#qa | Logs for 2020-02-21

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[13:00:03] <Bytram> So, last night I initiated a disk copy of the 1 TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD from my Dell Latitude E6400 to another 1 TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD which I had installed in an external USB enclosure...
[13:00:45] <Bytram> Got systemrescuecd booted, and went to copy the disk:
[13:01:15] <Bytram> ddrescue /dev/sda /dev/sdb $mapfile
[13:02:18] <Bytram> I had a USB stick installed, and I could access files on it, and I could even create files from the cmd line (e.g.: touch foo.txt or echo testing > bar.txt)
[13:02:56] <Bytram> but could not for the life of me persuade ddrescue to write its mapfile to the USB stick.
[13:04:02] <Bytram> As I was booted from a Live CD, and I wished to change neither the source disk nor the destination disk... it looked like I had no safe place to write the mapfile. :(
[13:04:36] <Bytram> Hmmm, let's try another approach as that had already taken way too much time.
[13:04:56] * Bytram launched gparted
[13:05:22] <Bytram> (first time I ever used it, so flying blind -- ain't that fun!)
[13:07:47] <Bytram> For some reason, I decided I needed to format the destination drive. I ran into some hassles but finally discovered I needed to set up a DOS partition table, then create an NTFS partition on the new drive.
[13:10:38] <Bytram> But, before I launched gparted, I first shut down the lappy, rebooted under windows again with the intent of formatting the new disk as NTFS. Well, apparently enough of my fumbling around with ddresue was sufficient to copy a drive ID to the new disk... so when I rebooted widows, it could not access the external drive because it now saw two different drives with the same drive ID. Doh!
[13:11:12] <Bytram> That's when I decided I needed to reboot with the systemrescuecd and try gparted to get the disk formatted.
[13:12:25] <Bytram> Anywho, I *finally* got the external, target disk to the point where I could now attempt to copy the entire drive over:
[13:12:54] <Bytram> dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sdc bs=1MB status=progress
[13:14:06] <Bytram> (I tried it at first w/o the status arg and realized I had no way to judge progress. Ooops. Stopped the dd and tried again, now with the status=progress argument
[13:14:16] <Bytram> And...
[13:17:18] <Bytram> yep, I was only getting USB 2.0 speeds and... I'm not exactly sure why, but I was seeing consistent transfer rates of 29.1 MBps. For copying a 1 TB drive... Carry the 3 multiply the street address... comes out to about 570 minutes or ~9.5 hours. Zoinks!
[13:18:36] <Bytram> I watched it for about a hour while I played around with the systemrescue cd to see what else it had on board (thank goodness I had started the session off by running: startx so I had XFCE going!)
[13:24:59] <Bytram> So, I started the final disk copy attempt, and noticed it was a couple minutes before the hour. Stopped the copy, waited a few minutes, and started it again at just after 8pm...
[13:26:16] <Bytram> then, I took advantage of type-ahead, and keyed in this command: date --rfc-3339=seconds
[13:26:22] <Bytram> and then went to bed.
[13:27:05] <Bytram> when checked on it the next day, I saw the disk copy completed at 05:40 AM.
[13:27:46] <Bytram> So, took 8h40m to copy over a 1 TB SSD drive using USB 2.0
[13:27:48] <Bytram> .
[13:29:15] <Bytram> And now comes the fun part... I plan to pull the target SSD from the external drive, install it in the Dell Latitude E6410, and see what happens when I reboot.
[13:30:14] <Bytram> I anticipate there may be a complaint from windows about a hardware change, and I'll need a new product key (which the new-to-me lappy has (yay!))
[13:31:11] <Bytram> I will probably need to open up a new permitted MAC ID on my phone to allow it to get online to retrieve new drivers...
[13:31:42] <Bytram> Oh, it's likely I'll need to make some changes to set up the BIOS the way I want it, too.
[13:36:32] <Bytram> Oh! I gotta remember to make sure the hardware Wi-Fi switch on the lappy is in the ON position! BRB... and... done!
[13:40:29] <Bytram> I just took a picture of the Windows product code label, so I can enter it without having to keep turning the lappy over in order to read it.
[13:41:37] <Bytram> I'm going to take a break and see if anything else comes to mind.
[13:42:06] -!- janrinok [janrinok!~janrinok@Soylent/Staff/Editor/janrinok] has joined #qa
[13:43:13] <Bytram> here's an online copy of what I've done so far: https://logs.sylnt.us
[13:43:18] <Bytram> I'm going to take a break and see if anything else comes to mind.
[13:43:56] <janrinok> looks like I was too quick for you - it is there now....!
[13:45:02] <Bytram> Oh, and this is going to serve as my long-term record of what I did, so *please* ONLY task-pertinent comments. I do not want this all "chatted up"
[13:45:10] <Bytram> afk biab
[13:47:09] <janrinok> FYI - it transfers much more quickly if you omit the status=progress
[13:59:37] -!- Bytram_ [Bytram_!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[14:04:22] <Bytram_> One more thing, while I am trying out the new lappy, I plan to have the old one powered off AND move over ALL peripherals, screen, kbd, mouse, usb hub so as to minimize any potential differences. While that is happening, my only access to this channel is by using the web interface on my phone, as I am doing right now.
[14:04:38] <Bytram_> .
[14:04:54] <Bytram_> and it begins...
[14:06:25] <Bytram_> shutting down old lappy now.
[14:08:52] <Bytram_> Need to pull the new drive from ext enclosure.
[14:17:15] <Bytram_> change in plans, just xfrd peripherals... now for the drive.
[14:23:13] <Bytram_> drive installed...
[14:23:36] <Bytram_> opening mifi access on my phone...
[14:24:56] <Bytram_> done...
[14:26:10] <Bytram_> power on!
[14:26:47] <Bytram_> staryinh windows
[14:28:54] <Bytram_> and it seems to be stuck in a loop: starting windows... black screen... starting windows.
[14:29:21] <Bytram_> I hit F12 to access startup settings.
[14:30:29] <Bytram_> urg... hit wrong key
[14:30:37] <Bytram_> looping again
[14:31:19] <janrinok> boot from the systemrescuedisk and check your drive settings
[14:32:11] <Bytram_> dont have one. :/
[14:32:21] <janrinok> boot from the live disk then
[14:32:41] <Bytram_> how do i boot windows in safe mode?
