LuckyBackup root mode crashes instead of starting

[scruffyeagle]

I'm using LM 20.2 in Cinnamon. My files are being stored on several cloned partitions on 2 external hard drives. The partitions are encrypted using VeraCrypt in TrueCrypt mode. When I click the link to launch LuckyBackup in superuser mode, I see the little wheel spinning on the screen for several seconds, and then it just goes away as if the program aborted instead of initializing.

Here's the output of inxi -Fxxxrz:

-------------------------
spirit@Precision-M6300-Mint:~$ inxi -Fxxxrz
System:
Kernel: 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0
Desktop: Cinnamon 5.0.7 wm: muffin 5.0.2 dm: LightDM 1.30.0
Distro: Linux Mint 20.2 Uma base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal
Machine:
Type: Portable System: Dell product: Precision M6300 v: N/A
serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 8 serial: <filter>
Mobo: Dell model: 0JM680 serial: <filter> BIOS: Dell v: A14
date: 12/06/2011
Battery:
ID-1: BAT0 charge: 68.6 Wh condition: 68.6/73.3 Wh (94%) volts: 12.6/11.1
model: PS2 DELL 00 type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: Full
CPU:
Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo T7250 bits: 64 type: MCP
arch: Core Merom rev: D L2 cache: 2048 KiB
flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 7978
Speed: 798 MHz min/max: 800/2001 MHz boost: enabled Core speeds (MHz):
1: 798 2: 798
Graphics:
Device-1: NVIDIA G84GLM [Quadro FX 1600M] vendor: Dell driver: nvidia
v: 340.108 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:040d
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: nvidia
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,nouveau,vesa resolution: 1920x1200~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Quadro FX 1600M/PCIe/SSE2 v: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 340.108
direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: Intel 82801H HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel
v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:284b
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-91-generic
Network:
Device-1: Broadcom and subsidiaries NetXtreme BCM5756ME Gigabit Ethernet
PCI Express
vendor: Dell driver: tg3 v: 3.137 port: df00 bus ID: 09:00.0
chip ID: 14e4:1674
IF: enp9s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Device-2: Broadcom and subsidiaries BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY
vendor: Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card driver: wl v: kernel port: df00
bus ID: 0c:00.0 chip ID: 14e4:4315
IF: wlp12s0 state: dormant mac: <filter>
Device-3: Dell Wireless 360 Bluetooth type: USB driver: btusb
bus ID: 6-2:2 chip ID: 413c:8140
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 1.06 TiB used: 27.45 GiB (2.5%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Hitachi model: HTS543216L9SA02 size: 149.05 GiB
speed: 1.5 Gb/s rotation: 5400 rpm serial: <filter> rev: C52F scheme: MBR
ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Western Digital
model: WD My Passport 0748 size: 931.48 GiB serial: <filter> rev: 1019
scheme: MBR
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 28.23 GiB used: 19.91 GiB (70.5%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
ID-2: swap-1 size: 9.77 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda1
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 56.0 C mobo: N/A sodimm: 45.0 C gpu: nvidia
temp: 60 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0
Repos:
No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com uma main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
Info:
Processes: 191 Uptime: 23m Memory: 3.84 GiB used: 1.05 GiB (27.4%)
Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash
v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38
spirit@Precision-M6300-Mint:~$
-----------------------------------

[Larry78723]

I may be wrong, but I don't think LuckyBackup or BackinTime can write to encrypted drives.

[gittiest personITW]

As Larry said, the drives would need to be unencrypted using Veracrypt for LB to be able to access them - although that shouldn't cause Luckybackup to not open.
Have you got a different LB profile you could try?
Look in your /home/USER folder for .luckyBackup and you can see the profile folder. Can edit them if you know what setting may have caused a problem.

[scruffyeagle]

No, you're both wrong. I've been using LuckyBackup on TrueCrypt (& now, VeraCrypt) drives for about 10 years. I backed up my partitions earlier this week, using LuckyBackup in Antix v19.4. The contents of the partitions get encrypted/unencrypted on the fly, during each file access read or write. There shouldn't be any problem - but, there is, in LM. It simply won't initialize, as if the program is crashing during startup process.

[cfb]

Try starting the program from a terminal window.
It might spit out some error messages.

[gittiest personITW]

No, you're both wrong. I've been using LuckyBackup on TrueCrypt (& now, VeraCrypt) drives for about 10 years.

My usual routine is mounting source and destination to decrypt in VC, then run LB which has the source/destination in a profile.
How do you do it?
I'd really appreciate if you would give details as that might save me a couple of steps in my backup routines.

[scruffyeagle]

Try starting the program from a terminal window.
It might spit out some error messages.

Do you mean, using

Code: Select all

gksu luckybackup

?

[scruffyeagle]

No, you're both wrong. I've been using LuckyBackup on TrueCrypt (& now, VeraCrypt) drives for about 10 years.

