > ubuntu-files

This will make a file in the current directory called ubuntu-files which will contain a list of everything that is installed. To restore this list to the system do the following:

### Make sure the system is fully updated if it isn't already:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
### Install the dselect tool (probably depracated)
sudo apt-get install dselect
### Give the package list to dpkg so it knows what to install
sudo dpkg --set-selections < ubuntu-files
### Use dselect to initiate installation (option 'I' will do it)
sudo dselect

Please note that this will install everything in the list you made in the first step. If you're doing this after upgrading the release level then the results may not be ideal - for example open office will may installed when the default for 12.04 should actually be Libre Office and so on.

To try to kick the distribution upgrade off again do the following:

### Make sure the package lists are up to date.
sudo apt-get update
### install update-manager-core if it is not already:
sudo apt-get install update-manager-core
### Kick the release upgrade off again...
sudo do-release-upgrade
fabricator4
  • 8,375
  • I tried to use a boot disk to mount and chroot in to the directory but it failed to update because bind was not working. I then tried to use the ip addresses and replace them in the sources.list file and somewhat worked I was then able to boot in to single user mode (12.04 Version) but couldn't modify any files because they were read-only system files. – GeneralZero Sep 27 '12 at 15:39