Ubuntu
update-manager package

Upgrade to Next O.S. Level Kills Present O.S.

Bug #134325 reported by Linux Convert on 2007-08-23

Affects		Status	Importance	Assigned to	Milestone
	update-manager (Ubuntu)	Invalid	Undecided	Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: update-manager

I found that in my last upgrade attempt to Kubuntu 7.04 that the upgrade process says I have many incompatible programs. It lists the GIMP, Open Office and more as being incompatible with the newer Kubuntu O.S.. It even says that Adept is incompatible too! So what does the the upgrade program do? - It starts deleting everything!!!!!!! When it finally deletes Adept, the system goes numb and then reboots into a command line only state where I am left with no choice but to re-install with the new Level of Kubuntu. (I have no command line knowledge and don't want any!) I'm not allowed to use my existing partitions in the re-install process and so I loose EVERYTHING!!! in the upgrade process. This is hugely painful and requires the backing up of EVERYTHING!!! In order to have my E-Mail back I had to learn to copy my ".KDE" directory to a safe place so I could overwrite the freshly installed one. I doubt I will be able to do that successfully when KDE goes from 3 to version 4. This needs to be fixed for me to continue with Kubuntu. It just may be time for me to look at Mac since I will never go back to Microsoft! This same upgrade issue I am sure happened with my last upgrade from Kubuntu 5.xx to 6.06 where the same behavior of the desktop suddenly going numb was observed. It too rebooted to a command line only state. Leaving me no choice to re-install with 6.06. - Wiping out everything! I am terrified to attempt an upgrade this October or next April when the next 2 releases are due. This kind of thing never happened during a Windows upgrade. I use the Alternate CD Install since the LiveCD with installer finds almost none of my hardware. My system is a Clone with an A.M.D. Sempron 1.8GHz Processor and End-User hardware with an nVidia GForce 4200 8x A.G.P. Video Card I have never be able to fully install without trashing, completely! the Kubuntu install. I have never been able to enjoy OpenGl and have to refuse any program that deploys OpenGL since they run horribly! This includes using the nVidia-glx, nVidia-glx-legacy, and nVidia-glx-new drivers. I can't install the proprietary drivers from nVidia because I need to be Root. I then need to stop the X-Server. When I go to a command line and try installing there I need to be Root for real and not "Sudo". Envy is having huge problems and all this leaves me wondering if I should just pack it in, bite the bullet, and go Mac despite the high price. Apparently you get what you pay for. Kubuntu is free and I sure seem to be getting what I have not paid for. Sorry if this is actually two issues but I am really fed-up at this point!

Revision history for this message

Michael Vogt (mvo) wrote on 2007-08-29:

Thanks for your bugreport and we are very sorry for the trouble you had during the upgrade.

Could you please attach a copy of the files in /var/log/dist-upgrade/ to this bugreport? That makes diagnosing what went wrong much easier.

Thanks,
Michael

Changed in update-manager:
status:	New → Incomplete

Revision history for this message

Linux Convert (thepeatfieldsinbox) wrote on 2007-08-29: Re: [Bug 134325] Re: Upgrade to Next O.S. Level Kills Present O.S.

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On Wednesday 29 August 2007 14:08:59 Michael Vogt wrote:
> Thanks for your bugreport and we are very sorry for the trouble you had
> during the upgrade.
>
> Could you please attach a copy of the files in /var/log/dist-upgrade/ to
> this bugreport? That makes diagnosing what went wrong much easier.
>
> Thanks,
> Michael
>
> ** Changed in: update-manager (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

Hi Michael,

There are no logs in the folder path you specify. So I'll explain. I loaded
Kubuntu 5.xx. It was great until the following Spring when I decided to
Upgrade to Kubuntu 6.xx. I did not understand what was going on during this
upgrade until it was way to late. The same thing happened again when going
from 6.xx to 7.04. What happened was the following,

1) Download the new ISO file.

2) Burn it to disk and verify it is burned correctly

3) Add the new CD-ROM to Adept

4) Start the Upgrade

5) Error Message appears complaining that installed software is not
compatible with the new Kubuntu version. It will be deleted. (Note: I was not
allowed any choices that made any sense to me. It seemed OK to delete
incompatible programs and install new versions.)

6) As software is deleted, each software package is called out and a message
saying it is being deleted appears with every package being deleted. (Note: I
still don't have a problem with this since no one in their right mind would
write a program that would delete System Files FIRST! WRONG!!!)

