Use Resetter to reset the Ubuntu release to the initial status

Use Resetter to reset the Ubuntu release to the initial status

This Resetter tool can return Ubuntu, Linux Mint (and other Ubuntu-based releases) to its initial configuration.

How many times have you been involved in Ubuntu (or a derivative version of Ubuntu), configuring a certain item and installing software, but you find that your desktop (or server) platform is not what you want. This problem may occur when a large number of user files are generated on the machine. In this case, you can either back up all your data, reinstall the operating system, and copy your data back to the local machine, or you can use a tool similar to Resetter to do the same thing.

Resetter is a new tool (developed by Canadian developers named "gaining") Written in Python and PyQt. It will reset Ubuntu, Linux Mint (and some others, back to the initial configuration. Resetter provides two different Reset Options: automatic and custom. The tool automatically completes the following:

• Delete applications installed by users
• Delete users and Home Directories
• Create default backup user
• Automatic Installation of missing pre-installed applications (MPIA)
• Delete non-default users
• Delete a snap package

The custom mode will:

• Delete the application you have installed or allow you to select the application you want to delete
• Delete old Kernel
• Allow you to select a user to delete
• Delete users and Home Directories
• Create default backup user
• Allows you to create custom backup users
• Automatically install the missing pre-installed application software (MPIA) or select MPIA for Installation
• Delete non-default users
• View All dependent packages
• Delete a snap package

I will guide you through the installation and use of Resetter. However, I must tell you that this tool is a very early beta version. Even so, Resetter is definitely worth a try. In fact, I encourage you to test the application and submit bug reports (you can submit through GitHub, or directly send the e-mail address gaining7@outlook.com to developers ).

Note that only supported derivative editions include:

• Debian 9.2 (stable) Gnome version
• Linux Mint 17.3 + (support for Mint 18.3 is coming soon)
• Ubuntu 14.04 + (although I found that 17.10 is not supported)
• Elementary OS 0.4 +
• Linux Deepin 15.4 +

Let's install and use Resetter. I will present it on the Elementary OS Loki platform.

 

Install

You can install Resetter in several ways. The method I select is throughgdebiAuxiliary application, why? Because it will obtain all dependencies required for installation. First, we must install this specific tool. Open the terminal window and run the following command:

1. sudo apt install gdebi

Once the installation is complete, direct the browser to the Resetter download page and download the latest version of the software. Once the download is complete, open the file manager, navigate to the downloaded file, and click (or double-click, depending on how you configure your desktop)resetter_XXX-stable_all.debFile (XXX is the version number ).gdebiThe application will open (figure 1 ). Click the installation package button and enter yoursudoPassword, and then Resetter will start installation.

Figure 1: Use gdebi to install Resetter

After the installation is complete, prepare the following operations.

 

Use Resetter

Remember, data must be backed up before that. Don't blame me for not reminding you.

Issue commands from the terminal windowsudo resetter. You will be prompted to entersudoPassword. Once Resetter is enabled, it will automatically detect your release (figure 2 ).

Figure 2: Resetter Main Window

We will test the Resetter process through automatic resetting. From the main window, click Automatic Reset (auto Reset ). This application will provide a clear warning that it will reset your operating system (my instance, Elementary OS 0.4.1 Loki) to the factory default status (Figure 3 ).

Warning

* Figure 3: The Resetter will warn you before continuing. *

Click "Yes". The Resetter displays all the packages it will delete (figure 4 ). If no problem exists, click OK to start resetting.

Figure 4: All packages to be deleted to reset Elementary OS to factory default values.

During the reset process, the application displays a progress window (figure 5 ). Depending on the number of installations, this process should not take too long.

Figure 5: Resetter progress window

When the process is complete, Resetter displays a new user name and password to log on to the new reset release (figure 6 ).

Figure 6: new user and password

Click OK, and then click "Yes" when prompted to restart the system. When you are prompted to log on, use the new credential provided by the Resetter application. After successfully logging on, you need to recreate your original user. The user's main directory is still complete, so what you need to do is to issue the commandsudo useradd USERNAME(USERNAME is the user name ). After completion, issue the commandsudo passwd USERNAME(USERNAME is the user name ). With the user/password you set, you can log out and Log On As an old user (using the same home directory before resetting the operating system ).

 

My achievements

I must acknowledge that after adding the password to my old user (and by usingsuAfter the command is switched to this user for testing), I cannot use this user to log on to the Elementary OS desktop. To solve this problem, I logged on to the user created by Resetter, moved the Home Directory of the old user, and deleted the old user (using commandssudo deluser jack), And re-create the old user (use the commandsudo useradd -m jack).

After doing so, I checked the original home directory and only found that the user's ownership wasjack.jackChanged1000.1000. Use commandssudo chown -R jack.jack /home/jackYou can easily correct this problem. What is the lesson? If you use Resetter and find that you cannot log on with your old user (after you re-create the user and set a new password), make sure to change all permissions of the user's home directory.

In addition, Resetter has done a lot of work in restoring Elementary OS Loki to the default state. Although Resetter is in testing, it is a very impressive tool. Try it and see if you have the same outstanding score as me.

Via: https://www.linux.com/learn/intro-to-linux/2017/12/set-ubuntu-derivatives-back-default-resetter

Author: Jack Wallen Translator: Steven zdg988 Proofreader: wxy

This article was originally compiled by LCTT and launched with the honor of Linux in China