Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

[Oceanwatcher]

I have a PC where an update went wrong (9.04 to 9.10). In addition, I discovered that the graphics board did not play well with even the live CD. You can find more about it here:

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3110503.0

There is a link in the first post there back to even another thread about this problem.

BUT - I can not wait anymore to find any solution. I popped in an old Matrox G550 and the live CD finally comes up as expected.

So I have decided to re-install Kubuntu to get rid of the old.

What is the best practice? I have the following partitioning:

/dev/sda1 - /
/dev/sda2 - /home
/dev/sda3 - swap

I can not touch /home as it contains valuable data (except for deleteing .kde to start with a clean slate).

Do I just format sda1 and install normally? Or is there another way to do this?

I kept /home on a separate partition (always do) just to be able to do this, but have actually never had to do it before.

[vinnywright]

Re: Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

I dont think I'd even try to use the old /home acct. eneyway ........format / ......assine /swap

DONT format /home but make a new acct. (if you have room)

now the new acct. is admin and all the old data is still intact . then just start deleting off the unnessesarey files.

IF your acct has trouble acsessing the the /home/old acct. data withought kdesudo/sudo that's esaley fixed sense your new one is admin.

or ya your idea sound's doable

VINNY

[oshunluvr]

Re: Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

If you want to save your files/settings but start out with a clean slate - you cab simply rename your old home directory, do the re-install and mount /dev/sda2 as home BUT DON'T FORMAT IT, and once you're up and running - transfer from the old home to the new one as you wish

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

And this is exactly what I ended up doing.

It is smart to rename all home directories before the re-install so you can re-create the login names without any problems during install.

I have a little nagging feeling that it would have been better to reformat /dev/sda1 using the gparted live CD before re-installing, although logically it should not make a difference at all as the Kubuntu installer should do this itself.

But during the install, it came up with a "Removing conflicting system files" (or something to that effect) and I am just wondering what that could be.

Anyway - I am close to finishing the install and hope it will run ok from now on. At least I now have some working experience with failed upgrades

[Snowhog]

Re: Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

But during the install, it came up with a "Removing conflicting system files" (or something to that effect) and I am just wondering what that could be.

IIRC, ext4 is the 'default' filesystem in Karmic, and unless you specify otherwise, that is what will be used. From your statement, it appears, that instead of formatting the root partition in preparation for installation, it mearly delete/erased the existing FS it found. This (maybe) could have been the result of you not specifying that the mountpoint for the root FS be formatted.

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Best way - re-installing Kubuntu

I set up ext3 and formatting for the root partition. It already had a root partition on ext3, but as long as I specified formatting, I expected it to do so. That is why I think it might be better to format the partition prior to installing so that it is guaranteed that you get a clean install no matter what the Kubuntu installer might think or do. So my recommendation for re-installing Kubuntu would be:

1. Re-name the home folders of the users that have a login on the pc.

2. Format the root partition using gparted live cd or similar.

3. Install Kubuntu again specifying partitions manually and making sure you do not format the /home partition.

4. Create the users and transfer files from the old home folders to the new. Also, transfer all other kinds of data that is needed.

This should fix all problems with the installation, at least.