7) The Upgrade Routine complains that Adept is the wrong version and it TO!,
will be deleted. As-soon-as Adept was deleted from my hard drive the desktop
went numb in a Microsoft Windows sort of way. My only option now is to reboot
since the system is completely unusable at the desktop level.

8) I reboot gracefully.

9) The machine acts as if it is going to load the desktop and then comes
back to a command line complaining it cannot load KDM. I am officially stuck
at the command line.

10) Do to a serious lack of command line knowledge, I have no options but to
load the new version of Kubuntu from scratch since the upgrade feature will
not work. The CD-ROM Menu has NO Upgrade option in it. (And it still
doesn't! - in 7.04.)

11) I am not allowed to use pre-existing partitions and have to repartition
the entire drive. All personal data is now GONE! (Thanks to being a Windows
User I back-up regularly so I didn't loose any data. But, other users would
have lost everything since 99% of all users do not back-up or back-up
regularly.)

12) New version of the Kubuntu system has no logs since it has not been
upgraded. It is the newest version I wanted installed in the first place
before everything went South. So sorry, no logs to give and I am not going
through this again to develop logs to give you.

I have to say, if this issue can't be fixed, I cannot use you Linux Distro.
I am already warding people off with this horrific story of trouble. They
want to know why they hear so much about Linux and then here stories like
this. I'm not the only one.

I am a Professional Photographer that needs a working and stable machine.
That's why I am currently ...

On Wednesday 29 August 2007 14:08:59 Michael Vogt wrote:
> Thanks for your bugreport and we are very sorry for the trouble you had
> during the upgrade.
> 
> Could you please attach a copy of the files in /var/log/dist-upgrade/ to
> this bugreport? That makes diagnosing what went wrong much easier.
> 
> Thanks,
>  Michael
> 
> ** Changed in: update-manager (Ubuntu)
>        Status: New => Incomplete
>

Hi Michael,

There are no logs in the folder path you specify. So I'll explain. I loaded 
Kubuntu 5.xx. It was great until the following Spring when I decided to 
Upgrade to Kubuntu 6.xx. I did not understand what was going on during this 
upgrade until it was way to late. The same thing happened again when going 
from 6.xx to 7.04. What happened was the following,

1) Download the new ISO file.

2) Burn it to disk and verify it is burned correctly

3) Add the new CD-ROM to Adept

4) Start the Upgrade

5) Error Message appears complaining that installed software is not 
compatible with the new Kubuntu version. It will be deleted. (Note: I was not 
allowed any choices that made any sense to me. It seemed OK to delete 
incompatible programs and install new versions.)

6) As software is deleted, each software package is called out and a message 
saying it is being deleted appears with every package being deleted. (Note: I 
still don't have a problem with this since no one in their right mind would 
write a program that would delete System Files FIRST! WRONG!!!)

7) The Upgrade Routine complains that Adept is the wrong version and it TO!, 
will be deleted. As-soon-as Adept was deleted from my hard drive the desktop 
went numb in a Microsoft Windows sort of way. My only option now is to reboot 
since the system is completely unusable at the desktop level.

8) I reboot gracefully.

9) The machine acts as if it is going to load the desktop and then comes 
back to a command line complaining it cannot load KDM. I am officially stuck 
at the command line.

10) Do to a serious lack of command line knowledge, I have no options but to 
load the new version of Kubuntu from scratch since the upgrade feature will 
not work. The CD-ROM Menu has NO Upgrade option in it. (And it still 
doesn't! - in 7.04.)

11) I am not allowed to use pre-existing partitions and have to repartition 
the entire drive. All personal data is now GONE! (Thanks to being a Windows 
User I back-up regularly so I didn't loose any data. But, other users would 
have lost everything since 99% of all users do not back-up or back-up 
regularly.)

12) New version of the Kubuntu system has no logs since it has not been 
upgraded. It is the newest version I wanted installed in the first place 
before everything went South. So sorry, no logs to give and I am not going 
through this again to develop logs to give you.

I have to say, if this issue can't be fixed, I cannot use you Linux Distro. 
I am already warding people off with this horrific story of trouble. They 
want to know why they hear so much about Linux and then here stories like 
this. I'm not the only one.

