Store installed LM 18.1, Wish to replace with my original LM 18.3

I see it now, you have left 60.00 GiB as unallocated space, instead of as the Primary partition, you got the figures arse-end about.

You can change it if you want something to do, or else we can work with it as is.
 


Always saying sorry, Wiiz. I can see what you're saying and I'll go back and re-do it.
Doc
 
Better? I re-read #74 several times and I'm afraid I just got things backward...as you said.
Doc
Screenshot from 2019-04-30 22-08-39.png
 
Mas mas better :)

Here comes the blow-by-blow for the Timeshift restore.

Passengers are advised to fasten their seatbelts, although we are not expecting any turbulence.

Wiz
 
Dick, I am going to print this as I wrote it - 10 steps :)

I have also saved it as a LibreOffice Writer, .odt document, but I am aware (and some may not be) that our site's software does not support uploading that as an attachment. So I have exported it to PDF format, and provide that at the end of this Post. I have formatted it to US Letter, your environment, and if you want you can print it out but be aware that it is 13 - 14 pages.

Still, if you do that, you have always got it. Put it in a folder embossed in gold leaf with "Wizard's Opus".

Here goes, but read to the end of the Post before finalising the operation.


SYLVIA RESTORE VIA TIMESHIFT

Have the T5 disconnected at this time.

If need to, reboot and wait until the Desktop is settled.

Connect the T5 external drive and wait a minute until it is properly recognised.

1. Launch Timeshift, it will either go straight to the Wizard (not me, its Wizard) or to a blank window.

If it goes to the Wizard, first screen will look like this


8l7Cuxv.png




By default, the radio button will have RSYNC selected, leave that as is and click Next


2. The following screenshot shows the Select Snapshot window. This is where you will be selecting from the T5 where your snapshots of Sylvia are housed.

From your information supplied, that will be /dev/sdc1.


KjeKAYU.png



Mine shows as /dev/sdc28, but yours will be /dev/sdc1. Click the radio button or the line /dev/sdc1 is on, so that the button "illuminates", as mine is.

Click Next when done.


3. The following screenshot shows the Select Snapshot Levels window.

Default is for Daily, and to keep for 5 days, but we are going to switch that off for now, and proceed manually.

When our operation is completed and Sylvia is back in business, you can switch it back on.

We are going to click the "x" on the coloured background fill at left to switch that off, and three (3) items will change.

- the entry for Daily
- the message lower down on cron emails and
- the white checkmark on green backgrounded shield regarding scheduled snapshots.


KnjD4Wr.png




4. That window is now as follows


6qlsw8u.png



Click Next.


5.
Now we are at the Setup Complete window.

Read it.

Once read, click Finish.


fZSNpvB.png



6. We should now be at the window which shows us our stored snapshots.

Mine has two (2) only on it, one from each of 2 Distros, LInux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia' Cinnamon, and Linux Lite (which I could not afford to delete to make things simpler for you).

Yours should show maybe half a dozen or more lines from different dates. All showing Sylvia.

The first one will be a full screenshot taken the longest time ago, the rest will be incremental shots taken perhaps daily.

The last entry will be the most recent, from before when you took the laptop to The Big Smoke.

Mine have comments, yours likely not.

Mine have a Tag of the letter O, for On Demand, yours will likely have one of the options M, W, D, H or B from the Select Snapshot Levels window we saw above.


5aiX0v7.png



PROCEED WITH STEP 7 ONLY IF ALL OF THE ABOVE IS CLEAR AND MATCHES

...as closely as possible, given our different environments.

If anything is radically different, stop and report back. You can exit out of Timeshift with no changes, until this point.


Step 7

I want you to choose the very bottom one of those snapshots (the most recent one) and click to highlight. Like mine is highlighted.

Then click the Restore icon near top left.

You will be brought to a screen that shows similarly to the following.


2kmqEpe.png




My cursor is clumsily placed there, but the line says "Select the devices where files will be restored".

