My advice is that you start over, reinstalling Debian from scratch. I realize you would rather avoid this. Reinstalling the base system it easy, but reinstalling apps and reproducing settings is not. On the other hand, flailing at a problem which has become unsolvable isn't any fun either. If you cut your losses and start over, you can get on with your life.
Two suggestions. First, the key to efficient reinstall is detailed notes of all those apps and settings you can't recall off the top of your head. I use a plain text file with ready-to-copy command strings. I also have a folder on USB flash drive with files (e.g., my form of sources.list file) ready to copy to the new installation. I can reinstall from scratch - everything - in about an hour. Detailed notes take time to write, of course. Worth the investment because they will be very useful when it comes time to upgrade to the next version of Debian. I never upgrade in place (too much can go wrong). I always reinstall, which I can do easily because I have that detailed notes file.
Second, for intermediate roll-back problems (although, frankly, I think you're past that at this point), some form of system backup is worthwhile. I use rsync (tutorial). There are other options.
Two suggestions. First, the key to efficient reinstall is detailed notes of all those apps and settings you can't recall off the top of your head. I use a plain text file with ready-to-copy command strings. I also have a folder on USB flash drive with files (e.g., my form of sources.list file) ready to copy to the new installation. I can reinstall from scratch - everything - in about an hour. Detailed notes take time to write, of course. Worth the investment because they will be very useful when it comes time to upgrade to the next version of Debian. I never upgrade in place (too much can go wrong). I always reinstall, which I can do easily because I have that detailed notes file.
Second, for intermediate roll-back problems (although, frankly, I think you're past that at this point), some form of system backup is worthwhile. I use rsync (tutorial). There are other options.
Statistics: Posted by pbear — 2024-07-21 14:57 — Replies 34 — Views 1173