Upgrading an old version to 13.1

I’ve got a laptop here that still has 11.4 on it. It’s been the wife’s
machine since we bought it - back in the 10.1 days or so. I never did
anything but updates since then so the box now has 11.4 running on ext3
formatted disks. It boots from Grub1 with the first 2 primaries on the disk
used by Windows XP in a dual boot setup. The Linux swap, root, and home
partitions are in the extended portion of the disk. I’m not really
concerned about any additional programs installed but there will be
considerably better domestic relations around here if I can preserve the
home partition data.

After making a couple of backup copies of the whole thing, I tried to just
install 13.1 over the existing setup but ran into a problem where the
installation program refused to recognize the two existing extended
partitions as usable. When booting to a live version of 13.1, it was
perfectly happy to mount those 2 ext3 partitions, but the installation
program refused to proceed, so I started playing.

Figuring it was a problem with the ext3 format, I reformated the two working
partions to ext4 and restored all the data from backup. First try at
booting complained about the wrong format so I changed fstab to reflect ext4
rather than ext3 and got slightly further but still ran into a roadblock a
little further into the boot with complaints about a specified option mount
the partitions.

I’m stymied. Where, besides in fstab, would the file format be hidden? I
don’t recall grub1 specifying the format, but something is stopping me cold.
Any thoughts on what to try next? As a last resort, I figure I can make a
clean, new install of 13.1 even if I have to reformat both partitions then
restore the home data. Even if it takes a whole new installation after that
to get things going it should work but I’d like to figure out what’s wrong
here before I try the BFH approach.


Will Honea

13.1 normally uses grub2 not grub1 Maybe something is wrong there. Are you installing grub again? if so where/ which version? If you are using one of the live versions you don’t have all the option of the full DVD.

Also you seem to missunderstand basic partitioning. There can only be one extend partition per drive in which you may have multiple logical partitions. So you should see one large extended partition and then one or more logical partitions in the same space as defined by the extended. It should not matter if ext3 or 4.

You should just be very sure NOT to format the partition which contains home and it should mount at /home. If you use a live DVD you can only do a new install (though you can force no format to home)

You should tell us more about where the install/boot fails. It is unclear if you actually succeeded with the install or where things mess up.

First,
I’m going to guess that you actually have a single extended partition with two logical drives in it and not the two (or more) other ways you try to describe your partition setup.

Just a suggestion,
I think you said you already wiped the contents of the logical drives?
If so, then during the Install you might try

  • unchecking the box to auto-configure your installation
  • When you’re prompted to accept the default partition layout, decline and click the button that allows you to custom partition your disk.

When you’re in the advanced partitioning utility, you can first check to see if the extended partition and logical drives are recognized. Whether they are or are not, you may want to remove and re-create the logical drives (and format and specify mount points).

Hopefully, you’ll then have created something your install recognizes.

Best way to preserve the contents of you /home partition (and anything else) is to copy to another drive (eg external attached) or your Windows, or a cloud drive before proceeding. If you simply backup, you may not be assured that a backup app will restore (app will likely even have to be the same version).

HTH,
TSU

On 2014-09-12 23:08, Will Honea wrote:

> After making a couple of backup copies of the whole thing, I tried to just
> install 13.1 over the existing setup but ran into a problem where the
> installation program refused to recognize the two existing extended
> partitions as usable.

Are you installing fresh, or upgrading?
The subject line says “upgrading”, but the paragraph above says “install”.

Because the “DVD Upgrade” refuses to see the partitions if they are for
a different architecture. For instance, if 11.4 was 32 bit and 13.1 is
64 bit.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

gogalthorp wrote:

> 13.1 normally uses grub2 not grub1 Maybe something is wrong there. Are
> you installing grub again? if so where/ which version? If you are using
> one of the live versions you don’t have all the option of the full DVD.
>
> Also you seem to missunderstand basic partitioning. There can only be
> one extend partition per drive in which you may have multiple logical
> partitions. So you should see one large extended partition and then one
> or more logical partitions in the same space as defined by the extended.
> It should not matter if ext3 or 4.
>
> You should just be very sure NOT to format the partition which contains
> home and it should mount at /home. If you use a live DVD you can only do
> a new install (though you can force no format to home)
>
> You should tell us more about where the install/boot fails. It is
> unclear if you actually succeeded with the install or where things mess
> up.
>

First, I seem to have confused everyone on the partition set-up. It is 2
Primaries to accommodate Win XP and a transfer partition with an extended
partition containing 3 extended “drives” for swap, / and home.