I have three (3) fields there, yours is likely the same. If there are more, pause and let me know.

The first one is for our root partition (not to be confused with Root privileges as Administrator), that is our main partition where nearly all of our System's files go. Represented by

/

Because we have only set up one partition, this is the only field we need to specify. Drop the down elevator button at right, and you should be able to choose /dev/sdb1

Do so.

If we had separate partitions for boot and home we would check or tweak the others.
Leave Bootloader Options (Advanced) alone, we should not need it.


Step 8

Press Next.

You may see a screen flash by too fast to read, which is headed

Comparing Files (Dry Run)

That screen would stay in place longer, if you were restoring on Distro over an existing Distro, but because we are restoring to a blank canvas, /dev/sdb1, there is nothing to compare to, and so the process moves on quickly.

Following that quick flash (if any) -

You should be served a window like the following:


5sZPeUF.png



The number of lines will vary considerably from one user to another, but I expect yours will have 250,000 lines or so, in Timeshift's log file. We don't have to interact with this one.

That won't take long, and then a screen like this will appear


qhrYMU4.png



Confirm Actions


Here, if we were experts, we might choose to filter out some files and packages we did not want to restore, but we are not in that category (I include myself there), so

Step 9

Press Next.


Be aware that this screen may take a few moments to populate with text. It might show initially with just

Warning

and

Disclaimer

But wait a few moments and the rest can appear, we will NOT move on without it.


BQbwXJl.png



... mine shows the Device as /dev/sda1, but yours will say /dev/sdb1. Read the Disclaimer.

Step 10

Press Next.

From here, things start moving. You have time to make a cup of tea or coffee.


6C4qfah.png



Don't be baulked by some of the figures that may appear on the right, with Time Remaining.

I have seen figures of up to 16 hours, but that is false. Timeshift gets off to a slow start sometimes, then builds up a head of steam, and you will see the figures drop rapidly to only minutes remaining.

When the figures get down to zeroes, the process will still continue, do not interrupt it, you will be prompted.

Timeshift continues with a process of parsing its newest log file, and then updating the bootloader configuration.


s0RIFty.png



When all is finalised, you will be presented with something like the following


ekPJLVX.png



Give it a few seconds, then

Press the Close button at bottom.


BEFORE YOU...

Reboot the computer.

... THE ABOVE SHOULD WORK, AND I AM WRITING THIS FROM A RESTORE SYLVIA.

BUT - things go wrong, if they do, we will fix.

When you reboot the computer, you may come up with a Grub Menu, featuring both Serena and Sylvia, choose Sylvia to test it, we can tweak this Menu later.

When you boot into Sylvia, it may have a very slow startup, perhaps 1 minute and 30 seconds slower than usual. I know what that will be and we can fix it.

Good luck and let us know how you fare.

Wizard

Edit - added BTW

BTW (by the way), Dick, forgot the printable document (must be gaga), here it is
 

Attachments

  • 10-Step-Restore-US-Letter.pdf
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Last edited:
Everything has gone without a hitch. I've followed all steps up to #8 which never appeared...it went from #7 to #9 and is currently working 'Restoring Snapshot.

No Wizard appeared Chris. All tabs were there (had to locate them across the top but other than missing step #8 ???

I'm showing 7+ hours and bouncing around...18,639 Files and directory counts. I can't do anything but let it run but it is definitely restoring LinuxMint 18.3 (Sylvia).

Doc
 
I'm down to 1 1/2hrs and it's moving pretty quick now. Exactly what am I to do rebooting?...i.e., with the T5 still in? Or do I pull it prior to reboot? If so how do I select the /dev/sdb1?