[14:33:09] <cmn32480> generally by repeatedly pressing F8
[14:33:14] <cmn32480> on boot
[14:33:22] <Bytram_> only live disk i have is for ubuntu
[14:33:26] <janrinok> you don't - you use the live disk to correct you boot settings
[14:33:56] <Bytram_> cmn3280 trying F8
[14:34:16] <Bytram_> no tsb on phone kbd.
[14:34:38] <cmn32480> that shoudl give a boto menu for safe mode
[14:34:44] <cmn32480> what version of Windwos is it?
[14:34:56] <Bytram_> 7pro x64
[14:35:14] <cmn32480> then F8 shoudl work
[14:38:05] -!- Bytram__ [Bytram__!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[14:38:24] <Bytram__> f8 worked! so...
[14:39:14] -!- Bytram_ has quit [Ping timeout: 244 seconds]
[14:39:15] <Bytram__> safe mode (SM), SM w/ netwtking, or SM w/ cmd prompt?
[14:39:57] <Bytram__> i am thinking w/ networking
[14:41:21] * Bytram__ goes for "with networking"
[14:42:17] <cmn32480> yes. with network
[14:43:01] <Bytram__> no joy... back into boot loop
[14:43:11] <cmn32480> thehn fix via the love CD
[14:43:17] <cmn32480> *live
[14:43:27] <Bytram__> SM w/ cnd?
[14:43:36] <cmn32480> won't help
[14:43:37] <Bytram__> what live cd?
[14:43:47] <cmn32480> the ubuntu one you used for the cop[y
[14:44:36] <Bytram__> and.. how will that help w/ windoes?
[14:44:52] * Bytram__ confused!!
[14:44:57] <cmn32480> the boot loop is caused by a driver issue
[14:45:12] <cmn32480> you may have to install windows over top of existing windows to correct
[14:45:16] <Bytram__> okaaaay
[14:45:54] <cmn32480> basically you use the windows install disc to do a system repair
[14:46:56] <Bytram__> but what windows install disk?
[14:47:11] <cmn32480> you can try getting to the cmd prompt.. and running a chkdsk
[14:47:14] <Bytram__> i don't have one
[14:47:22] <Bytram__> k
[14:47:41] <cmn32480> oh
[14:47:44] <cmn32480> k
[14:48:03] <cmn32480> also suggest disableing the auto restart from the F8 menu so you can get the exact error message.
[14:48:36] <cmn32480> does windows give you the option to boot inot a repair?
[14:48:44] <cmn32480> after the fail or on the F8 menu?
[14:50:05] -!- Bytram_ [Bytram_!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[14:50:33] <Bytram_> just sent you pic of bsd
[14:51:04] <Bytram_> think. i will pull all peripherals
[14:51:38] -!- Bytram__ has quit [Ping timeout: 244 seconds]
[14:51:39] <cmn32480> pic by text? email?
[14:52:10] <Bytram_> txt
[14:52:30] <Bytram_> sry, phone keeps dtopping conn.
[14:52:45] <cmn32480> have not received it ye3t
[14:52:59] <Bytram_> k
[14:53:54] <cmn32480> got it
[14:54:55] -!- Bytram__ [Bytram__!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[14:55:02] <Bytram__> back.
[14:55:32] <cmn32480> 7b is inaccessible boto device
[14:56:16] <cmn32480> are you able to boot to safemode cmd prompt?
[14:57:19] -!- Bytram_ has quit [Ping timeout: 244 seconds]
[14:57:37] <Bytram__> cmd prompt, not yet. one more try (yes, F8 worked! tx!!)
[14:59:08] <Bytram__> enabling low res vid (640x480
[15:01:49] <Bytram__> no joy
[15:02:21] <cmn32480> you are gonna need a win 7 disc
[15:03:12] <Bytram__> i think so.
[15:03:25] <janrinok> I've got a Win7 disk but it is not pro
[15:03:31] <Bytram__> enabling boot logging.
[15:03:49] <cmn32480> for win 7 it actually matters
[15:03:53] <cmn32480> didn't matter for 10
[15:03:56] <janrinok> ... it would do
[15:05:39] <janrinok> you can use the ubuntu live disk to read or edit anything on the drive. Can you identify which drive is inaccessible and why. You could then fix it with a simple edit
[15:06:56] <Bytram__> no joy... booting w/ live systemrescuecd *after* i chsnge boot order in bios
[15:07:00] <Bytram__> brb
[15:08:49] <Bytram__> booting
[15:09:29] <Bytram__> booting... copying system to ram
[15:10:03] <Bytram__> too much coffee... need bio break.. biab
[15:10:19] <Bytram__> 5 minutes
[15:17:42] <janrinok> !!! check your drive connections - are you sure that it is installed correctly?
[15:18:14] <janrinok> although if you are getting anything at all during boot it must be reading something...
[15:18:15] <Bytram__> yes
[15:18:34] <Bytram__> zaxtly
[15:18:46] <Bytram__> wasit 1dtut thing i did
[15:19:20] <janrinok> ah win 7 now has built in encryption - or at least it looks like it when you tytpe
[15:19:24] <janrinok> lol - type!
[15:19:47] <Bytram__> how hsrd to get wifi networking going? Seems to be arch.
[15:20:09] <Bytram__> no encrypt 4 me
[15:20:23] <janrinok> in windows it is usually a driver problem
[15:20:35] <Bytram__> k
[15:24:16] <janrinok> The first problem is getting to boot from the drive. If you boot from the ubuntu live disk you should be able to run hwinfo which will give you all the hardware information it can find. Save it to a file on a flashdrive. Repeat on the original lappy and you can check for differences.
[15:24:51] <Bytram__> hmmmm!
[15:25:07] <janrinok> you can also use fdisk to look at the drive parameters and settings on both computers to see any differences
[15:25:39] <janrinok> nurse is here biab
[15:26:40] <Bytram__> no hwinfo. is systemrescuecd runng on arch
[15:28:17] * Bytram__ put ubuntu cd in safe place... now no can find. still looking...
