Re: Postgres 9.2.4 for Windows (Vista) Dell Vostro 400, re-installation failure PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP!! (nearly fixed)

On 08/02/2013 02:40 AM, Stephen Brearley wrote:
> Hi Folks (hope I haven’t left anyone out)
>
> SUCCESS (ALMOST)!!
>
> >>I’ve managed to re-install Postgres **without any install errors** and
>
> >>I’ve managed to login **without any connection errors**
>
> But..I’m not 100% sure how I did it and..
>
> >>I can’t access my table data
>
> I think I got Postgres to install properly because of one or more of the
> following, after performing a(nother) uninstall:
>
> 1)I set the registry Postgres data reference to point to the default
> location on the C: drive
>
> 2)I made sure that I didn’t have anything in the \data folder on the D:
> drive, by putting my \data_old well away from my intended data location,
> to avoid any ‘interference’ or confusion by the Postgres during installation
>
> 3)I had a problem performing step 2, because I’d just started a
> reinstall when I thought (2) was a good idea, so I aborted the
> installation, which resulted in a file that just would not move, and so
> forced me to run chkdsk. This found the offending orphaned file, but may
> have fixed something else??
>
> 4)I chose a database password during the install that did not include
> any special characters
>
> Having been able to successfully connect to Postgres using both Navicat
> and pgAdmin, I then moved my \data_old back to the \9.2 folder on the D:
> drive, and modified the registry reference to point to this
> location..however I can’t see my old tables.
>
> I can change my registry reference to point to D:\..\9.2\data or
> D:\..\9.2\data_old without any (apparently) undesirable consequences,
> but I just can’t see my tables in the system, which makes me think I
> need to do more than this. I am unable to rename \data to move all my
> old files wholesale into that folder, as Windows won’t let me, but if I
> move \base which appears to have all the database in it (and is about
> double the size in my old dataset), I get the same result, I can’t see
> my tables.

You can't do that and have it work. \base is just part of the puzzle,
you need the complete \data directory for Postgres to work.

>
> I realise Thomas at least will frown most deeply at these ‘operations’,
> though they often work as a low-tech solution in many programs. Clearly
> the best result would be able to pg_dump from my old data and pg_restore
> it into my new set up, but it seems I am not able to properly see my old
> data in the first place.

The problem(as stated before) is you have two distinct installations of
the Postgres data directory, one on D:\ and one on C:\. In Postgres
parlance the \data directory in each of those locations represents a
database cluster. The procedure you described above for the successful
install set up Postgres to run off the C:\ cluster. All the stuff you
are doing on D:\ will be of no use until you point Postgres at the
cluster on D:\(I don't think changing the registry entry counts).
Unfortunately my lack of knowledge regarding Postgres on Windows means I
will be of no help there. Someone else will need to fill in the procedure.

I have to ask again, how important is the old data and how much is there?

Would it be easier to just reenter it in the new cluster?

>
> >Any ideas please?
>
> Feeling much more at home in the community –and cheered by so many of
> you coming to help!
>
> Much thanks
>
> Stephen
>

--
Adrian Klaver
adrian(dot)klaver(at)gmail(dot)com