[colug-432] new ubuntu user question

Sun Jan 25 11:07:25 EST 2015

Thanks for all this. I am going to read this over and get the backup part
done. I can come to the very end of the meeting...maybe I can connect with
someone there who can talk me through the upgrade?

On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 9:58 PM, tom <thomas.w.cranston at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> On 01/22/2015 08:37 PM, Steve Roggenkamp wrote:
>
> Hi Susan,
>
> Welcome to the group.
>
> Ubuntu 12.10 is beyond its end of life as it's over two years old and I
> think Ubuntu normally only supports its normal (non-Long Term Support)
> versions for only 18 months.  12.10 refers to the version Ubuntu released
> in October of 2012.  Every two years in April Ubuntu releases a version
> called it Long Term Support version that it supports for five years and is
> the version I normally run.  Specifically, I'm writing this using a laptop
> running Ubuntu 14.04(LTS).  It provides a stable environment for at least
> two  years.
>
> This is all nice background, but it doesn't solve your problem of updating
> to a current version.
>
> The biggest question to answer, before you upgrade, is whether you have
> files on your present system that you want to take with you after the
> upgrade.  If so, buy a flash drive (or two) and make a copy of the files
> you want to preserve.  If things go bump in the night, you'll have a backup
> copy.
>
> I don't know if you found it, but here's the Ubuntu Wiki page regarding
> upgrades:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes
>
> It provides descriptions of how to upgrade various versions of Ubuntu.
>
> It sounds like you have two options.  You can either perform a series of
> upgrades:
>
> 12.10 -> 13.04
> 13.04 -> 13.10
> 13.10 -> 14.04
> 14.04 -> 14.10
>
> Or you could "renew" your installation with a later one (14.04 LTS or
> 14.10) and do not format the disk during the installation.  In this case it
> will overwrite your old version of Ubuntu with the new one, (hopefully)
> leaving your personal files intact.  You may have to reconfigure the
> networking and/or printers depending on how things are currently set up.
> Hopefully, you will not and Things Will Just Work.
>
> The easiest way to make a backup is with a command terminal and a program
> called tar.  Ubuntu changed the way it mounts flashdrives sometime between
> 12.04 and 14.04, so I'll mention both.  After you mount a flashdrive in
> 12.04 it will appear in the file system as /media/FDVOLUME, or whatever
> name the flashdrive volume is set to, while it will appear as
> /media/skr/FDVOLUME in 14.04.  Let's assume your user name is 'susan' you
> should enter the following commands to back up all of your files in your
> home directory:
>
> $ cd
> $ cd ..
> $ tar cvzf /media/susan/FDVOLUME/susanHome.tgz susan
>
>
> The first command puts you into your home directory.  The second one moves
> you up one level above your home directory, and the third command creates
> the backup, assuming you have sufficient space on your flashdrive.  The
> 'cvzf' says to (c)reate the archive, list all of the files being backed up
> (v), compress the archive as it saves it (z), and write it to
> /media/susan/FDVOLUME/susanHome.tgz.  The directory being backed up is
> 'susan'.  At this point, you should see a lot of file names flying up the
> screen as it saves them to the archive.  If you have a lot of files, it
> will take some time to archive them.  Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea
> and relax until it's done.
>
> If you're paranoid at this point about whether it made a good backup, you
> can enter the following command to list all of the files in the backup:
>
> $ tar tvzf /media/susan/FDVOLUME/susanHome.tgz
>
> You should see a bunch of file name names and information flying up the
> screen.  This command reads the entire archive and should print an error
> message if there's a problem with it.
>
> You can now unmount the flashdrive and set it aside in case you need it.
>
> To recover the files you would use the following command:
>
> $ tar xvzf /media/susan/FDVOLUME/susanHome.tgz
>
> This will extract your original susan directory into the directory you're
> in.
>
> This isn't a very sophisticated backup mechanism, but it works to store or
> move a directory of data.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Steve
>
> On 01/22/2015 01:51 PM, Susan Sommerfeld wrote:
>
>    Hi!
>  I am a fairly new ubuntu user..not by my choice, it was installed on my
> laptop by my ex. I do like it though and would like to keep using it. But
> now I am dealing with having to upgrade several programs..things are
> starting to act squirrelly here...my mozilla version is very out of date
> and adobe just leaves a blank gray space where the video should be.
>
>  I have ubuntu 12.10 now. I'm guessing that is why the package manager
> doesn't show any newer versions of mozilla or adobe..it claims I am up to
> date. So I tried to upgrade my ubuntu with the software updater and got an
> error message. (I didn't write it down but I'm sure I could get it again
> because this computer really really does not want to upgrade)
>
>  I am looking for someone to hire to help me understand how to use this
> system. I am not completely incapable, but this is a bit over my head. I've
> figured out as much as I could with the help documentation. Googling my
> questions just gives me bunches of code..sigh. I could use help with
> backups..the best method..and with this upgrade.
>
>  Is there someone out there who is willing to help me? Please... A bit of
> time with someone would help me much more than the hours I have spent
> trying to follow directions that I struggle with. Thanks so much!!
>
>  Susan
>
>
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>
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>  If you are not a techie, I would strongly suggest finding someone to sit
> with you thru the process.
>
> Tom
>
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