[15:34:23] <Bytram__> plan b
[15:35:05] <Bytram__> mounted lappy hard disk... cd'd to dowload dir
[15:35:10] <Bytram__> have
[15:36:37] <Bytram__> have file: 'ubunu-18.10-desktop-amd64 (1).iso'
[15:38:21] <janrinok> ok, clear a few things up for me. Are you using 1. SystemRescueCD or 2. Ubuntu 18.04. ? They are not the same
[15:39:24] <janrinok> sry 18.10 is what I meant
[15:40:02] <Bytram__> booted w/ sydtemrescuecd
[15:40:40] <janrinok> OK, I know nothing about Arch - it might not even have hwinfo
[15:40:48] <Bytram__> hsve a d/l of ubuntu 18.10 as iso
[15:41:00] <Bytram__> it does not
[15:41:10] <janrinok> hwinfo is definitely in the Debian/Ubuntu/Mint repos
[15:41:16] <Bytram__> k
[15:41:41] <Bytram__> just trief sgand in. no hwinfo
[15:41:49] <janrinok> you will have to download it, even with Ubuntu but it will take all of 10 seconds or so
[15:42:07] * Bytram__ despises on screen kbds
[15:42:40] <Bytram__> how to burn iso to dvd?
[15:43:06] <janrinok> I know nothing about the package manager in Arch.
[15:43:56] <janrinok> normally I would right-click on the iso and select the option Burn to CD/DVD
[15:44:09] <janrinok> it might work with Arch - or not....
[15:45:03] <Bytram__> can't i kust use dd? dd if=/pathtoiso/ububto.iso of=/dev/??????
[15:45:28] <janrinok> don't know - how many spare DVDs have you got :)
[15:45:35] <Bytram__> not sure how to ref cd/dvd drive
[15:45:41] <Bytram__> lots
[15:46:37] <janrinok> not sure how you are going to write to a DVD if your DVD slot is already holding the SystemRecoveryDisk
[15:47:12] <janrinok> but your original old lappy still boots up OK doesn't it?
[15:47:34] <Bytram__> when i boote, o told it to cppy to ram
[15:47:46] <Bytram__> oh, yed
[15:47:57] <janrinok> write the iso to dvd under windows.
[15:48:31] <janrinok> use what you know in preference to anything new
[15:49:30] <Bytram__> majes sense.
[15:50:00] <Bytram__> was tryingv to minize what i did on old system
[15:50:28] <janrinok> understood - but it seems like a reasonable use to me
[15:51:11] <Bytram__> hmmm... maybe i should try booti hg copy iNJ old laopy?
[15:51:39] <Bytram__> after making ubiuntu boot disk
[15:51:55] <janrinok> you will have to use it on both comps because you want to compare the differences
[15:52:49] <janrinok> you will want to write anything that you produce to a flashdrive so that you can access the data from BOTH computers on either of your lappies
[15:53:37] <janrinok> but we are only looking at a few kb so you don't need anything with huge storage space on it
[15:53:59] <Bytram__> internsl vs external... factor in at all?
[15:54:25] <janrinok> external, you will have to plug the storage medium into each lappy in turn
[15:54:28] <Bytram__> usd stick i have
[15:55:30] <janrinok> I'm going to have to start cooking soon - I realise that you would like to continue but it is nearly our time to prepare our evening meal
[15:57:09] <Bytram__> so, boot old lappy. bake ununto live disk. mount orig drive in ext enclisure, hwinfo, put new disk in enclosure, hwimfo *that*. each result to a file on usb stick. compare
[15:57:42] <janrinok> essentially, you will have to boot each lappy in turn from the Ubuntu. There is NO need to remove any hard drives
[15:58:16] <Bytram__> ppls! dont let me hold u up!!! thanks so much!!!!!
[15:58:46] <janrinok> using the Ubuntu live disk, you will inspect each lappy in turn, and save the data that you find onto the usb drive. Nothing gets written to either hard drive.
[15:59:00] <Bytram__> hrrm... ah! got it! laters@
[16:00:04] <janrinok> Once you have collected the data, you can use the old lappy OR ubuntu to inspect the data on the flash drive which will tell the you the differences between the 2 hardware set-ups. Then we can go searching for drivers on the internet.
[16:00:11] * Bytram__ needs a break, too. Give S a big kiss 4 me, k? =)
[16:00:18] <janrinok> will do
[16:00:18] <Bytram__> laters
[16:00:22] <janrinok> laters
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[17:06:39] -!- Bytram_ [Bytram_!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
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[17:29:36] <Bytram_> Heh! You ain't gonna believe this... burned the ubuntu 18.10 desktop x64 iso to disk (with verify!) shutdown old lappy. boot ubuntu dvd. wait. wait. wait some more. finally login, default user, no pwd. wait some more. Open a terminal window. Finally! enter the cmd 'hwinfo' and then I see this msg: Command 'hwinfo' not found, but can be installed with: sudo apt install hwinfo and... you can guess what happened from there! ... I issued th
[17:31:30] <Bytram_> so i reread the #qa log..
[17:33:40] <Bytram_> and *then* i saw this:
[17:33:45] <Bytram_> download it, even with Ubuntu but it will take all of 10 seconds or so
[17:35:01] <Bytram_> so my question now is... how do i d/l it if i have no internet setup?
[17:47:09] <Bytram_> at this point, i think i am going to go back to square one and start over.
[17:53:04] <janrinok> can't Ubuntu detect your wifi network?
[17:57:40] <janrinok> the lenovo drivers are definitely included in Ubuntu
[18:01:09] <Bytram_> how would i know if it did.detect wifi?
[18:01:35] <Bytram_> this is a Dell, btw.
[18:03:16] <Bytram_> but... since I *do* have ubuntu running on my old lappy w/ orig hard disk... at this point i am willing to start over.
[18:04:27] <Bytram_> i will shutdow new lappy, pull dupe disk, put back in ext enclosure & go from there...
[18:04:57] <janrinok> your call - but check the top right hand corner of your display - you might see an icon there for the internet connection
[18:05:41] <Bytram_> BUT, atm they both have exact same fisk identifier. willthat be s problem? how 2 change?
