Cannot Install and Restore Backup

I decided to take the plunge and reload from scratch to the same HP T620 ThinClient I have been using for years to the latest and greatest…as I as seeing some strangeness, wanted to start with clean slate. I followed the instructions on the x86-x64 page for building the install media - to the letter. The HP T620 has a quad-core AMD CPU and 8GB RAM, 120GB M.2 SATA drive. Nothing else added (even took at the WiFi/BT card - as HA does not see the WiFi part of it).

I began with the same process that I followed the first time I installed this and used BalenaEtcher to write the “extracted” .IMG file to a USB. I learned the first time - works better if you extract it first and build it on Windows machine (as Admin and use USB 2.0 port). Built just fine - no errors. Booted the machine with it (the m.2 Drive had already been CLEANED (I made 2 FULL BACKUPS before shutting it down).

It goes through its gyrations and the HDD light on and the light on the USB go mad - then it seems to reboot itself, and looks like it is doing it all over again. I said - I am gonna just let it do its thing. I went to dinner. Came back about an hour later (had KB/MOU/MON connected) and it was sitting on black screen “Waiting for CLI to initialize” (something to that effect). I said…must be done. I pressed to see if the screen would change - and it seemed to reboot again. I pulled the USB out before the boot started and was then prompted with BLUE SCREEN - NO BOOT DEVICE FOUND. I said - let’s do it again. I rebooted with USB in - booted from USB and again same thing.

I said, ok - let’s do to the LIVE UBUNTU process (I have one of those USB sticks) - and I did the process (UBU22.04 - btw) It got to the end and I noticed that there was still 120GB at the end of the drive not used. I completed the process and shut down, rebooted and I got the normal resting page on the screen (I have a DHCP reservation for the MAC - so same IP). I opened a browser and I had to wait on the ‘completion script’. I finally got the option to RESTORE and I chose that - uploaded the FULL BACKUP I made (which was HAOS with all updates except latest OS update and latest CORE update). I chose to do partial - as I did not wanted to keep latest OS and CORE from new install - chose to restore everything else. I started this AM shortly after 7am (it is 10am now) - and I have been looking at RESTORE IN PROGRESS web page ever since - and there is NO HDD activity that I can see (no light flashing) on the T620.

Any Ideas ?

Restoring from backup is a looooong process. Be patient it can take hours to complete.

After nearly 2 hours I gave up and cancelled it…considering that my environment is fairly small, I feel that I gave it more than ample time to restore.

I am currently running no HA, as I cannot seem to get the HP T620 I was using to see the NIC any longer. Which I find, odd - as this puppy has been a workhorse for years. Never had a single issue with it until I did the CLEAN install of the latest HA installation.

One would think that a restore (even if it is a partial on to a fresh install) would work. Not blow up hardware.

Is there NO indication anyplace on the ‘restore’ process that it has completed?

Does the system reset? There is certainly no progress bar. I have done the install again, and I started the restore 1h7m ago…and this is all I see (the circle is spinning).

I have been watching the HDD indicator LED and it has not flashed in well over 20 mins.

Refresh your web page; might be as simple as that!

I rebooted the entire machine (HP T620 with HAOS) after about 2.5 hours and I was able to get it back. I had to do the FULL restore, as the PARTIAL restore simply would not work.