[mythtv-users] Dumb to "Upgrade"... Re: Program Schedules: working or not? How to (re)configure?

[Roger Siddons]

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 02:20:55 +0100, Leif Pihl <leif at pihl.us> wrote:

> Tonight, circa 6:10-ish pm Central, I turned on the HDTV (the main video  
> out from the MythTV box), and got the Upgrade Manager box >superimposed  
> over the MythTV frontend.  It said I had (roughly) 14 files that were  
> out of date, including MythTV Frontend and Xxxxxxx (can't >remember the  
> phrase).  I figured, hey, I've got almost 50 minutes, and keeping the  
> MythTV Frontend up to date sounds relevant, SURE!  So I >clicked  
> continue.  The system then downloaded all the files (I had the "details"  
> arrow/triangle pointing down) and then it seemed to get stuck at >the  
> point I mentioned up-message, when it said "reconfiguring packets", or  
> something like that.  
> I waited, and so did the kids, and waited, then I finally switched the  
> HDTV's input over to the DVD.When I later switched the HDTV's input back  
> to the MythTV box, the same two windows were on the screen ("Update  
> Manager" and "Applying >Changes").
> However, these same two windows had their boxes white, or they did not  
> have their graphical display updated.  In addition, the top "bars" that  
> >identify the windows are also bleached out.
> This situation remains in effect as I type this; it's NOT yet been  
> reset.

I've seen a similar thing on my Mythbuntu 12.04 system.

Sometimes the installation of updates requires additional configuration,  
ie. you have to answer questions about keeping a modified configuration  
file or using new one, or such like. It's generally straightforward but  
the update process pops up dialog windows to enact this. When using Update  
Manager these dialogs don't appear (in my experience). So the process  
hangs on "configuring packages" (without redrawing its windows) because  
it's waiting for you to click Yes/No on the dialog that you can't see! As  
far as I am aware the only option is to reboot and end up with a partial  
update...

My recommendation is NEVER USE UPDATE MANAGER. Configure it to never ever  
show notifications or do updates. Aside from the irritation of the nag  
screens interrupting your TV viewing, the relentless, tempting invitations  
to 'improve' your functioning appliance often do exactly the opposite, as  
you have found. The other pitfall is that when it fails, I've never found  
an *easy* way to find out what it was trying to do at the time.

Others here are better qualified to sort out your partial update, probably  
using apt-get and/or dpkg. But a simple, reliable GUI update manager is  
Synaptic Package Manager (install it with "sudo apt-get install  
synaptic"). I don't know if it will/can resolve your partial update but it  
won't do any harm to try, and I suggest you use it for all your future  
updates (when you decide to). It does display the additional pop-ups  
correctly and also keeps a history of what it's done - very useful for the  
next time!
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