I've spent 2 days trying to upgrade from 6.03 to 7.4 I've got schema issues and the more I look at my database the more I realized that I screwed up a long time ago. For example I never did any of this stuff http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Backend_migr ... ld_backend
I've screwed myself royally here My backend has had 3 o4 hostnames http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Database_Bac ... or_backend
I've decided that I want to do a partial restore http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Database_Bac ... f_a_backup but it says that you MUST
So I thought screw this schema crap I'll just install 6.03 and be done with it. I forgot that the 6.03 and 6.04 have an nVIDIA driver problem (it says that version 190.53 is not compatible with my GT430 card.) so I can't install past X. I had 6.02 installed and upgraded (with some headaches) to 6.03 .
I'm desperate here are some ideas please tell me if they suck
1. install 6.03 on my current windows box so that I can do a Partial restore of the DB
2. run the live disc of 6.03 with different nVIDIA drivers to install 6.03
3. Someone wise in the ways of the MYSQL DB take a look at my DB and tell me how in the heck to fix it.
4. give up and buy a tivo (no not really I like skipping commercials too much)

PLEASE OBI WAN you are my only hope.

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My System

I don't have any specific instructions, but since at this point all you care about is the DB contents. I would move to using virtual machines to muck around with the database.
Install on your real hardware the version you want, then install on the VM the version your database is at, and then do the upgrade process in the vm. Finally do a partial restore of the db from the VM to the real machine.

I messed with Virtual machines before as remote front ends and had no luck but Ive not tried it as a frontend backend good suggestion.
After posting this I tried installing 6.03 on my sig hardware using the motherboard video out. I got all the way to the desktop background and a cursor in the middle of the screen and it hangs.
I then tried to install on some old hardware that was pre-HDTV myth system and it is outputting some video my monitor doesn't like.

One of these days I'm gonna be able to afford some new Hardware dang it.

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My System

nothing is ever easy
it is a real pain to share files from windows to LinHES in a virtual box. the network drive doesn't show up and USB drives don't magically install. You try and upload and download the files and realize you don't have firefox installed so you do a pacman and get squat because the server's name has changed to LinHES. So then you can't remember the location of pacman.conf you type locate and realize that you have to tell linhes to make a locate database then you have to search the web for what that command was that you did 2 years ago.

grumble grumble gripe gripe.

::EDIT:: Just realized that if I upload the files to dropbox I can download them with wget DOH!!!!

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My System

Partial success
I now have a brand new version of 6.03 with just the important parts of my database.
I plan on writing a longer version be here is the short version
backup mythtv
make a virtualbox of the version you are running
do a partial restore http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Database_Bac ... f_a_backup
and (hopefully) upgrade from there.

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My System