I had 2 unique sticking points:

  1. trying to boot 11.4 after the backup/format ext4/restore (actually, a
    copy/format/copyback) the boot bombed out to the rescue prompt when it tried
    to mount the root partition. That pretty well convinced me that a fresh
    install was needed as something in the grub process was biting me.

  2. When trying to do an update from the DVD, the process would not accept
    the existing partitions for update. Originally, even the clean install
    without formatting home was not accepted during installation.

After a copy/format/copyback to get home into an ext4 format I was finally
able to get a successful install that accepted the existing home partition
which satisfied my primary desire to preserve the home data.

So I’m back in business. It had become an academic exercise to figure out
just what was hanging up the installation originally but this has worked -
only a couple of apps to re-install and some tweaking so that I get no major
complaints about “messing up her computer”.

I still haven’t figured out what the problem with the original setup with
the ext3 formatted partitions was but it is all worked out now.


Will Honea

Carlos E. R. wrote:

> On 2014-09-12 23:08, Will Honea wrote:
>
>> After making a couple of backup copies of the whole thing, I tried to
>> just install 13.1 over the existing setup but ran into a problem where
>> the installation program refused to recognize the two existing extended
>> partitions as usable.
>
> Are you installing fresh, or upgrading?
> The subject line says “upgrading”, but the paragraph above says “install”.

Would like to do the former, the mess with formatting and partitioning
suggest I’ll be doing the latter :wink:

>
> Because the “DVD Upgrade” refuses to see the partitions if they are for
> a different architecture. For instance, if 11.4 was 32 bit and 13.1 is
> 64 bit.

No, this is 32-bit to 32-bit. Something in the boot process is having an
issue with the original setup - one reason I’m so slow getting to the
upgrade to 13.1 on this machine.


Will Honea

… that would be an Extended partition containing 3 Logical partitions

I had 2 unique sticking points:

  1. trying to boot 11.4 after the backup/format ext4/restore (actually, a
    copy/format/copyback) the boot bombed out to the rescue prompt when it tried
    to mount the root partition. That pretty well convinced me that a fresh
    install was needed as something in the grub process was biting me.

If it was me, I would be doing a fresh install, anyway. But, I would preserve the /home partition by going into the Advanced Partitioning option during the install and telling it to Mount, but to Do Not Format the /home partition.

  1. When trying to do an update from the DVD, the process would not accept
    the existing partitions for update. Originally, even the clean install
    without formatting home was not accepted during installation.

This does not sound right, so something is missing here.


Are you wanting to keep XP on the machine?

If you have no need of it (it is no longer supported, anyway), I would have just backed up the /home partition, then wiped the drive and made a full fresh install of 13.1 without any Extended partition, making certain my new /home partition was at least as large or larger than the original /home partition (most restore options will expand to fill a larger partition, but not shrink to restore to a smaller partition.).

After install is complete, up & running, and updated, I would then restore the /home to the new /home partition, then install and set up my apps.

Fraser Bell wrote:

> This does not sound right, so something is missing here.
>

AH! You grasp the heart of the problem :wink:


Will Honea

On 2014-09-13 04:09, Will Honea wrote:
> Carlos E. R. wrote:

>> Because the “DVD Upgrade” refuses to see the partitions if they are for
>> a different architecture. For instance, if 11.4 was 32 bit and 13.1 is
>> 64 bit.
>
> No, this is 32-bit to 32-bit. Something in the boot process is having an
> issue with the original setup - one reason I’m so slow getting to the
> upgrade to 13.1 on this machine.

I would double check that it is indeed 32 to 32 bit, as not being so is
the only reason I remember for your symptoms.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

On 2014-09-13 04:02, Will Honea wrote:
> gogalthorp wrote:

>
> First, I seem to have confused everyone on the partition set-up. It is 2
> Primaries to accommodate Win XP and a transfer partition with an extended
> partition containing 3 extended “drives” for swap, / and home.
>
> I had 2 unique sticking points:
> 1. trying to boot 11.4 after the backup/format ext4/restore (actually, a
> copy/format/copyback) the boot bombed out to the rescue prompt when it tried
> to mount the root partition. That pretty well convinced me that a fresh
> install was needed as something in the grub process was biting me.

Wait. The 11.4 you were trying to upgrade was not booting? You had done
a backup/format/restore cycle on your 11.4, perhaps moving it from
another disk?

You lost me again.

There is little chance of helping on a forum with a moving target. Doing
things ahead of advice, so that when we try to say something you already
have changed your setup so much that the advice is stale. Why the hurry?
Just describe the situation, then wait a day or two, doing nothing, till
we can chime in…


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)