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Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - Printable Version

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Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - JanetBiggar - 11-16-2017

Please excuse these basic questions, however despite learning more from mistakes than my immediate successes I am interested in saving time & effort Wink

I will be getting about 6 of the donated youth computers back some of which are still running a windows OS (mainly Win XP) and some which are already using LL.

First question -
1) I’m thinking on the ones running a Windows OS when possible I should first try LL dual boot I think it’s called to ensure that the computer WILL run LL. If it runs fine from the USB then go ahead and install LL as the only OS. Is my thinking correct or as long as it’s a computer and not a chromebook is the ability to have LL OS a “given”?

As long as these Win OS computers work with LL, I would go ahead and wipe them with DBAN then install LL.

2) with the ones already running LL, does going back to an earlier restore point and simply deleting/trashing any “added files or documents” make sense?  Otherwise I realize it isn’t too much work to wipe with DBAN and reload if best..?

3) Lastly, one computer that was running Win 10 was returned to me as the youth could no longer get into it as apparently it was asking for an admin password, yet was not responding to it. I suspect it had a virus and when I fired it up while I can’t recall exactly the message it indicted that I needed to put in a recovery CD. Unfortunately I forgot about trying to boot into safe mode simply thinking that I’d wipe it and load LL 3.6. After wiping it I went into change the boot order and from the boot order screen it does not have the option of USB so I went into BIOS and I require the original Microsoft (?) password in order to have permission to get into the boot order area. Unfortunately the original donor does not recall what that PW might be and to have them call Microsoft and sort it out I think is too much of a hassle.  So since I can have it boot from a CD I need to make an ISO of LL 3.6

“The Catch” is - I have made a non-Mac bootable Dvd by downloading the ISO to my Mac which can then burn the ISO image to a blank dvd, but I have only one blank dvd available. I want to verify that it is possible to download the PC 32 bit ISO version of LL 3.6 to my Mac from the Linux lite site and then be able to burn the ISO like I have done in the past? (I have been successful with ISOs of Win XP, DBAN, etc.)

although I have migrated to using USBs rather than DVD/CDs if I need to do so I will purchase the smallest package of dvd/CDs if I make a mistake.

Sorry for the length of this post and it’s basic nature,
Janet

Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - Moltke - 11-16-2017

Hi [member=7067]JanetBiggar[/member]

Quote:I’m thinking on the ones running a Windows OS when possible I should first try LL dual boot I think it’s called to ensure that the computer WILL run LL
I think that as long as the computers meet LL minimun requirements there should no problems.

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS:
CPU: 700MHz processor
RAM: 512mb ram
RESOLUTION: VGA screen 1024x768 resolution
MEDIA: DVD drive or USB port for the ISO image

Quote:with the ones already running LL, does going back to an earlier restore point and simply deleting/trashing any “added files or documents” make sense?  Otherwise I realize it isn’t too much work to wipe with DBAN and reload if best..?
It depends on what you want to do, if you can I think a restore point is a good call since that way you save the work to wipe and reinstall LL again, but then again it only takes like 5 minutes or so to intall LL so...it's up to you I guess.

Quote:I want to verify that it is possible to download the PC 32 bit ISO version of LL 3.6 to my Mac from the Linux lite site and then be able to burn the ISO like I have done in the past?
I don't see why you shouldn't be able to. If you can go the download site the you certainly can download whatever version you want to.

Hpe this helps! Smile

Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - firenice03 - 11-16-2017

[member=7067]JanetBiggar[/member]
Just to add some info to what moltke has posted...


Quote:1) I’m thinking on the ones running a Windows OS when possible I should first try LL dual boot I think it’s called to ensure that the computer WILL run LL. If it runs fine from the USB then go ahead and install LL as the only OS. Is my thinking correct or as long as it’s a computer and not a chromebook is the ability to have LL OS a “given”?
Couple things here; If booting from a USB, I'm assuming its the "Live" USB, this is a very good way to confirm. Then from within "Live" Environment you can install LL using the Install Icon on the desktop. If you install LL along side Windows this is a dual boot.
If the Live USB works satisfactorily then as you mentioned you could remove Windows..
I can't speak for the Chromebooks configs.



