Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

[lightcastle]

Here's the question. I have an AMD64 I've had for a year. I installed Ubuntu 5.4 (or whatever it was) ages ago for the 64 bit install and it was crap. So on the second partition I had I put Mepis in and that worked fine.

Now I understand Kubuntu has become more stable in its 64-bit version and I like KDE now, so I want to upgrade to that. I'd like to install it over the old Ubuntu install I once had. This should be do-able, but I find the installer very confusing.

The partitioning system I have (I didn't set it up, my friend did when he set up the machine - I still consider myself a newbie) is like so:

/dev/hda1 9.32GB - (1.69 used) /
/dev/hda2 9.32GB - (2.17 used) (this appears to have no label)
/dev/hda3 extended partition 134.03 GB
/dev/hda5 9.32GB - (181.87MB) /root2
/dev/hda6 9.32GB - (181.87MB) /root3
/dev/hda7 2.80GB - (this is the swap)
/dev/hda8 112.61GB (105.95 used) /home

The old Ubuntu install is on hda1
The Mepis install is on hda2
I guess he put hda5 and 6 together for more installs if I want them.
home is hda8, as you can see.

I want to put Kubuntu on hda1. It seems ridiculous to leave a dead install on that.
I (not surprisingly) don't want to mess with hda2 and of course want to preserve my /home on hda8.

On the install, it doesn't seem to have a "preserve /home" option to default. (Which is annoying. It also seems to want to install on hda 5, probably because that is the next free space

What do I need to do to set up the manual install to do to put Kubuntu on hda1 without losing all my hda8 data?
(To be honest, I don't think I am ever going to install 4 OS's, so I'm not sure all this space isn't just wasted, but there you go, I can deal with that later.)

Thanks.
LC

[kubicle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

Have you tried the 'Alternate Install CD' available from kubuntu.org (and mirrors)...it should give you a bit more control over the installation procedure (including partitioning).

Theoretically you can upgrade your existing ubuntu installation to the latest kubuntu, but I'm pretty sure you'd run into problems if upgrading from 5.04 straight to 6.06 or 6.10, so a clean install is probably your best bet.

[lightcastle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

Annoying, since I ordered the disk a while ago. I didn't order the Alternate. I guess I could try that.

The thing is, I don't think this is something beyond the basic install, it is just that the GUI is very unclear. It has little check boxes for "format" but I don't know what that means. It also doesn't give ANY indication of where it is going to place the kernel. It just lists the partitions. I'm afraid to accept anything, because it doesn't seem to want to give a screen saying "This is what will now happen."

You would think the people at Kubuntu would have set up the machine to allow dual-boot installs. Instead, it seems that if you don't pick the default (which, sensibly, did go for the first empty space) it doesn't try to help you. Neither does it forbid you from choosing a different way, it just doesn't try to make it obvious what is being done.

I guess I'll go burn myself another cd and see if the alternate install is any more user-friendly. (My impression was that it was not.)

[kubicle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

The thing is, I don't think this is something beyond the basic install, it is just that the GUI is very unclear. It has little check boxes for "format" but I don't know what that means.

That means that the selected partitions will get formatted, so be careful with that

It also doesn't give ANY indication of where it is going to place the kernel. It just lists the partitions. I'm afraid to accept anything, because it doesn't seem to want to give a screen saying "This is what will now happen."

I haven't used the DesktopCD installer, so I don't know how exactly it works (maybe someone with DesktopCD experience can give you more insight), but I think you should be able to erase partitions and let it install to the empty space.

Not sure if you can also choose existing partitions and choose their mount points in the Desktop Installer (you can with the alternate CD)...like setting up one partition as / and another as /home, for example (NOTE: if you do that and want to preserve data in /home, don't mark it as 'to be formatted').

You would think the people at Kubuntu would have set up the machine to allow dual-boot installs. Instead, it seems that if you don't pick the default (which, sensibly, did go for the first empty space) it doesn't try to help you. Neither does it forbid you from choosing a different way, it just doesn't try to make it obvious what is being done.

So it doesn't give you a 'confirmation screen' before committing changes? That's definitely not very user-friendly :P

I guess I'll go burn myself another cd and see if the alternate install is any more user-friendly. (My impression was that it was not.)

Well...just don't let the command line interface scare you, it should work pretty much like the GUI installer, just a few more options to choose from.

Anyway, like I mentioned, I'm not an expert (or even adept) with the Kubuntu DesktopCD installer (only done Alternate Installs and subsequent online updates)...if you're unsure, I'm certain someone that uses the GUI installer could give you step by step instruction to do what you want.

[lightcastle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

To be honest, I suspect it is one of those cases where the GUI installer makes perfect sense to some people, and is very confusing to others, depending on how you like to do things. So it probably isn't BAD design, it is just bad design for me that night. I might go try tackling it again.

I guess what I want to be sure is that if I don't have the format button clicked, it won't format that. (And to be honest, I think it has "format" and then a check box. So I suspect that means you click to format. But I am not sure that checked means "don't format".)

IT does seem to give you the option to set mount points where you want. The problem is that I *have* something on hda1 mounted as / (the original 5.04 ubuntu). What I want is to overwrite that. It isn't clear now where the installer thinks it is going to mount the new install.

I wonder if I ran the disk partitioner separately, and just reformatted hda1 (not touching anything else) if the installer will then see that as the first unused space and be clearer that it was going to install there.

The other fear I have is of /home. I want to tell it to use hda8 as /home, but not to overwrite what is already there. But I have little faith that is what is happening.

I will double check if it has a confirmation screen. I think I might run through it on my laptop, just to see. (There's nothing there I am afraid of losing.)

[kubicle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

The way I see it, you basically have two options (there are a few variations of either method):

1. The Ultra-Safe Method:
You delete your old / partition and let kubuntu install onto 'empty space' and after the install setup /etc/fstab to mount your old /home as your /home folder for the installation. (requires a bit of extra work, but should be fool-proof)

2. The Normal Method:
During the installation you mark your old / as 'to be formatted' and set mountpoint as /, and your old /home as 'not to be formatted' and set mountpoint as /home.

[lightcastle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

That does seem to be the options. I have a phone interview for a job prospect and can't do this now, but will get on it.

Thanks,
LC

[lightcastle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

Well, finally got around to it again. Now the installer (I ran it again just to check) seems to just send me to qtparted, which is just as confusing. IT no longer even offers me the screen it did before.

Quick question, should I "format" hda1 or "delete" it?

[kubicle]

Re: Installing Kubuntu over a previous install

Well, finally got around to it again. Now the installer (I ran it again just to check) seems to just send me to qtparted, which is just as confusing. IT no longer even offers me the screen it did before.

Quick question, should I "format" hda1 or "delete" it?

Basically either should be fine (though I've seen a few reports that seemed to suggest the installer wouldn't accept a 'to be formatted' partition to be mounted as root. If so, deleting and recreating should solve it).