Sorry this is new territory...as is everything. This is a terrific tutorial Chris and I've printed it all out. Slowly my mind is opening up.
Doc
 
O.K., done. I'm giving you some screenshots. The 'Parsing' (#8) came after the restore completed. I'm doing this post from the old 18.1 still in doubt about the reboot process.
Again, great job.
Doc
Screenshot from 2019-04-30 22-08-39.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 12-26-59.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 12-29-43.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 12-33-08.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 12-33-40.png
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 12-34-54.png
 
Logic at work for the past few hours of waiting. This entire process was about reinstalling 18.3 which was done. Then my guess is that we're thru with the T5 (at least for the moment) and I need to reboot. When the first screen appears during the reboot, there will be a list of options including Serena and Sylvia and I'm to elect Sylvia.

I'm still in a holding pattern and haven't even shutdown Serena. Just trying to get my mind around this.
Doc
 
Good morning Dick.

Can you show me an updated screenshot from GParted of /dev/sdb1, or is that one above current?

There should be a whole lot more (6 - 7 GiB) extra space consumed than that 1.12 GiB which is simply due to formatting the 60 GiB partition.

Thanks

Wiz
 
Certainly. Here it is. Also can you advise me on shutting down & rebooting? Was my thinking right?
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 15-54-12.png
 
OK Dick, so you can leave the T5 attached if you wish. It won't hurt.

Close down Nemo, Timeshift, Firefox and GParted, and then restart the computer and report back.

And yes, if a Grub Menu appears, choose Sylvia, and note down which one is on the top of the Menu. You'll have 10 seconds to choose, or else it will boot whatever is on top.

There will be at least 4 - 5 lines on the menu, and it may read something like

Linux Mint 18.1

Linux Mint 18.1 Advanced Options

LInux Mint 18.3

LInux Mint 18.3 Advanced Options

maybe another line or two

Choose Linux Mint 18.3 if it is available to you (if it s not on top, just arrow down to it)

Remember, the first time, it may take a long time to boot, we can fix that if need be.

Wizard
 
No matter whether I simply re-start the Toshiba...or, reorder (F12) the Boot, it opens without any GRUB options to 18.1. I can't seem to manipulate it. Tried it with and without the T5. SysInfo shows it as 18.1. ???
Doc
 
SysInfo shows it as 18.1. ???

Define sysinfo, Dick. What does that mean? What is saying that?

Can you take a cell phone pic of the startup screen and upload it to us as an attachment?

Are you not able to get into any LInux at all?

Wiz
 
If I want to know what distribution is operating when I open Menu and type in System Info I am told 18.1 is operating. As for taking a picture on my Huawei, yes...but how to upload it as an attachment, I need help. I learned how to only basic things on it about the same time I was meeting you.
Doc
Screenshot from 2019-05-01 20-16-15.png
 
Chris, I know this has to be as frustrating to you as it is for me. All I can tell you about the startup is that with the exception of numerous black startup screens prior to the cursor showing up followed by the LM icon, it loads as if nothing was wrong...but it loads as Serena 18.1 and there is no screen presented to me giving me the option of choosing anything else. It's simply a very delayed startup and much longer than normal (2x's).

Thinking about the cell phone shot even if I followed your step by step instructions with Linux starting up as it is, what would I take a shot of? There isn't anything of substance as I can see it.
Doc
 
OK Dick, gotcha now, thanks for that shot, and scratch the cellphone shot request.

You have access to Serena still, yes?

In Serena's Terminal, type and enter the following:

Code:
sudo update-grub

Watch the output that results, and you will likely see a reference to Sylvia.

When the process is complete, type

Code:
exit

as we should always do to close down Terminal.

Reboot.

Wiz
 
Hello Chris,,,I posted a couple of observations. Didn't hear back from you and now they're not here. I was concerned that I had opened mouth...and inserted foot. and in the process offended you. Would never intentionally do that my Friend! But if I did please accept my apologies!

I had replied to you saying that it worked! 18.3 is up and running and I was in the process of upgrading things for the past couple of days. Turned Timeshift back on and set the daily backups to T5. Also suggested that since this was such a terrific tutorial that you might want to consider adding to it #100 which pried things loose on the booting...the grub instructions. This was where (in re-reading) I thought I might have over-stepped my bounds.

Anyway, I'd like to hear back from you.
Doc
 

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