[18:06:35] <Bytram_> eifi not connected. /me did not know that was there
[18:07:36] * Bytram_ cl8cks the pull-right mrnu
[18:08:31] <Bytram_> clicks select
[18:08:38] <Bytram_> grtting there
[18:08:55] <Bytram_> gotta change mifi psrm. brb
[18:09:17] <janrinok> each drive has its own ID which you can see if you use the fdisk command as superuser. If Windows is calling for access to a drive that has a different name then it will not find the drive
[18:10:36] <Bytram_> woohoo i am on net!
[18:18:45] <Bytram_> about to join here w/ firefox on ubuntu !!
[18:20:27] <Bytram_> cept.. its not liking my pwd.
[18:21:26] <janrinok> ... not much I can do about that
[18:21:55] -!- Bytram_2 [Bytram_2!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[18:22:11] <janrinok> welcome Bytram_2
[18:22:22] <Bytram_2> would have helped a lot if I had correctly tytped y nick
[18:22:25] <Bytram_2> brb
[18:24:09] <Bytram_2> laptop kbds are better than cell phone on screen kbds, but not as good as a full-sized kbd!
[18:24:21] <janrinok> true
[18:25:10] <Bytram_2> oh well. seems my usb kbd was not plug n play
[18:25:56] <janrinok> Ubuntu normally just finds it and uses it
[18:26:48] <Bytram_2> after I have already booted?
[18:27:06] <Bytram_2> system was up. then pugged in kbd
[18:27:15] <Bytram_2> btw...
[18:27:16] <janrinok> shouldn't matter
[18:27:23] <Bytram_2> ubuntu@ubuntu:/mnt/harddisk$ sudo apt install hwinfo Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done E: Unable to locate package hwinfo ubuntu@ubuntu:/mnt/harddisk$
[18:28:20] <janrinok> reading - and thinking...
[18:28:25] <Bytram_2> This is SO much better than using my cell phone!
[18:29:42] <janrinok> I'm trying to understand what the E: part is - that is Windows terminology and nothing to do with Ubuntu, unless I am reading it wrong
[18:30:04] <Bytram_2> Like I said, I am more than willing to start over at this point. TLI5 and we can do it right, right from the start. I am starting to wonder if something I did with gparted messed things up.
[18:30:33] * Bytram_2 guesses "E:" means "E"rror?
[18:31:33] <janrinok> nope - 18.10 is NOT a long term release. Support stopped in July 2019
[18:31:46] <Bytram_2> figures!
[18:31:53] <janrinok> 18.04 is supported until 2028!
[18:31:57] * Bytram_2 LOLS!!!
[18:32:11] <cmn32480> the LTS releases are almost always xy.04
[18:32:57] <Bytram_2> Ahhhhh. got it, jusat in time to do my federal taxes
[18:33:00] <cmn32480> but I could be wrong
[18:33:11] <Bytram_2> so, how do i check wich verion I am running?
[18:33:14] <janrinok> looks about right
[18:33:17] -!- Bytram_ has quit [Ping timeout: 244 seconds]
[18:33:33] <Bytram_2> that was the other me
[18:34:26] <Bytram_2> uname -a
[18:34:58] <Bytram_2> Linux ubuntu 4.18.0-10-generic #11-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 11 15:13:55 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
[18:35:28] <cmn32480> Welcome to Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.15.0-74-generic i686)
[18:35:37] <cmn32480> you are too new
[18:35:54] <Bytram_2> eye r two knew?
[18:36:22] <cmn32480> 108.04 is 4.125
[18:36:24] <Bytram_2> hrrrm
[18:36:25] <cmn32480> 4.15
[18:36:33] <cmn32480> exec runs on 18.04
[18:37:49] <janrinok> you cannot do a version upgrade if you are running from a CD/DVD
[18:39:11] <janrinok> I'm trying to think of a path to resolve your issues that does not involve updating your version
[18:39:15] <Bytram_2> AHA! Guess what I found on my hard disk?
[18:39:15] <Bytram_2> Linux ubuntu 4.18.0-10-generic #11-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 11 15:13:55 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
[18:40:00] * Bytram_2 is still trying to get used to ubunu cut n paste... let's try again:
[18:40:04] <Bytram_2> ubuntu-18.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso
[18:40:21] <Bytram_2> will that work?
[18:40:37] <janrinok> 18.10 that is a much better version to use - but it is almost 2 years out-of-date,
[18:40:51] <janrinok> srry that should be 18.04
[18:41:17] <janrinok> version .3 came out sometime last year so it is not too far behind
[18:41:42] <Bytram_2> okay, so is it supported or not?
[18:41:52] <Bytram_2> or, better still...
[18:41:53] <janrinok> yep
[18:42:11] <Bytram_2> keep using janrinok 18.10 or burn a dvd and boot from that?
[18:42:29] <Bytram_2> s/janrinok //
[18:42:30] <janrinok> burn 18.04
[18:42:34] <Bytram_2> k
[18:42:47] <Bytram_2> ummm, how? use dd some how?
[18:43:10] <janrinok> which machine is the 18.04 on?
[18:44:04] <Bytram_2> I am on my old lappy with the orig drive
[18:44:28] <janrinok> so, if you can still boot with Win do so and then burn the disk
[18:44:43] <Bytram_2> If need be, I *can* mount the clone drive on new lappy and access it there
[18:45:07] <Bytram_2> does nobody burn a disk on Linux?
[18:45:30] <janrinok> you need a free DVD drive in order to burn your DVD - your DVD us currently running Ubuntu isn't it?
[18:46:04] <janrinok> or have you got dual boot on your old lappy?
[18:46:17] <Bytram_2> umm, yeah... but I have another lappy, up & running that I can access the same file and burn to dvd there
[18:46:42] <janrinok> pick whichever is easiest!
[18:47:06] <Bytram_2> that is the new lappy with the cloned drive. I cannot *boot* it, but I seem to be able to access the files okay.
[18:47:27] <Bytram_2> so, how do I refer to the cd drive?
