how to access backup.tar.gz?

Forum: Other Help Topics
Topic: how to access backup.tar.gz?
started by: bokaroseani

Posted by bokaroseani on Nov. 23 2005,06:23

Hi, I am using DSL-2.0 liveCD. No hard disk installation. But I created a backup/restore from the system menu in DSL and saved the backup.tar.gz on one of my hard disk EXT3 filesystem partitions. But when I go through emelfm in /dev/hda2 or /mnt/hda2, I cannot find the backup.tar.gz. I reboot and find all my settings (firefox extensions that I downloaded, changes that I made to the desktop configuration etc.) to come up. So I know that backup.tar.gz is there somewhere. But how do I access it? I actually want to check the size of that file so that I can use an appropriate size USB flash memory to make my settings portable.

I have a second question: once I have a flash memory and after I have figured out how to reach the backup.tar.gz file, can I just drag and drop it to my USB flash memory? Or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks.

Posted by mikshaw on Nov. 23 2005,16:19

It will be found on the partition specified in /opt/.backup_device.

If you change the location of the backup file you may also need to change your bootloader and backup setting. The bootloader is probably not necessary, since i think (maybe?) DSL searches each partition for backup.tar.gz. The backup partition (/opt/.backup_device) will need to be changed, though, so you don't end up with two backups.

Posted by bokaroseani on Nov. 23 2005,16:34

My .backup_device says "hda2". And I tried going into /dev/hda2 and /mnt/hda2 in emelfm but could not find anything. How do I access backup.tar.gz on hda2? By using emelfm or by some other way?

Posted by mikshaw on Nov. 23 2005,16:47

Did you mount the partition? As far as I know the backup/restore process mounts the partition and then umounts when it is done, and if it's not mounted when you go there you won't see anything.
Try a right-click on /mnt/hda2 in Emelfm to mount it, or mount with the mount.app on the right side of the screen, or use the command "mount /mnt/hda2".

Posted by bokaroseani on Nov. 23 2005,17:19

Thanks. I used the command and it worked. Couldnt see the file in elemfm though. It is surprising how small the backup.tar.gz file is. Its only 1.5MB although it contains a whole set of firefox extentions. Or am I wrong? Are the extentions that I downloaded not in backup.tar.gz? Can anyone let me know?

Thanks mikshaw for your help though. I am enjoying the new DSL 2.0. Its great!