Quote:“The Catch” is - I have made a non-Mac bootable Dvd by downloading the ISO to my Mac which can then burn the ISO image to a blank dvd, but I have only one blank dvd available. I want to verify that it is possible to download the PC 32 bit ISO version of LL 3.6 to my Mac from the Linux lite site and then be able to burn the ISO like I have done in the past? (I have been successful with ISOs of Win XP, DBAN, etc.)
Yes you can see the manual for preferred method: https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/install.html#lldvdusbosx
If you are using the Live USB you wouldn't need to create a CD (Live CD)


Quote:2) does going back to an earlier restore point and simply deleting/trashing any “added files or documents” make sense?
Totally up to you; but using the restore point does not require boot media which may be beneficial for your needs.


Quote:3) Lastly, one computer that was running Win 10 was returned to me as the youth could no longer get into it as apparently it was asking for an admin password....
As this is running Win10, it may have Secureboot and UEFI bios which will require an additional steps. See the following
UEFI: https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/start.html#uefi If not perhaps Plop??
PLOP: https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/install.html#plop


As the USB is configured as a boot device turning off SecureBoot in the Bios may allow it to boot - a CD/DVD configured to boot may run into the same if SecureBoot is enabled as the system will block an unknown/other boot entity..


If truly an admin password it may be a bios password which can be cleared https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000235.htm
But you may need to research make/model bios version for more specific.


Something else which may benefit your cause, in the LL Shop there is a Dual Architect (Dual Arch) USB that has both the 32 and 64 bit installer on 1 USB.



Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - trinidad - 11-16-2017

[member=7109]Moltke[/member] , [member=5414]firenice03[/member], Excellent well written informative replies you guys!!! Another example of why this is one of the best help forums on the web.

[member=7067]JanetBiggar[/member]  I would only add that if you ever get a Windows box and are locked out by a forgotten admin password (not BIOS or UEFI Secure Boot password) try this first:

https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/tutorials-27/recover-windows-files-passwords-etc-with-linux-lite/

TC

Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - firenice03 - 11-16-2017

(11-16-2017, 02:49 PM)trinidad link Wrote: [member=7109]Moltke[/member] , [member=5414]firenice03[/member], Excellent well written informative replies you guys!!! Another example of why this is one of the best help forums on the web.

Thanks TC!!! Smile

Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - JanetBiggar - 11-16-2017

Thank you to all of you for your comments and links.  I agree this is a wonderful forum everyone has been very helpful and very quick to reply to my newbie questions.  It really is appreciated.

I think I will stick to some of the easier sounding suggestions regarding the Win 10 computer.  I think I will "test" whether it will boot from the DVD/CD drive (which is an option where the USB is not showing) with an ISO of Win XP that I have to see if I get a message asking for the admin pw.  If it does ask for one then I will progress to making the Plop ISO.

In terms of restore or not I think I will try going to an earlier restore point and see what has been removed (or not) then decide if this is sufficient or whether I should do a re-install.

Thanks again.  I will keep the forum posted on my success.

Re: Restore to an earlier date or wipe & reinstall LL? - JanetBiggar - 11-17-2017

Yay this actually worked out far easier than I thought regarding my dilemma with the wiped computer that had been running Win 10 and was asking for an admin password to change the boot order. 

Something that was said above made me decide to try an ISO disc, however when I powered up the computer it said something to the effect that there was no operating system on the hard drive from which to boot so I looked again in bios under the boot order and realized that while I still could not change the boot order it would work its way down the boot order list till it reached something from which to boot.  So I simply inserted the LL 3.4 USB I had made and presto I now have LL 3.4 on the computer  ;D

I am now in the process of installing and if not successful in getting the wireless to work will post a question in the appropriate area of the forum.

Thanks again for all the great help!
Janet