[18:48:01] <Bytram_2> lsblk says I have /dev/
[18:48:03] <janrinok> I'm getting confused. You are only booting by using the DVD to load Ubuntu. Therefore the DVD drive cannot simultaneously be used to burn a DVD
[18:48:18] <Bytram_2> doh! saw vbut did not understad! /cdrom doh!
[18:48:53] <cmn32480> burn it from the other lappy that is running...
[18:48:59] <janrinok> yep
[18:49:06] <Bytram_2> I kept seeing sro under lsblk and when I saw "cdrom" thoght that was just a description, not its actual path!
[18:49:30] <Bytram_2> .
[18:49:38] <Bytram_2> I have already done:
[18:49:43] <janrinok> you are best not accessing anything under /dev/ until you know what you are doing - no offence intended
[18:50:11] <Bytram_2> mkdir /mnt/lappydisk
[18:50:40] <Bytram_2> mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/lappy
[18:51:38] <janrinok> I'm confused again. you are mounting sda1 onto /mnt/sda1 - why?
[18:51:46] <Bytram_2> ls /mnt shows "dvdrive" and "Lappydisk"
[18:51:58] <Bytram_2> .
[18:52:36] <janrinok> have you got a computer that boots windows and has access to 18.04?
[18:52:44] <Bytram_2> lemme try again... lsblk (on new) shows: sda --> sda1 mounted at /mnt/lappydsk
[18:53:07] <Bytram_2> only old lappy hich I am using now and which is on u. 18.10
[18:53:13] <janrinok> yes, but on which computer? which sda1?
[18:54:15] <Bytram_2> okay... new lappy which has clone of old disk...
[18:55:11] <janrinok> so, new lappy is running Ubuntu, and you are accessing the disk drive by mounting it on /mnt/lappy? Where are you going to copy to?
[18:56:37] <Bytram_2> what I am thining of doing is: dd if=/mnt/lappyds/downloads/Linux/Ubuntu/v18.04.3/ubuntu-18.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso of=/mnt/dvddrive bs=1GB status=progress
[18:57:16] <janrinok> I'm not sure that you can
[18:57:37] <janrinok> but worth a try if you have plenty of DVDs
[18:58:06] <Bytram_2> rnd thot; cd /mnt/lappydsk/downloads/Linux/Ubuntu/v18.04.3/
[18:58:40] <Bytram_2> then just dd if=uunt....iso of=/mnt/dvdrive etc.
[18:58:50] <janrinok> but if you have a spare usb drive you could certainly make that a bootable device
[18:59:29] * Bytram_2 ponders
[18:59:52] <janrinok> you are doing this the hard way. Have you got a thumb drive (usb drive) that will hold the ubuntu 18.04 iso?
[18:59:58] <Bytram_2> spidy sense is speaking to me.... 5 minutes
[19:00:00] <Bytram_2> prolloy
[19:00:03] <Bytram_2> brb
[19:00:18] <Bytram_2> coffee--
[19:04:18] <janrinok> 1. You cannot access the DVD drive for burning if the same drive contains the Ubuntu DVD that you have booted from. It will, as you know, only hold one disk at a time - and if you remove the Ubuntu drive it will crash
[19:05:47] <janrinok> 2. The easiest way to burn a disk is to copy the iso to a machine running Windows. You can do this easily by using a thumb drive and copying the .iso to it, and then moving the thumb drive to the windows machine and burning it to a DVD
[19:07:44] <Bytram_2> I am typing this from the old lappy whichis running ubuntu 18.10; new lappy is currently running systemrescuecd; both have acces to ubuntu 18.04.3 iso file
[19:07:54] <janrinok> 3. Once you have a 18.04 disk, you can reboot your new lappy using the 18.04 disk and you should be able to install hwinfo because 18.04 is still supported - i.e. the repos are still live.
[19:08:21] <Bytram_2> This current mchine is also the only one which has a version of windows tht will boot,
[19:09:00] <Bytram_2> It took enuf to get this ubuntu runnning I would prefer to make bootable 'thingy' on other (new) lappy.
[19:09:11] <Bytram_2> onemoment
[19:09:27] <janrinok> so copy the 18.04 iso file from the cloned disk to the old lappy and boot that into Windows. The use windows to burn your new CD/DVD
[19:10:06] <janrinok> see rule 1 above
[19:11:28] <Bytram_2> everythng would be done on new lappy..
[19:11:56] <janrinok> how? You only have 1 dvd drive on the new lappy - and it is ALREADY IN USE
[19:13:37] <Bytram_2> .
[19:14:06] <Bytram_2> wwhen I booted that system, i told rescuecd to copy everything to RAM
[19:14:19] <Bytram_2> it no longer touches the dvd
[19:14:51] <janrinok> well give it a try then, but I suspect that the DVD burning software was NOT copied at that point
[19:15:41] <janrinok> I don't know whether rescuecd contains DVD writing software
[19:18:32] <Bytram_2> this looks promising: http://www.system-rescue-cd.org
[19:18:49] <janrinok> ... it probably doesn't, which is why you asked 'Doesn't anybody burn dvds' - yes, we do, but we don't use rescuecd to do it. Read that link - it isn't what you want.
[19:21:35] <Bytram_2> nope. not gonna do it.
[19:21:47] <Bytram_2> yeah, I saw.
[19:22:42] <janrinok> honestly, bite the bullet and start the old lappy in windows. Copy the .iso file to the windows machine and burn it to disk there.
[19:22:58] <Bytram_2> okay then... nothinig to do but shutit all dowen and restrart from the beginning.
[19:23:21] <Bytram_2> iso file is on both lappy's old n new
[19:23:28] <janrinok> well you don't have to recopy the cloned SSD
[19:24:45] <janrinok> we just need to find out why Windows on the new lappy will not boot - you know the contents are good because you can access files from it. I suspect that it is something to do with the Windows boot process that is looking for a specific drive which it is not finding.
[19:25:05] <Bytram_2> okay...
[19:25:26] <Bytram_2> shutting down old lappy and booting it into windows.
[19:25:30] <Bytram_2> biab
[19:25:39] <Bytram_2> exit
[19:25:46] -!- Bytram_2 has quit []
[19:31:19] <Bytram> back!
[19:31:42] <janrinok> front
[19:31:49] <Bytram> two shay!
