Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
- Original Message - > From: Gordon Burgess-Parker > To: UK Ubuntu Talk > Cc: > Sent: Monday, 2 July 2012, 21:48 > Subject: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04 > > If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a case > of > installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home directory at all? > In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I need > to > back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? > My advice would be to back up all "your" data (ie. not config files) and do a default install then put your data back. That way 12.04 will provide all the config files correct for the versions of software in the distro. I know it can take a bit of time setting stuff up how you want it but in my experience this is usually less time consuming that trouble shooting configurations which don't work correctly with the versions of programs in the new distro. George PS. For what it's worth I always keep all my data in a file structure imaginatively called "mystuff" in my home directory to make the above process simpler. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 3 July 2012 08:51, Barry Drake wrote: > On 03/07/12 07:28, Colin Law wrote: >> >> If /home is not in a separate partition then when installing ubuntu, if >> you select the "Something Else" option in the installer and then select the >> existing root partition to install into but do /not/ select the Format >> option for that partition then Ubuntu should install into that partition but >> should leave /home unaffected. > > To be honest, my experience of using the 'something else' option has not > been good! It's far easier and quicker usually to let the Ubuntu installer > follow the defaults and then put your stuff back. And you don't get the > annoyances of forgetting to specify the right boot sector and getting that > wrong, then having to work from the live-CD to re-install grub. That's a > pain and often happens almost by default in the 'Something Else' option. I could not disagree more. I /always/ set up my own machines with a separate /home partition. It make life *so* much easier when upgrading. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 2012-07-03 02:21, Daniel Case wrote: > Is your /home directory on another partition or the same as the Mint > system? Either way, take a backup somewhere to be sure nothing happens > (I've had my power go out in the middle of an install before... it > happens!) > > If your /home is separate, it should be safe, if not... Ubuntu will > probably wipe it. Not true for at least four years. This is a quiet feature of the installer. When installing, choose not to format the partition containing your files. System directories like etc, var, usr, and so on will be deleted and recreated. /home will be left alone. But you should always have backups. Regards, Tyler -- "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 02/07/12 21:48, Gordon Burgess-Parker wrote: If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a case of installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home directory at all? In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I need to back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? I would be a little cautious about trying to use a Mint /home on a new Ubuntu system. The main reasons are all the hidden configuration files, especially for your Gnome setup that will almost certainly be different. IIUC Mint has a customised Gnome 3 window manager called Cinnamon or something. This will almost certainly not be compatible with Unity. If I were you, I would just backup your home (sudo tar zcf /path/to/somewhere/safe/myhome.tgz /home/username) then install a clean Ubuntu and then copy your "real data" back from your backup into your new home dir. I often do this and find I can always copy the important stuff back like .firefox and .thunderbird. So although it takes a little while you end up with a clean system just with the data you need. For copying back (after extracting your old home tarball somewhere sensible) use cp -a (the -a implies recursion and maintains all file permissions/ownerships etc). FWIW - I tend to create a dir in /home and call it something like /home/alord-10.10 so I know what it was. Once I am sure I have copied everything I need I can then delete it. HTH Al -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 03/07/12 07:28, Colin Law wrote: If /home is not in a separate partition then when installing ubuntu, if you select the "Something Else" option in the installer and then select the existing root partition to install into but do /not/ select the Format option for that partition then Ubuntu should install into that partition but should leave /home unaffected. To be honest, my experience of using the 'something else' option has not been good! It's far easier and quicker usually to let the Ubuntu installer follow the defaults and then put your stuff back. And you don't get the annoyances of forgetting to specify the right boot sector and getting that wrong, then having to work from the live-CD to re-install grub. That's a pain and often happens almost by default in the 'Something Else' option. -- Barry Drake is a member of the the Ubuntu Advertising team. http://ubuntuadverts.org/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 3 July 2012 02:21, Daniel Case wrote: > Is your /home directory on another partition or the same as the Mint > system? Either way, take a backup somewhere to be sure nothing happens > (I've had my power go out in the middle of an install before... it > happens!) > > If your /home is separate, it should be safe, if not... Ubuntu will > probably wipe it. If /home is not in a separate partition then when installing ubuntu, if you select the "Something Else" option in the installer and then select the existing root partition to install into but do /not/ select the Format option for that partition then Ubuntu should install into that partition but should leave /home unaffected. The proviso to this is that I have never tried it installing on top of a Mint partition, but I don't know of any reason why that should make a difference. My recommendation would therefore be to make sure that your backups are up to date (and check that any important data is actually there in the backup, preferably by trying to restore it somewhere) and then go for it. Another proviso is that if you leave /home as it is then there may, or may not, be conflicts between what Ubuntu expects to see there and what Mint has left there. Again I don't know of any specific issues, but I do not know that there are none. If the worst comes to the worst you have your backups and can do a full Ubuntu install and then restore the data. All you have lost is some time. Colin > > On 2 July 2012 22:13, Rob Beard wrote: >> On 02/07/12 21:48, Gordon Burgess-Parker wrote: >>> >>> If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a >>> case of installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home >>> directory at all? >>> In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I >>> need to back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? >>> >> I gather that Mint has it's own customisations, so I guess it depends if the >> installer wipes everything other than everything in /home. >> >> If in doubt, boot from a live CD/DVD and backup your home directory >> somewhere. It's better to have a backup that you can copy back over if it >> all goes wrong. :-) >> >> Rob >> >> >> >> -- >> ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com >> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk >> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
Is your /home directory on another partition or the same as the Mint system? Either way, take a backup somewhere to be sure nothing happens (I've had my power go out in the middle of an install before... it happens!) If your /home is separate, it should be safe, if not... Ubuntu will probably wipe it. On 2 July 2012 22:13, Rob Beard wrote: > On 02/07/12 21:48, Gordon Burgess-Parker wrote: >> >> If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a >> case of installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home >> directory at all? >> In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I >> need to back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? >> > I gather that Mint has it's own customisations, so I guess it depends if the > installer wipes everything other than everything in /home. > > If in doubt, boot from a live CD/DVD and backup your home directory > somewhere. It's better to have a backup that you can copy back over if it > all goes wrong. :-) > > Rob > > > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
On 02/07/12 21:48, Gordon Burgess-Parker wrote: If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a case of installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home directory at all? In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I need to back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? I gather that Mint has it's own customisations, so I guess it depends if the installer wipes everything other than everything in /home. If in doubt, boot from a live CD/DVD and backup your home directory somewhere. It's better to have a backup that you can copy back over if it all goes wrong. :-) Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Replacing Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04
If I want to replace Linux Mint 13 with Ubuntu 12.04, will it just be a case of installing over the top, and if so will that affect my Home directory at all? In other words if I do this will my Home directory stay intact or do I need to back it up then restore after installation of Ubuntu? -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