I am a Professional Photographer that needs a working and stable machine. 
That's why I am currently using your product. However, if I have to go 
through this type of pain to upgrade and take vasts amount of time to back-up 
everything just to upgrade, I am done with Linux and will have to look 
elsewhere. I am talking about Browser bookmarks, the dot-KDE directory to 
have my E-Mails and all that is of value held there, and so forth.

I understand Linux is not Windows or the OS-X. But!, I do expect things to 
work as advertised and/or as expected. It's expected an Upgrade will happen 
uneventfully.

I also have an nVidia GForce 4200 8x A.G.P. Video Card I can't get working 
either, since my install of Kubuntu in 5.xx. No OpenGL because your drivers 
toast the machine and I have to re-install again, from scratch!

The drivers from nVidia that YOU could incorporate into the build require me 
to be a real ROOT User and NOT!, Sudo. They also require the X-Server to be 
shutdown. This means being a real ROOT User on the command line. And then 
having to edit system files and, and, and, and! I just want the thing to work 
and the nVidia 4200 card is old so there should be something by now that 
makes it work without extreme command line knowledge or what's available 
rendering my machine useless at the command line which!, requires me to 
re-install the O.S. to get back up and running. I left Windows because I want 
to USE my computer and not contend with the all the Microsoft looniness. I am 
terrified to even attempt an upgrade at this point. I am holding off until 
next April at least to finish work that needs getting done.

I am sure this is really two issues but, it all leaves me in the same place, 
having to re-install the O.S. and start all over. Programs need downloading 
and installing again that did not come on the CD-ROM such as games, 
photography software I purchased and so on. It's time, I am growing weary of 
spending.

Here's my contribution to the solution. Roll-in the nVidia drivers from 
nVidia to the upcoming release if you have not already done so. Quick and 
easy.

Find out why your upgrade program wants to delete files FIRST. It should 
copy files to the system and then tag old files for deletion on reboot. On 
reboot, the new files should just overwrite the old ones. Files that are new 
should then be moved into place and then a request to reboot once more should 
be initiated. On this second reboot starts, the new files of the New O.S. 
version are loaded and the upgrade is complete. I boot into my new version of 
Kubuntu and then my desktop. I'm not a programmer but, it seems even from my 
limited perspective, that this is not a hard thing to accomplish.

2 1/2 years of an up and down computer is enough,

John

Revision history for this message

Linux Convert (thepeatfieldsinbox) wrote on 2007-10-03:

Hi Michael,

I have unsubscribed from "Bug 134325". Please void my Registered Account
with Bugzilla. I have loaded openSuSE by Novell. I am blown away by how well
everything works and how my U.S.B. DVD-Burner, ATA DVD-ROM, and CD-ROM all
have individual mount-points and no longer get confused by the system. In
fact, all my U.S.B. devices have their own individual mount-point. Kubuntu
used the same mount-point for all U.S.B. devices and the same mount-point for
all ROM device regardless of how they were attached to the system. This
caused software to say that the device was not found. Not so in openSuSE!

Software does things openSuSE it did not do in Kubutnu, and this is a very
positive and well received action. I also have functionality in OpenOffice
retruned that was missing in Kubuntu.

openSuSE also recognizes I have Gig of Physical R.A.M. and puts the Swap
partition on a R.A.M.Drive and returns 3.29GB of unused space that was
allocated in Kubuntu. It feels as though I have installed a new C.P.U. at
twice the speed and yet!, I have not. Still running at 1.8GHz.

I truly believe that openSuSE benefits from a much longer release cycle that
Kubuntu could benefit from also. 6 months is way to fast! Kubuntu seems
sloppy especially after loading openSuSE. My advise, slow down, nail it big
time, and appreciate a fast growing audience.

All my hardware runs really well. I have been able to install the nVidia
drivers from their Web-Site with very little effort or knowledge. I now enjoy
OpenGL like I was never able to in Kubuntu.

I hope the future holds that you win me back but, the sour taste in my mouth
from my recent 8 hour upgrade that failed big time, is an experience that
will keep me away for some time to come. You can only guess which
distribution of Linux I will recommend to people when they ask. It will not
be anything in the Ubuntu family.

John

Revision history for this message

Henrik Nilsen Omma (henrik) wrote on 2007-11-14:

Thanks for letting us know. Without log files we will not be able to proceed with this issue. You can deactivate your own Launchpad account at https://launchpad.net/~<user-name>/+edit

Changed in update-manager:
status:	Incomplete → Invalid

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Upgrade to Next O.S. Level Kills Present O.S.

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update-manager package