Notices

Reformat the OptFS, then restore the backup. This issue's probably due to the OptFS being corrupt. I solved it myself by formatting the Optfs(over Backupmenu's USB mass storage mode) from a Ubuntu PC, then restoring a recent OptFS backup. You'll want to restore both optfs and rootfs at that time.

Yes. But this requires modifying either bootmenu.sh OR /sbin/preinit.

bootmenu.sh should be safer to modify, albeit it might be more complicated. /sbin/preinit has the relevant code down on line 351 (I think. My /sbin/preinit is already modified to include a full shell at boot, so I have to subtract the number of lines I added from the total).

Basically, where /sbin/preinit checks if the keyboard is open, you can use a program (evkey I think will do it, but it's not preinstalled by default on the N900... though it might be included with the bootmenu package, and I don't know how to use it) to put another if-then-else check inside that one, so if-keyboard-open>if-B-key-pressed>run bootmenu.sh would be the basic logic of it...

Alternatively, you can modify /bootmenu.sh to wrap the entire script in an if-then statement - if B-key pressed, then (original bootmenu script contents); else nothing.

Both are changes that should be doable on-device if you know what you're doing.

Thanks for the hints, I'll give it a try. Didn't reflash yet as I just don't have the time needed for that. But reformatting sounds doable.
Just to get the steps right:

1. boot into backupmenu
2. make a backup
3. (for security backup the backup)
4. connect device via usb to pc
5. put device in mass storage mode while in backupmenu
6. format optfs (and only optfs) from pc via usb connection
7. restore backup for rootfs and optfs via backupmenu's entry
8. boot device and hope all is functional again

Thats right? Between step 2 and 3 I could reboot the device to backup the backup files to my pc or I could do it within mass storage mode of backupmenu.
But how do I get out of mass storage mode after step 6? Or could device stay in mass storage mode while restoring backup? I guess booting would be no good idea at this point.

So, I'm releasing the next, and hopefully final version of BackupMenu.
I've added the format-optfs bit to the restore section, and fixed a couple of bugs. Also added a readme that pops up in the browser when you install it, telling people how to use it.

Mentalist Traceur, what is exactly You modification to get "full shell" at boot? Maybe it's worth to add it into "upstream" backupmenu? That would mean Robbie will have to release at least one more version

Also referring to the previous request about booting with kbd slided out, as well as my age old suggestion: could you get a key to backupmenu that actually quits backupmenu and continues bootup to OS, rather than rebooting the device, please. Would be mad useful.

Thanks for considering
/jOERG

Yes, please! I went through this countless times. Really, really big +1 here.

Estel: See the Recovery Console Mode thread:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...covery+console

Pali's version just works like a bootmenu item - not 100% sure on the compatibility with bootmenu - my version (which gives you a 5 second countdown to press any key to get a shell, and which continues with bootup like normal after you exit the shell) is on the second page of that thread.

I'm going to post an updated version soon (iDont gave me a useful hint that I've tested as working - but it amounts to using the busybox-power included watchdog command instead of the watchdogs command extracted from bootmenu, so I want to get keyboard LEDs working that early in the boot first).

Keep in mind the reason backupmenu doesn't offer a full shell in the first place (if I remember right) is because the stock kernel doesn't include the framebuffer console - so if RobbieThe1st included that feature he'd either have to drop all users not using the latest -devel power kernel, OR make the feature self-enable only if the framebuffer console is available.

Oh, RobbieThe1st - when backup menu runs, are you able to light up the keyboard LEDs? I haven't figured out how to do it in my /sbin/preinit console modifications.

Keyboard LEDs wise, I think this is what you want:
As far as continuing boot after backupmenu... I think that would be pretty hard - It's running in a chroot, and I don't know enough about how to set it back on track and then delete the chroot etc.
I was *hoping* to do that through Bootmenu, but I haven't yet gotten bootmenu to work *at all*: Using a proper bootmenu item file just makes it boot Maemo, I don't see *any* menu.

Console, yea. No console without framebuffer.
I may end up making a run-command type box, routing all output through my displayFile function etc. but that's a far cry from an actual terminal. Oh well
Hm... That being said, there may be a framebuffer module, that I can load... at least in power kernel. Stock users will just have to do wothout.
.

I'm fiddling with those now... As far as I can tell the file you referred to is always at 0 and never effects anything if changed.

However, I'll try it with the device in my at-boot console and see what happens.(You might be thinking of "led_current" in the same directories - only problem is they're already set to 50 once the driver loads, and changing them doesn't turn the keyboard leds on/off, just changes their brightness.)

- Edit -

You were correct sir! Thank you!

- Edit 2 -

But this means that at some point after early boot, something else takes over keyboard LED on-ness control, since during normal operation, dbrightness is at -1, brightness is at 0, and no amount of echoing higher values into it changes that as far as I can tell.

- Edit 3 -

In power kernel 47 (and all higher versions probably, if any more come out), the module is loaded using "modprobe fbcon". Framebuffer console comes from two different modules, and as I understand it, Pali made one auto-loaded (or statically compiled in, I don't recall), while the other (fbcon) is not automatically loaded. But with this setup, you just have to add "modprobe fbcon" to a script early on (I used /sbin/preinit, because I was ready to reflash to reach my ideal of a proper root shell early option at boot, and wanted to get it in as early as possible; for backup menu's purposes you could probably load it either in bootmenu or backupmenu itself - however, beware - when I was modding my /sbin/preinit file, trying to insmod/modprobe non-existing modules led to a non-booting device - kernel would panic on every reboot after, for some reason - I don't know why, so I can't say if it would have the same effect in bootmenu. Since backupmenu is in a chroot, it might _hopefully_ be safer in there... but idk if you can load modules from in there in a way that will work for fbcon giving you a console opportunity... just make sure you are ready to reflash and test everything you do on all relevant kernel variants. My advice is check if fbcon exists in the modules directory, and only load it and the following shell if it does).

Keep in mind though that my long-term goal is to create an open source 'clone' of /sbin/preinit with the press-any-key-to-get-shell-countdown at boot, and plop it into -devel; and it wouldn't conflict with backupmenu as far as I know. So people who install both will have a setup where they boot, press-any-key for shell, and if they close/keep-open the keyboard right as they exit, they can either keep booting normally or drop into bootmenu/multiboot, respectively... hopefully.

The long-term hope is for me to find the time and knowledge to clone all the bootup scripts that aren't freely distributable, submit them to the CSSU and get us closer to a completely free Maemo 5. Knowing me it won't get done until no one else in the world is using the N900, but I can dream.