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Vicktoria

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Help!!! An unfortunate thing happened on my way to Linux Nirvana...I guess it is a crash. I had just got my Mint Mate Tara 19 where I wanted it and was backing things up. I had used Timeshift to make an image on my external Seagate drive, and was trying to use 'backup tool' to backup the home drive. I was getting a no access permission denied message, and was trying to get around this to back up my Home directory when it crashed. I was taken to a 'login' screen showing the freshly installed black linux screen with the machine name at the top left and a window with Victoria above the logon window, yet when I try entering the password it just refreshes that screen. I had installed Linux so that I did not have to put in a password on startup. I can't get it to do anything else. Just clicking on the login windows causes it to refresh. I tried plugging in the external drive to get to timeshift, but that seems compromised now as well. It clicks and the 'on' light isn't on. Please help me get Tara back. Thank you for your assistance in advance.
 


Hi, Vicktoria. Sorry to hear of your common concern (been there, just not with Mint). See if this webpage helps. I'm a Clonezilla guy, so if it does not help, cry out to one of the myriad of Mint users on the forum, please!
 
If you have LM Tara 19 on a usb drive (thumb drive), boot the pc to that.

Once you are on the live usb drive, bring up Timeshift there, and attempt to restore from there.

Timeshift will tell you where it is going to restore to.....it is quite intuitive and brilliant in its way

Don't panic.
 
Hi guys. I tried putting the Tara Mate usb in and was able to get the welcome screen from which I accessed Timeshift which did run yet I end up with a message 'The path for directory containing caja ettings need read and write permissions: /home/victoria/config/caja' I've got a whirling disk and cannot close that error message nor bring up terminal with <contrl t> . There is nothing on the screen except the black desktop background with Linux emblem. Any thoughts?
 
Hi, Vicktoria

Try Ctrl-Alt-F2 (Ctrl-Alt-F7 to get back)
and see if console comes up with just a prompt.

If it does, change permissions for the path (it sounds like this is what you were going to do in terminal, no?) as needed (chmod +rw) I'm assuming you have learned this permission change (maybe wrongly).
 
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Hiya Wiley One, No you are not wrong...I had my terminal permission lesson. I got into a terminal somehow and tried chmond for /home/victoria/config/caja; it said no such file or directory. I tried mkdir /home/vitoria/config/caja; and that was negated somehow...I forget the exact words. I'll try again. Just waiting on Timeshift for the umptenth time. It didn't work. There was a flash error note about 'panel encountered system...' thats all I got. I made another usb with Cinnamon instead of mate. Figured Mate is too glitchy. I can't get the machine to boot from the usb. It worked on my HP Windows.

I tried your keyboard and got terminal like screen. I never had a login. I tried my password and then it asked for proper login. It must be victoria. I'm in now at prompt, yet don't know what to enter.
 
Hi, Vicktoria

Try Ctrl-Alt-F2 (Ctrl-Alt-F7 to get back)
and see if console comes up with just a prompt.

If it does, change permissions for the path (it sounds like this is what you were going to do in terminal, no?) as needed (chmod +rw) I'm assuming you have learned this permission change (maybe wrongly).
So I tried chmod +rw /home/victoria/config/caja and it says : no such file or directory. will try to make the directory from here. mkdir /home/victoria/config/caja respnse is 'cannot create directory. No such file or directory. I installed caja and it said the latest version was already installed.
 
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Did you set a root password previously?
Did you set a User password, even though AutoLogin was enabled?

Boot up with USB again and see if you can login either with UserName and Password or just hit Enter twice. Sorry, but never used Timeshift
Code:
cd /
Code:
chmod -R u=rw og=r ./home/victoria
-R makes it recursive for everything under 'victoria'
 
You can use any usb with a linux os on it....does not need to be the same as the os you are running.

Boot the pc to that usb

access/install Timeshift

Open Timeshift...it will ask for your password....put it in. (it does this becasue you are acting as 'super user''...in other words you can break things at will...permanently)

I have not had need to do this for some time.....so bare with me

In Timeshift click on Location
Select the location where your snapshots are kept.......you may need to click on "Refresh"
or maybe even 'browse' to find the correct place where the snapshots are stored.

Then, with the particular snapshot highlighted, click on RESTORE .....at the bottom of the next few pages you may need to click on next etc......just read the blurb to be sure it is being sent to the proper place....in 99% of cases it will be ok.

Go have a coffee. 10 minutes should do it.
 
I thought I had it, as I was missing the 'dot' before config...alas, Instill get 'cannot access that file, no such file or directory. I did succeed in giving permissions to /home/victoria. Figured that couldn't hurt. I can access timeshift from the Welcome window, and have run restore several times on each of two timeshift restore points. Neither have worked thus far. Will try again now that I gave permission to /home/victoria. I'll try making a directory for caja. Maybe I need direction about how to do that, please. Thank you blessed souls.

