Comment 2 for bug 134325

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