[19:31:57] <janrinok> three shay
[19:32:17] * janrinok doesn't know if he is winning or not ...
[19:32:31] <cmn32480> four God's Shake!
[19:32:36] <Bytram> So, now to shutdown new lappy, pull cloned hard disk, mount in enclosure and bring oveer to old lappy. write?
[19:32:58] <janrinok> just copy the .iso on to the thumb drive
[19:33:36] <Bytram> Oh, and I finally wait ubuntu 18.04.3 iso exists on both lappys
[19:34:13] <janrinok> once you have 18.04.3 on the win lappy, burn it to disk
[19:34:15] <Bytram> I found the orig 18.10 burned iso... I had istalled it on an ssd
[19:34:25] <Bytram> k
[19:35:12] <Bytram> burn to dvd or a usb thingy?
[19:35:22] <janrinok> dvd is easier
[19:35:35] <janrinok> ... but it is your choice
[19:35:45] <Bytram> yeah, I think that is all windows knows how to do
[19:35:54] * Bytram rummages around for a dvd
[19:38:04] <Bytram> burning, verify pass requested.
[19:39:23] <janrinok> cmn32480, are you around?
[19:39:38] <Bytram> btw, when I got the new lappys at Goodwill, also scored two 25-packs of Sony DVD-R disks...4.7GB 1xc-8x... for $3.00 each. =)
[19:39:52] <janrinok> bargain!
[19:40:15] <Bytram> is about 10% done
[19:40:19] <Bytram> yep
[19:40:53] <Bytram> janrinok: cmn32480: thank you all so much for your assistance.. and patience!
[19:41:05] <cmn32480> janrinok, I am still here.. mostly
[19:41:10] <Bytram> this is gonna be a while.. back in a few minutes
[19:41:11] <cmn32480> in and out due to my day job...
[19:41:11] <janrinok> np, but I've only got about 20 mins left
[19:41:17] <Bytram> oh,k
[19:41:31] <cmn32480> I suggest nuking it from orbit.
[19:41:36] <Bytram> bar graph suggests it is about 1/3 done
[19:41:56] <janrinok> cmn32480, do you know if/how/where Win 7 stores the boot information, particularly how it knows which drive to boot from?
[19:42:10] <cmn32480> from the MBR, isn't it?
[19:42:12] <Bytram> cmn32480: if you can get me to orbit, yo can do *anything8 you want to it!
[19:42:36] <Bytram> yeah, that was a higglypiggly part of the copy for me...
[19:43:07] <janrinok> yes, but in linux it creates a initramfs which gets its drive information from fstab etc Does Windows have an equivalent
[19:43:24] * cmn32480 wonders how much less time woudl ahave been used by jsut installing Windows from bare metal and installing porgrams as needed.
[19:43:44] <janrinok> much quicker if Bytram had a win 7 disk
[19:44:09] <cmn32480> also woudl work better if he had a real internet connection. I could ahve given him one
[19:44:17] <cmn32480> or at least the ISO
[19:44:34] <janrinok> not quite sure I understand the internet hardware in use
[19:44:41] <cmn32480> tethered cell phone
[19:44:46] <cmn32480> with a limited data plan
[19:45:04] <cmn32480> how very stone age of him
[19:45:10] <janrinok> you could be talking Swahili for all the good that did me
[19:45:20] <cmn32480> he uses a smart phone
[19:45:31] <cmn32480> with a USB cable tethered to his laptop
[19:45:43] <Bytram> 15 GB data, over LTE; I see speeds of ~500KB/s usually; sometime as much as 1.2GB/s
[19:45:46] <cmn32480> as his internet connection
[19:45:52] <Bytram> is verifying dvd
[19:46:00] <janrinok> that sounds expensive but I confess to not knowing much about it
[19:46:42] <Bytram> acyally not physiclly connected any more; set my phone up to be a wi-fi access point for lappy (I think they call it a "Mi-Fi)
[19:47:15] <cmn32480> hotspot
[19:47:26] <cmn32480> Mi-Fi is a personal hotspot, but is a brand name
[19:47:27] <janrinok> ah, hotspot I understand
[19:47:34] * Bytram already pays for cell phone.. ~$70/mo; getting cable internet would cost even more than that. (Spectrum fwiw)
[19:47:43] <cmn32480> yeah.. it is what the dogs get if they lick themselves too much
[19:48:02] <janrinok> yeah, I've read about the US broadband system....
[19:48:23] <cmn32480> you shoudl check your pricign bytram... you might be able to get unlimited data for less
[19:48:46] <Bytram> or it's where you scratch their belly and their leg suddenly starts going in circles.
[19:49:39] <Bytram> it acutally is unlimited... on the *phone* -- any kind of tethering is limited to 15 GB
[19:49:51] <cmn32480> gotcha
[19:50:07] <Bytram> yeah, it was a gotcha for me, too.
[19:50:27] <janrinok> Bytram, it sounds that absolute reverse of what most people have here. We get an ISP with a wifi modem, and our phones piggy-back off that whenever they are within range, or use standard phone towers at other times
[19:50:39] <Bytram> But actually better than what I had before. 6 GB cap for about $90/mo
[19:50:49] <Bytram> *almost* done
[19:51:42] <janrinok> cmn32480, so I take it that you don't have any insight as to where Windows stores it's boot data other than what you have already given?
[19:51:53] <cmn32480> i have none..
[19:52:09] <cmn32480> but afaik it is the disk MBR that get s read
[19:52:30] <Bytram> It seemed like gparted insistedon starting the pariton 1GB into the drive
[19:52:43] <Bytram> burn complete
[19:52:49] <cmn32480> that woudl be the restore partition
[19:52:54] <cmn32480> most likely
[19:53:01] <Bytram> k
[19:53:11] <janrinok> that will make the next bit more difficult as I am not sure where to look. Yeah but the MBR is pretty low level for trying to recover a system that will not boot
[19:53:36] <cmn32480> what does the partiton tabel look like
[19:53:36] <janrinok> If we could just get it to boot, could we restore it, and would that help?
