Fresh Install

johnnyboy

Hey up Guys… Long time away, so I am well out of the loop about what’s what here.
I have had a quick search/look around, but see many options and nothing conclusive, so forgive if I have missed the obvious - as said, Ive been away from MM quite a long time now.

Okay, to the point - I think it was prob this time last year was the last update I done, and soon after, MM was turned off, and never used again.
Now it will not boot into MM, just the desktop.

Some of you know me, and know it was a couple year back I installed, so no doubt I will now need to wipe the Pi, and start all over again with latest OS? - Noobs?

I now see, looking through the posts, that the old (Easy/straight forward) way, is no longer used, and some have run into some problems with the new way of installing?
I used @Kirash Tutorial on here way back, which helped great… also with the help of @Mykle1 and @cowboysdude , and my MM ran like a dream.

So, with that background in mind, can I ask for a little help on getting my feet wet here again? and either a pointer towards a post/thread, that has the full run down on the new way of installing, with pitfalls to watch out for, or just a quick run through here.

I am still using Pi3… and appreciate I will need to wipe this and install the new OS… so, pointers from there will be greatly appreciated.- What is best way/name of new OS to use? Buster?

( @Mykle1 … Have you not made a new Tutorial on the install since last year? You’re Tutorials really helped and covered everything )

**** Edit - If you guys thinkI would be far better off buying a Pi4, please say so, and why… I have 3 x Pi3 here, but if they are no longer suitable, then fire away with your reasons.
Thanks Guys, appreciate your time.

sdetweil

@johnnyboy I maintain the installer script now, so there is no new tutorial needed…

in 2.11 the scripts were removed, as they need a lot more attention and fixes than the main project wanted to support.,
I host them here https://github.com/sdetweil/MagicMirror_scripts, and am referenced in the the main doc as an ‘alternative’ install.

the script does it all, and will setup using pm2 to start on boot… no system files to edit.
(you WILL have to rename your existing MagicMirror folder out of the way, as install means 1st time, I don’t install if there is a folder already done)

and if you decide no, and change your mind later, I have those sections as separate scripts .

I also have a script that does version upgrade, as we have a release every quarter (July 1 is the next), and I watched people struggle getting their system running after doing the raw update

as for pi3/4… pi3 will be fine… (the script does pi 0 and up, and any linux, mac, …)

so, before you go thru all that… what is the problem…
I wonder if we can fix it, and then upgrade you to the latest…(with my script)

johnnyboy

@sdetweil

Thanks for reply, and your help on this.

Well, the problem with my MM at present is that it wont boot up as it normaly does… it had been off for about a year, and now just boots to jessie desktop… it was a good few years back when MM was first on the go that I did this.

I just thought it maybe best to start afresh now, seeing as I will now be using MM again, and to re-new my interest again, and to wipe it clean, and enjoy playing around with it as I once did back in the beginning.

I have no idea of the update version that was last done… but now seem to recall that it needed me to stash/commit my changes as I had changed a couple things in Compliments - @cowboysdude modification to allow color… so now remember I never updated it as I had no time to try and change things back then…

So, if I wipe it and install the latest OS, I just need to follow your script and thats it?
As you noted, I read a few posts saying they were having all sorts of problems trying to install… hence my posting here, and wanted to make sure I do it right first time.

sdetweil

@johnnyboy i don’t think u need to wipe the OS, if it still boots… how did MM start before, some system file you had?

to get the current version do

grep version ~/MagicMirror/package.json

current is 2.11

what os level is it?

do

lsb_release -a

probably jessie

does it start with npm start in the MagicMirror folder?

if so, it could be worth a try to use the upgrade script command from my repo (you don’t download my repo, just cut/paste the command string into a terminal or ssh window)
(it will do stashes for you, gives you a review of any issues/changed files…) second invocation with additiona ‘apply’ parm will actually modify things

once u get it running, then u can use my fixuppm2 script to add autostart from boot

worst case, rename the MagicMirror folder out of the way and use the install script command from my repo

Mykle1

@johnnyboy said in Fresh Install:

@Mykle1 … Have you not made a new Tutorial on the install since last year? You’re Tutorials really helped and covered everything

First, how the hell are you bro? Glad to see you. :-)

No new tutorials. @sdetweil’s installers have made the need for tutorials obsolete. I use his installers myself and I highly recommend them. He is always here to support them in the unlikely event that you have trouble with them. I never have. They work flawlessly for me .

johnnyboy

@sdetweil
Thanks

Not possitive, but since it was last year, then version is prob 2.6?
OS is Jessie for sure as it was built a few years back.

It had the auto npm that always worked… but even forcing a start does nothing, and is why I assumed that the version was so out of date, it simply crashed?