Tfhis doesn't look good. I went back to the welcome window to see if running timeshift would be successful this time, and things were very different. I gave rwx to /home/victoria. Back at the Welcome window I went to timeshift and the two choices were gone. I can see my files in home and I think in root...bin at least is visible plus the task bar is present now, yet the 'menu' shows all errors of 'couldn't load plug-in apps.' I intend to wait for guidance before causing more errors. Man, I like to learn, yet this is a bit much. Thanks for all assistance. I'll keep researching.

I followed the guidance from you-tube to tap the external hard drive that wouldn't start, didn't show an on light. It was ticking and the guy said it might be stuck heads. Light tapping on table a couple of times got it working again. Right now I'm downloading the newest timeshift backup to the desktop. Couldn't get it to restore directly from backup. Will give an update hopefully from the Linux machine soon.
 
Sorry for your frustrations, Vicktoria.

Nowadays, especially (with all types of hackers and who knows what on the web), whenever I have the system 90% where I want it I clone it on a larger USB stick using Clonezilla. This is before I spend much time online except to to do an update and upgrade and maybe remove and install a few programs I dislike and favor, respectively. If I can get it to 99% where I want it without interference, I clone it again.

Forgive me, but I never did like those temporary timeshift or whatever programs. As you have seen, one cannot depend on them, in my experience.

I sincerely hope LO's Mint users are able to help you!
 
Hello Wiley One, I'll have to say that my experience with Timeshift supports your perspective. I will follow your advice and use clonezilla. I downloaded it yet haven't read the instructions yet. I had 4 snapshots in Timeshift and none worked. Now I'm stuck in the ubuntu boot bios again. Sheesh, The only thing I can think of to do is to start again, if I can get another distro to load. What distro would you recommend to a software illiterate noobe? I'm off to see if I can get into the machine. :mad:
 
Just a thought.

Sorry, but never used Timeshift

and

Forgive me, but I never did like those temporary timeshift or whatever programs. As you have seen, one cannot depend on them, in my experience.

... are in contradiction to each other. :) :)

Vicky has made a mistake with Timeshift, not the other way around.

I'll take a backseat, good luck.

Wizard
 
Just read the first post of this topic. After getting the permission error and getting redirected to the login screen, besides logging into the system via the virtual terminal like @sp331yi mentioned and changing the permission on the folder, it may have been useful to check syslog to see what messages were coming across there when you were trying to login at the login screen, and maybe other useful error messages.

Also it is always useful to remember the error message you are getting back as it may help give a hint to what the problem is when you unsuccessfully run a command. Never had any problems with timeshift, so must be a combination of user error and back luck.
 
Just a thought

Vicky has made a mistake with Timeshift, not the other way around.

I'll take a backseat, good luck.

Wizard
So, @wizardfromoz -- tell her where she made her mistake because I don't use Mint nor timeshift.
Move forward and taske the lead!:)
 
Hello Wiley One and Wizard. Thanks for the input. I made a mistake using timeshift i think. So I'm coming to you from Cinnamon 19.3, and am starting again.
3 bits: I'll try to remember to take better notes and to stop if I get a warning. I crashed things myself, yet again. But Timeshift had 4 chances, and didn't work. 2 on a separate external drive. Always grateful for guidance, thanks. Thanks Everyone. Hopefully I'll only be here to read and learn in the future.
 
Hello Wiley One and Wizard. Thanks for the input. I made a mistake using timeshift i think. So I'm coming to you from Cinnamon 19.3, and am starting again.
3 bits: I'll try to remember to take better notes and to stop if I get a warning. I crashed things myself, yet again. But Timeshift had 4 chances, and didn't work. 2 on a separate external drive. Always grateful for guidance, thanks. Thanks Everyone. Hopefully I'll only be here to read and learn in the future.
Great learning attitude! Without making mistakes you don't learn.
 
@wizardfromoz @Condobloke
Greetings everyone and all the ships at sea!
I have Linux Mint 19.3 Mate on my main cp. It's an older Dell that I bought refurbished.
I use Timeshift and find it to be better than it has been described in some of these posts. I have used TS for about two years without any problem. I do save the snapshots on an external hd or 256 gb USB drive. I only take a snapshot on demand. I have no need to do one on a regular schedule.
One thing I have found on forums {doesn't make any difference which ones as it applies to all in general}; most people have difficulty with proper spelling. As we all know, when it comes to computers what you put in has to be exact or stuff happens that you don't want.
Caution is the byword when using any computer program. Make sure that what you have typed in is exactly what you want. {I have learned this the hard way!}
Enough unasked for advice. On to more important stuff.
Hi ho Silver, Away!!!!!!!!!!
OG TC
 
Always entertaining, our Charlie :) :) , but one of our success stories (thanks largely to himself) at 85 still going strong. Don't go getting a big head that I said that, Mate, the light from your cranium will dazzle us as surely as your wit. :D

I have to leave for my aussie evening, folks, but I'll come back tomorrow with a little more.

Stay well and safe

Wizard
 

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