No GUI and Backup Home through Terminal
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No GUI:
I've had Triquel almost a year and had problems for several months but I've procrastinated and worked around the problems by accessing my jpegs and gedits through applications. But there's no GUI, no calling up the home folder, no icons on my desktop and no drag and drop functions.
I think it's time to reinstall. But I want to backup my home folder files. I have an external USB harddrive that appears in a sidebar as TOSHIBA EXT. So at terminal I've got this far "$ cp /home/user/ " right? what next? adding "TOSHIBA EXT" to the line won't do it. (without quotes)
I'm a bit confused, no GUI you say but then you talk about sidebar. Do you mean on another computer?
You'll want to use the -r parameter for "recursive". And then you need to specify /full/path/to/where/you/mounted/that/disk/
The easiest way is to use a live CD or USB to do the job.
And if you have a separate /home partition (can't remember whether there is one by default) you might not even need to backup before reinstall, just choose another username. Having said that, now is always a great time to make backups.
I have panel application opening powers. But I can't open HOME or any other folder (everything that's mine and the computer's) from the desktop. If I open Image Viewer or GEDIT applications, then click the open (a file) menu, a window opens to select a file and the window also happens to have "places" on the sidebar left and files on the right. (That's where the sidebar came in.) I can only open one file at a time in that application. I can't move, rename, copy, drag or drop from that window even though I can see the files. I can open a jpeg in image viewer/right click on the image/select Open in GIMP/Save a Copy from GIMP/ with a new name and location.
OK. How does this look: $ cp /home/user/ /computer/media/user/TOSHIBA
Here's what I get back:" cp: omitting directory ‘/home/user/’ "
I don't get the "recursive". I took a quick net look around for a glossary entry but haven't found it. I do remember coming across -r recursive once before.
That I haven't done a backup for months is neglient. I have several computer issues going on and Getting a Backup is "Top o the List".
Now, about reinstalling devices (other issues; might need a new forum question). I got a credit card sized usb "device" (or "mock device") with my FSF membership that says "GNU/Linux Inside!" and I've plugged this credit card into several computers and got nothing. It must be a dud?
When I first ran into this credit card usb snafu I was having problems with Trisquel. Problems of which I was, as yet, unfamiliar. So, being desperate, not having internet connection, I then tried installing other distros I had around including gNewSense. I couldn't get the Trisquel on this computer to recognize anything. I tried every booting option my inexperience could realize but nothing.
But first priority - I need a backup.
cp: omitting directory ‘/home/user/’
That happens because you did not use the option --recursive (-r):
$ cp -r /home/user /computer/media/user/TOSHIBA
But you had actually better use option --archive (-a):
$ cp -a /home/user /computer/media/user/TOSHIBA
'info cp' explains those options:
`-a'
`--archive'
Preserve as much as possible of the structure and attributes of the
original files in the copy (but do not attempt to preserve internal
directory structure; i.e., `ls -U' may list the entries in a copied
directory in a different order). Try to preserve SELinux security
context and extended attributes (xattr), but ignore any failure to
do that and print no corresponding diagnostic. Equivalent to `-dR
--preserve=all' with the reduced diagnostics.
`-R'
`-r'
`--recursive'
Copy directories recursively. By default, do not follow symbolic
links in the source; see the `--archive' (`-a'), `-d',
`--dereference' (`-L'), `--no-dereference' (`-P'), and `-H'
options. Special files are copied by creating a destination file
of the same type as the source; see the `--copy-contents' option.
It is not portable to use `-r' to copy symbolic links or special
files. On some non-GNU systems, `-r' implies the equivalent of
`-L' and `--copy-contents' for historical reasons. Also, it is
not portable to use `-R' to copy symbolic links unless you also
specify `-P', as POSIX allows implementations that dereference
symbolic links by default.
I got a credit card sized usb "device" (or "mock device") with my FSF membership that says "GNU/Linux Inside!" and I've plugged this credit card into several computers and got nothing.
This is a Live Trisquel system (including the installer)! Once plugged, you must reboot on the USB key. Some key pressed right after the computers powers up may provides you boot options, otherwise configure the boot order in the BIOS/UEFI so that the USB key has precedence over the hard drive. Like lembas wrote, you can backup from the Live system using its graphical file manager (the partitions on the internal and external hard drives will be icons on the desktop). After that, another icon proposes you to install Trisquel. Unmount and unplug the external hard drive first so that you do not install Trisquel on it by mistake!
results:
cp -a /home/user /computer/media/user/TOSHIBA
cp: cannot create directory ‘/computer/media/user/TOSHIBA’: No such file or directory
Checked connection: I can access TOSHIBA EXT via app methods previously mentioned but I tried to view in terminal with ls /computer/media/ and ls /computer/media/TOSHIBA and all I get is "No such file or directory"
*You* wrote your disk was mounted at /computer/media/user/TOSHIBA (where, I assumed, "user" was to be substituted by your login)! Anyway, plug your external hard drive (and no other removable device) and type "cp -a /home/* /media/" followed by some tabs until it does not give give you a longer line (the command interpreter "autocompletes" your command). Then press the enter key. The command will then copy the home directories of all users of the system to the root of your external hard drive. That can take hours.
Try "cp -r /home/user/ /media/user/TOSHIBA"
Thanks for all your help but I'm not making progress. Here's my plans:
1) I'm going to experiment with Terminal a while.
2) Then, if that fails, I do have the ability so save, one by one, individual files on to the external hard drive. It'll take time but I don't have an enormous amount to save.
3) Then, I'll try to reinstall.
4) Then, if that fails, I'm taking it to the shop.
Thanks again.
Just use, like lembas proposed you in the first place, the Trisquel live system to:
- Backup your files from the graphical file browser (the partitions of both your internal and external drives will be icons on the desktop);
- Reinstall the system.
Here is how to make:
- a live CD/DVD: https://trisquel.info/wiki/Burn_Trisquel_CD_images
- a live USB key: https://trisquel.info/wiki/How_to_Create_a_LiveUSB
Inserted FSF USB "GNU/LINUX Inside" 8.0 credit card disc:
At appearance of Gnu Flutist Graphic, three Options offered:
1) "Load Operating System" [goes to log in page. My sick OS has no desktop view in which to access any Installation Method. I can see in an application side panel that 8.0... is functioning in USB and I can open its files in text.]
2) "*Parse ISOLINUX menu (USB)" /Enter/ response: "Parse: error: disk 'usb)' not found. Press any key to continue . . . _"/. . . back to log in page..
3) "Search for GRUB configuration on internal Storage"/Enter/
"*Load Config from (ahci0,msdos1)"/Enter/ several possible error msgs including one that starts: "error: boot/grub/fonts/unicode . . . . "
Documentation says F1 or ThinkVantage button will get me to BIOS but I've tried every combination and haven't been able to get there.
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