My usual routine is mounting source and destination to decrypt in VC, then run LB which has the source/destination in a profile.
How do you do it?
I'd really appreciate if you would give details as that might save me a couple of steps in my backup routines.

Yes, that's what I do too. For example, mounting partition#1 from drive#1 as VeraCrypt #1, then mounting partition#1 from drive#2 as VeraCrypt #21. At which point, I start LuckyBackup, where I have a profile item named "vc1 -> vc21". That item clones vc1 into vc21.

I do the VeraCrypt numbering in that manner, to create some separation between the primary external drive and the backup external drive, within the VeraCrypt's list. (I use 1TB external drives, partitioned into 8 partitions for topical sorting of files, maintaining the backup drive's partitions as clones of the primary drive's partitions.)

[scruffyeagle]

I also have a problem with Firefox, where it can connect with a few sites, but not most of the others. Could the failure to initialize LuckyBackup be related to the internet connection issue?

[scruffyeagle]

I realized today, that I'd missed a detail re. my LuckyBackup problem. There are actually 2 different links for starting LuckyBackup. The one I'd been trying (and failing) to use is in the "Administration" menu, for starting LuckyBackup in Superuser mode. But, there's a 2nd link in the "Applications" menu for starting LuckyBackup in Regular user mode. I hadn't noticed that before...

I tested the link from the Applications menu, for Regular user mode, and it worked. The program initialized and put up the window, instead of just silently crashing.

So, the PROBLEM (bug?) is strictly in the use of Superuser mode, and I'm amending the reply's title to reflect that fact.
If I could, I'd also change the thread's title - but that's not an option.

[mikeflan]

If I could, I'd also change the thread's title - but that's not an option.

Actually you can do that. Just go to your original 1st post (top of topic), click the edit pencil, and change the title any way you want. While you are there you can add [Solved] at the beginning of the title and click Submit.
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=267264

[scruffyeagle]

If I could, I'd also change the thread's title - but that's not an option.

Actually you can do that. Just go to your original 1st post (top of topic), click the edit pencil, and change the title any way you want. While you are there you can add [Solved] at the beginning of the title and click Submit.
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=267264

Thank you! Worked like a charm. I had just wanted to make the title more specific - and now, it is.

[cfb]

Do you mean, using

Code: Select all

gksu luckybackup

?

Find the link in your menu, that does NOT work. If you right click it and then select "Properties", "Edit" or ??? (see note below) you can probably see what the exact command is.
Try running this command in a terminal window.

Note: I use Xfce and not Cinnamon so I don't know what you see when you right click. Sorry!

[scruffyeagle]

Do you mean, using

Code: Select all

gksu luckybackup

?

Find the link in your menu, that does NOT work. If you right click it and then select "Properties", "Edit" or ??? (see note below) you can probably see what the exact command is.
Try running this command in a terminal window.

Note: I use Xfce and not Cinnamon so I don't know what you see when you right click. Sorry!

Okay, thanks. I'll try that the next time I'm doing a session of trying to get LM working.

[Menard]

I can't understand why we can have to use superuser mode for this ...

I had exactly to do what you describe

[scruffyeagle]

Do you mean, using

Code: Select all

gksu luckybackup

?

Find the link in your menu, that does NOT work. If you right click it and then select "Properties", "Edit" or ??? (see note below) you can probably see what the exact command is.
Try running this command in a terminal window.

Note: I use Xfce and not Cinnamon so I don't know what you see when you right click. Sorry!

I tried to do this, and it wouldn't work. I couldn't get at the link's properties, via the main menu. I think not having that option is a shortcoming of the Cinnamon DE... So, what I did was use the option to make a link on the desktop, to the SU version. From there, I was able to view the command to start the SU version. It was:

Code: Select all

/usr/bin/luckybackup-pkexec

[scruffyeagle]

As recommended, I ran the command for starting LuckyBackup in superuser mode from within the terminal window. It crashed again, but it DID return extra information which could be useful for fixing this. Here's the terminal contents:
------------------------------------
spirit@Precision-M6300-Mint:~$ /usr/bin/luckybackup-pkexec
qt.qpa.xcb: could not connect to display
qt.qpa.plugin: Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" even though it was found.
This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin could be initialized. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

Available platform plugins are: eglfs, linuxfb, minimal, minimalegl, offscreen, vnc, xcb.

Aborted (core dumped)
spirit@Precision-M6300-Mint:~$
-----------------------------------------------------------

I see that the xcb couldn't connect to the display.
I see that plugin couldn't load xcb, despite it being found.

My next move will be to do as suggested, and reinstall the LuckyBackup program.

[scruffyeagle]

Update:
1) I did a complete removal of LuckyBackup & its data file, using Synaptic package manager.
2) I tried to reinstall, but had broken packages.
3) I used the "Fix broken packages" menu option.
4) I reinstalled LuckyBackup, and the LuckyBackup data file.

Result:
* The SU version still crashes.
* It sill generates precisely the same output, in the terminal.
* The non-SU version still works.