[19:53:58] <Bytram> that's the problem, it won't boot goes into a loop
[19:54:11] <Bytram> sys a:
[19:54:16] <cmn32480> boot partition shiould be C
[19:54:23] <cmn32480> where Windows is installed
[19:54:36] <janrinok> because it cannot find a disk - I hope to compare the disks at the formatting level to see if there is any difference between the working system and the non-booting system
[19:54:44] * Bytram remembers the good old days when things were so much simpler
[19:55:03] <janrinok> linux doesn't understand C:
[19:55:19] <Bytram> I see
[19:55:29] <janrinok> no, see colon
[19:55:48] <cmn32480> generally named OS or somethign similar.
[19:55:56] <cmn32480> if it is a basic windows install
[19:56:08] <Bytram> seriously, at this point I really do NOT mind starting over.
[19:56:33] <Bytram> cmn32480: How would you clone a windows disk for a user?
[19:56:52] <janrinok> but I'm not sure where that would get you - if you spend 6 hours copying the exact same data but expecting different results..... People often talk about that sort of thing
[19:57:09] <cmn32480> I don't clone windows installs
[19:57:13] <cmn32480> almost ever
[19:57:26] <cmn32480> unless it is a failing disk adn the new drive is going back toteh same hardware
[19:57:27] <janrinok> Start with a win disk I suppose
[19:57:29] <chromas> Did you clone the disk or the partition?
[19:57:48] <Bytram> close... it is, actually, "Repeating the *same* mistakes and expecting different results."
[19:57:51] <janrinok> should have been the whole disk
[19:57:56] <cmn32480> any chance you can send me what the GParted partition tabel looks like>
[19:58:07] <Bytram> that is what I was trying to do... the whole *disk*
[19:58:30] <Bytram> now that I have booted into windows? ;)
[19:58:44] <cmn32480> open disk manager
[19:58:47] <Bytram> yeah, gonna boot new lappy with ubuntu 18.04.3
[19:58:53] <Bytram> on windows
[19:58:57] <janrinok> as long as you didn't specify any numbers in your disk drive names i.e. /dev/sdd is good, /dev/sd1 is bad
[19:59:05] <cmn32480> open disk amanger on the old lappy
[19:59:19] <cmn32480> that will tell you whnat the partitions shoudl look like on the new disk for the boot disk etc
[19:59:51] <cmn32480> I think it is partion 2, generally
[19:59:59] <Bytram> I do not seem to have a "disk manager"
[20:00:42] <janrinok> I've got to go - S is calling me. I can be back to help tomorrow if that is any use to you?
[20:00:50] <cmn32480> best to S!
[20:01:00] <janrinok> and to J in return!
[20:01:02] <cmn32480> open computer management console
[20:01:06] <Bytram> thabkis a bunch!
[20:01:17] <Bytram> yeah, I justy ound it,now,
[20:01:24] <cmn32480> should be listed under administrative tools
[20:01:50] <Bytram> what would you like to know?
[20:02:05] <cmn32480> look at the patition table in the disk management section
[20:02:11] <janrinok> good luck, bon chance, viel Gluck
[20:02:17] <cmn32480> does it match what you are seeing in GParted on the new lappy
[20:02:31] <cmn32480> janrinok - prepare the nukes, please
[20:03:18] <cmn32480> brb bio
[20:03:43] <Bytram> okay, first I need to reboot new lappy w/ new ubuntu
[20:04:18] <chromas> Did you try bootrec.exe?
[20:05:05] <chromas> If you have a Windows installer sitting around somewhere, you can boot it and get a console window
[20:05:13] <Bytram> rebooting new lappy from dvd into Ubuntu 18.04.3
[20:05:54] <Bytram> chromas: I do not. computer came to me with windows all nicely installed, but without any disks
[20:06:54] * Bytram needs to cange the boot order to start w/ dvd
[20:07:17] <Bytram> There we go!
[20:07:39] <chromas> No F12?
[20:08:14] <Bytram> chromas: where?
[20:08:39] <chromas> Usually you can press F12 or something during POST to get a boot menu
[20:08:45] <chromas> without changing boot order
[20:08:59] <Bytram> oh, yeah. I did that... ubuntu is loading now
[20:09:34] <chromas> There's a lotta scrollback so I don't know what all you tried, but look at your partition table and make sure the right partition has the Bootable flag set
[20:10:42] <Bytram> cmn32480: I don't understand what you are asking about "look at the partition table"... I have "Computer Management" running, selected "Disk Management"... now what/?
[20:15:27] <Bytram> I see only one partition. At the top; Volume 9c;0, Layout: simpe, Type: Basic, Ile system: NTFS, status: Healthy (system, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition), Capacity; 931.51 GB, Free Space: 498.97 GB, % Free: 54 %, Fault Tolerance: No, Overhead: 0%
[20:16:10] <cmn32480> if there si only 1 partiotn, that is the boot partition
[20:16:13] <Bytram> and the same info in the "graphic' area below. Only thing additional that i see is it says "Disk 0'
[20:16:45] <Bytram> nod nod
[20:17:15] <Bytram> okay, am up to the "Try Ubuntu" button click.
[20:20:42] * Bytram launches gparted
[20:22:40] <Bytram> Partition: /dev/sda1, filesystem: NtfS, Size: 931.51 GiB, Used: 432.30 GiB, Unused: 499.22 GiB, Flags: Boot.
[20:37:40] -!- Bytram_2 [Bytram_2!~a6b6fdb4@399-462-891-825.mobile.uscc.com] has joined #qa
[20:39:08] <Bytram_2> Very strange, on this version of Firefox (on ubuntu 18.04.30) I do not see *any* of the left-hand slashboxes. ??!?
[20:39:40] <Bytram_2> (atm, I am logged into the site as martyb)
[20:40:29] <chromas> Same here. Probably rehash derping out
[20:40:36] <Bytram_2> and... I do not see the Admin bar, either!
[20:40:43] <chromas> Well, not quite the same. I'm not also logged in as martyb
[20:40:54] <Bytram_2> you don't say?
[20:41:03] <chromas> No, I did say
[20:41:19] <Bytram_2> Oh, okay.
[20:41:27] <Bytram_2> at least they all rhyme!