That’s me away to fire it back up and try your suggestions first, and worse case, I will start from fresh again with new OS, and your install script, and hope I can migrate my CSS stuff over from the present MM folder… which I will obviously move and rename first.

Will update on how I got on.

sdetweil

@johnnyboy ok, watching for your feedback

johnnyboy

@Mykle1

Hey up Amigo… Yeah, all’s well here across the pond… how’s things with you? Hope you keeping well, and keeping yourself busy?

Yeah, as you can tell, I aint been around here a while, and kinda lost interest in my MM, and it has been off for a year, but seems such a waste being there with all that kit inside, being nothing more that a mirror, so felt the need to re-kindle that passion I had initially with it.

I did occasionally drop in here whenever I could, just to see you guys, and what y’all been up to… but life was just too busy and finding the time to play, was few and far between.

Hopefully, following @sdetweil’s instructions, I will get my MM back to life, and regain my interest?

Mykle1

@johnnyboy said in Fresh Install:

Hopefully, following @sdetweil’s instructions, I will get my MM back to life, and regain my interest?

I can’t speak to your interest but you will get up and running following his directions.

johnnyboy

@sdetweil said in Fresh Install:

@johnnyboy ok, watching for your feedback

Okay, I renamed original MM folder, and did your install - bash -c “$(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sdetweil/MagicMirror_scripts/master/raspberry.sh)”

This took a long time and initially thought Pi had froze, so went off and did a few things.
Came back and looked as if everything installed, and it was awaiting me to enter y/n about splashscreen/autostart… so tried to enter y… but the Pi had froze by that point.

Pulled the power, and Pi restarted, then went to desktop, and then to MM… so I take it that all went well?

I checked version and OS — 2.11.0… Raspbian GNU/Linux 9.11 { Stretch }

So, is that it?.. has it all went okay? and I can now start playing about adding/changing modules?

How do I change screen to Portrait again?

sdetweil

@johnnyboy well, the last two steps didn’t finish, pm2 (autostart) and screen saver

u can find separate scripts on my repo for those

system change the screen to portrait? that changed too from boot long ago?
https://clevertap.com/blog/using-raspberry-pi-to-build-a-commercial-grade-wall-information-dashboard/#:~:text=To change the orientation%2C set,display_rotate%3D3 and reboot again.

johnnyboy

@sdetweil

u can find separate scripts on my repo for those

Will do those

system change the screen to portrait? that changed too from boot long ago?
https://clevertap.com/blog/using-raspberry-pi-to-build-a-commercial-grade-wall-information-dashboard/#:~:text=To change the orientation%2C set,display_rotate%3D3 and reboot again.

Ok, I went to the Boot/config.txt… entered the display_rotate=1 and tried to save but says cannot?
Rebooted but still in landscape and my entry not saved in boot.

Where am I going wrong?

sdetweil

@johnnyboy stuff in /boot, /etc are protected, so you have to use the sudo comand
nano is the editor
sudo nano /boot/config.txt

johnnyboy

@sdetweil
Sorry … I must have missed something?

Pi@raspberrypi:~ S sudo nano/boot/config.txt

sudo: nano/boot/config.txt : command not found

Pi@raspberrypi:~ S sudonano/boot/config.txt

Bash: sudonano/boot/config.tx : no such file or directory

BKeyport

FWIW, I would have started with a fresh image. whenever I’m working with a system that’s not been used in a while, I grab what I can and start the OS over fresh, it just seems to work better.

johnnyboy

@BKeyport
Am I entering the correct text into Terminal?
Is path right? Is spacing right?

Unsure here so trying all sorts to no avail

sdetweil

@johnnyboy said in Fresh Install:

udonano/boot/config.txt

always a space between command and path

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

sdetweil

@BKeyport he has a some mods… so, trying to help get it up and running and find them

johnnyboy

@sdetweil said in Fresh Install:

@johnnyboy said in Fresh Install:

udonano/boot/config.txt

always a space between command and path
sudo nano /boot/config.txt

Thanks… that got me in… i entered that txt in a space… rebooted… and still in landscape?

Tried again, entered sudo nano /boot/config.txt … same as you say with spaces… but now the terminal text that wss within the config has gone… and at bottom it says [Directory ‘boot’ does not exist ]

I then look in the boot folder, and i now have - config.tx… config.txt save 1… config.txt save 2… and config.tct save 3 and within all 3 saved ones, it shows - display_rotate=1

johnnyboy

@johnnyboy
Ok… got back in after a reboot… how do i enter display_rotate=1

Do i find a space and type it in… and how do i save that entry before re-booting?