Migrate Mint 17.2 programs, files & setting to new PC?

[EdQld]

Recently I have had multiple issues setting up Dual Boot Mint 17.2 & Win 8.1 on my wife's Acer AIO PC, but I have finally got the Mint install just how my wife wants it

I have purchased a new HP Pavilion 23 AIO PC to replace the Acer and successfully made it into a Dual Boot PC

I would now like to migrate all the Mint programs, files and setting from the Acer to the HP, rather than going through the whole process of configuring Mint again on the HP

Both PC's have Mint installed on a partition gained by shrinking their Win D:/ Data Drive partitions

Is there any easy way to do this?

[phd21]

Hi EdQld,

1. If the new computer's partition for Linux Mint is the same size or larger, and you have an external USB drive, you could have used a disk imaging program, like Clonezilla Live, to backup that Linux Mint partition from one computer to your external drive, then, restore it to the new computer. Linux Mint would automatically adjust itself to the new hardware.

2. There is also a really cool program called "Aptik" which can also list and backup all your installed applications and settings as well which can then be restored too.

To install "Aptik", Open a console terminal prompt and type in each line one by one, or copy & paste each line, below:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:teejee2008/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install aptik

In order to run "Aptik" in my Linux Mint, after installing it using the above console terminal commands, I have to open a console terminal, and type in "sudo aptik-gtk".

Aptik (Automated Package Backup and Restore), an application available in Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian- and Ubuntu-based Linux distributions, allows you to backup a list of installed PPAs (Personal Package Archives), which are software repositories, downloaded packages, installed applications and themes, and application settings to an external USB drive, network drive, or a cloud service like Dropbox.

3. FYI: Obviously, any personal data like documents, pictures, etc... can be copied to an external drive (USB flash drive, or USB hard drive) and just copied back to the new drive's Linux Mint partition.

Hope this helps ...

[EdQld]

Thanks phd21 for your help

When do you enter "sudo aptik-gtk" in the Terminal, is it straight after the other 3 commands you have listed?

I really appreciate your help, I have attempted copying a Image of the partition using Backupper in Win, but have run into boot issues following this, although when intermittently I get into Mint, it is just how it was setup on the old PC

I have another post seeking a solution to this problem, but if not successful, I will start from scratch and try your solution, thanks again

[phd21]

Hi EdQld,

You are welcome.

In order to run the "aptik" program "sudo aptik-gtk" from #2 in previous post, you will have to install it first. So yes, you will have to run the three console terminal commands first by typing in each line or copying and pasting each line one by one which I usually put in the description and forgot, sorry. I just re-edited my last post to put that in there.

There is a very handy program called "boot-repair-cd" which I recommend to everyone to create and keep around which can easily repair boot up issues on your system. Not all Ms Windows based hard drive image programs can handle Linux partitions, but the free "CloneZilla Live" and some others can. I would highly recommend that you use something like "Clonezilla Live" to backup your computers to external hard drive(s) "by partitions" method rather than whole drive. This way you can restore your Windows partition or your Linux partition or both, if and when needed.

[EdQld]

Thanks phd21,

Yeah I needed Boot-repair USB Disk to fix the broken Grub after my attempt of copying the Mint install from the Acer to the HP AIO, unfortunately although I can get to a rather cluttered Gub now, boots into Mint result in either a blank frozen screen or a error message needing Key S to get it to load into Mint (which does have all the programs, files & settings though)

May have to bite the bullet and restore Win to original state and then do another Dual Boot install of Mint

Not sure if I should try to get a Live Clonezilla to boot in the Acer PC (had trouble getting some programs to boot in this efi PC) and copy the partition or just configure Mint manually on the HP PC

[phd21]

Hi EdQld,

You're welcome again.

Not sure I understood all this. Didn't you install a fresh copy of Linux Mint into the new HP PC? How did you "copy that partition"? With a fresh Linux Mint install on the new HP, you could use "Aptik" to back up Linux Mint application, settings, etc... from the older Acer system then restore to the newer HP system.

Clonezilla Live is a bootable CD or DVD or USB flash drive that you must create and boot to, I would not recommend installing it in your operating system's hard drive.
http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live.php

When using the "boot-repair-cd" you should connect to the internet, if need be, go into advance options which can repair MBR and delete and recreate the Grub.

There is also a very nice program called "Grub Customizer" which you can install in your Linux Mint.
To install Grub Customizer, type in a terminal each line below one by one, or copy & paste each line:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt update
sudo apt install grub-customizer

There is also another set of programs called "Rescatux and Super Grub2" which can also repair and or boot into systems that are having problems booting up normally.

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/rescatux/

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/

FYI:
Linux Mint uefi
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=li ... ack+screen

[EdQld]

Thanks again phd21, this sure has been a frustrating time with the Acer & now the HP

The funny thing is booting to Mint sometimes results in Blank frozen screen, then other times the error message that lets me boot successfully after using the S key?

No luck with Clonezilla Live, created the appropriate version of a bootable USB with Rufus, but it failed to Boot/recognised from Boot Menu on the Acer
I've had a hit and miss experience with bootable DVD/USB's on the Acer, EFI PC's have certainly caused some problems!

What I did was make a backup image of the Mint 17.2 root partition on the configured Acer PC to an Ext HDD, then I created a Dual Boot with Win 8.1 & fresh Mint 17.2 on the HP and used this backup image to "restore" that image to the HP's Mint partition, both PC's had Mint partitions created on space created by shrinking their D:/ (all setup nicely, apart from the resulting Boot issues)

I guess I'm back to starting from scratch, Restore Win & then do another Dual Boot Mint install, might take a look then at your "Aptik" suggestion to hopefully speed up the configuration of the fresh Mint install on the HP

[EdQld]

Just gave Aptik a go on the Acer, but it doesn't give any option on where to save the Data, the one I tried just created "File saved ppa.list" in the open Terminal

How can these Backups be used on another PC?

[Cosmo.]

When using aptik you have at first to select the backup directory. You can later copy this folder to an external drive.

[phd21]

Hi,

As user "cosmo" pointed out in the previous post.

Create a folder in your "/home" folder called "backups" on both computers. Tell "Aptik" to use this folder to store everything, and when it is done, you can copy that folder to your external USB drive, go to the newer computer copy that folder to it's "/home/username/backups" folder, which can then be read by "aptik" to restore your settings, applications, etc...

Obviously, another great aspect of using Aptik, is that if something should happen to your existing Linux Mint system on either machine, you can re-install Linux Mint and "Aptik", and restore everything from your "Aptik" backups folder to get back up and running with all your applications, settings, etc...

What's nice, and or interesting, is that you can use your file manager to "browse" this folder to see what applications, settings, etc.. you have installed and are using.

FYI: This is a new post that you might find interesting...
Linux Mint 17.2 , installed with UEFI secure boot Enabled!
http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=201068

[EdQld]

Before coming back to this Forum I decided just to start from scratch, I just spent too much time and energy on a list of problems I encountered

I used LuckyBackup to make a copy of the Home partition on the Acer (excluding hidden & system files), then did a clean reinstall of Win System on the HP from a Image backup, another clean install of Mint to set-up Dual Boot and finally used the saved LuckyBackup Data to copy & paste into the Home partition on the HP and finally, manually reinstalled all the programs and settings

Actually it took a lot less time than trying to find a "quick & easy" method to get the HP up and running

Thanks phd21 and all that made the effort to help, much appreciated, I will follow up on the Aptik suggestion for future use