[20:41:36] <Bytram_2> ~time x
[20:43:30] * chromas emails Bytram_2 a Windows 7 iso
[20:44:01] -!- exec [exec!~exec@crutchys.brothel] has joined #qa
[20:44:46] * Bytram launches pine
[20:45:16] <Bytram_2> .op
[20:45:27] <Bytram_2> lol
[20:45:54] <chromas> How far did you get before it looped?
[20:46:04] * Bytram_2 forgot he is not himself when coming in thru the web chat interface
[20:46:08] <chromas> Does it show anything at all? Better check to see if that laptop has BIOS of EFI
[20:46:13] <chromas> s/of/or/
[20:46:56] <Bytram_2> has both, BIOS and EFI avail, I assumed it was going with BIOS
[20:47:50] <chromas> Check the settings
[20:48:27] <Bytram_2> as for looping... I see the dell boot screen for aboout 5 seconds, then see "Starting Windows" for about the same amount of time, a quick flash, and then it goes back into a hard restart as if it were just being powered on.
[20:49:19] <Bytram_2> okay, I just realized I have eaten nothing all day... back in a few minutes
[20:50:10] <Bytram_2> oh, and my phone's charge is down to about 30%
[20:50:16] <Bytram_2> afk biab
[20:50:29] <chromas> Plug it into your USB port. You get charging plus wired tethering
[20:50:57] <Bytram_2> one thng before I go.... chromas how would YOU clone a windows disk drive?
[20:51:21] <chromas> cp /dev/olddisk /dev/newdisk
[20:51:32] <chromas> dd or whatever also works
[20:51:47] <Bytram_2> I suppose I could tether to USB port, but more n more cables :/
[20:52:10] <Bytram_2> that is what I tried, dd, and yet here we are.
[20:52:11] <chromas> The phone's gonna need a cable anyhow
[20:52:14] <Bytram_2> any
[20:52:32] <chromas> The only time I had trouble with a cloned Windows was after resizing a partition afterward
[20:53:00] <Bytram_2> Actully, nope, it has Qi (wireless) charging. =)
[20:53:02] <chromas> I also used cat over ssh once
[20:53:07] <Bytram_2> lol
[20:53:52] <Bytram_2> okay stomach is growling too loud, can't think. Back in about 30 minutes.
[20:54:03] <Bytram_2> afk
[20:55:04] <chromas> I used tethering on Linux once by just plugging the phone in. It showed up as a network device and I connected. Didn't even have to pay to enable tethering (which was a thing at the time)
[20:57:46] <chromas> If you can get a hold of a Win7 iso you can boot it up and reinstall the bootloader
[20:58:06] <chromas> microsoft.com lists the iso as available but wants a key first for some reason
[21:14:33] <cmn32480> keys are on the bottom of the pcs
[21:15:16] <cmn32480> sorry guys. I gotta roll. cub scouts tonight and I have done exactly zero prep
[21:15:22] <cmn32480> sorry I'm useless on this topic today
[21:17:17] <Bytram> chromas: any idea how large the windows iso is?
[21:18:26] <chromas> Mine's 3.7GB
[21:19:00] <chromas> Maybe you have a neighbor or something with a disc
[21:20:38] <chromas> Another option is to install 7 from scratch on the lap and spend the next 137 hours updating :D
[21:36:05] <Bytram_2> Just found tis: https://www.w7forums.com
[21:37:25] <Bytram_2> maybe a trip to the library is due, ISTR they have a 1 Gbps connection
[21:45:26] <Bytram_2> http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net
[21:46:24] <Bytram_2> ^^^ Win 7 Pro@ x64
[21:50:28] <Bytram_2> https://www.w7forums.com
[21:50:50] <Bytram_2> ^^^ Boo0ting ISO will start a fresh installation?
[21:51:31] <chromas> You can also get a terminal window and see if reinstalling the bootloader will fix it
[21:57:47] <Bytram_2> Well! So Much for *that* https://www.w7forums.com
[21:59:55] <Bytram_2> ^^^ "Currently all the official digital river download links for windows 7 from microsoft are now not working....so u may have to rely on3rd party hosted iso files or torrents"
[22:00:41] <Bytram_2> and then I just found: https://go.skimresources.com
[22:03:56] <Bytram_2> https://www.microsoft.com
[22:04:12] <chromas> Time to install 10
[22:04:14] <chromas> or linux
[22:04:23] <chromas> I can send you a 7.iso if you need
[22:05:40] <chromas> Have you tested any of your batch files in wine?
[22:05:51] <Bytram_2> that is what I am trying to get too, linux, but I have a gazillion batch programs I need to port over, and it would be helpful to have a faster procc, and higher res on my UHD screen (am running 2200x1200 atm)
[22:06:37] <Bytram_2> oh, you have *no* idea of how many non-documented batch features I have regulary made use of!
[22:06:56] <Bytram_2> :: this is a comment in a batch program
[22:07:00] <Bytram_2> echo.
[22:07:20] <Bytram_2> ^^^ displays a *blank* line
[22:08:36] <Bytram_2> It is common to have 3, 4, or even 5 levels of depth with one batch program calling another and that calls yet another, and...
[22:11:05] <Bytram_2> Oh, I make extensive use of GNU utilities that had been ported to Windows .exe files: MKS Toolkit, UnxUtils, GNU on WIndows, GW32, EzWinPorts... plus a bunch of one-off .exe files that do specific tasks.
[22:11:09] <chromas> Worked for me
[22:11:19] <chromas> Z:\home\2b>echo.
[22:11:28] <chromas> Well, the irc client stripped out the blank lines
[22:12:12] <chromas> What do you write the exes in?
[22:13:43] <Bytram_2> those are just the ones I readily recall off the top of my head. Once I got something figured out, maybe using some strange bat file tricks, I'd encapsulate it into its own little batch program and then I could just use the abstraction and not worry about the "guts"
[22:14:12] <Bytram_2> mostly things I foun on-line that met a need at the time.
[23:03:28] <Bytram> Okay, FWIW, I just created a Win 7 restore disk using the built-in Windows tool and had it written to a DVD
[23:06:17] * Bytram is calling it a night with that experiment. We'll see what tomorrow has to bring.
[23:10:13] -!- Bytram_2 has quit [Ping timeout: 244 seconds]