Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

[elder73]

For some years I have been using Mandriva but their latest edition has been a constant source of problems for me. I have installed Kubuntu on two of my machines via VMWare and like it a lot. My main problem is the partitioning for this installation, I want to be able to save my "Home" drive.

The unit I want to install Kubuntu-11.04-DesktopAMD64.iso on shares the drive with Windows XP and I want Windows to stay there. Some of the work I do can only be done on Windows - more's the pity.

When I get going with the Kubuntu installation and get to the partitioning part, I get the following:

Guided - resize sc13 (0.0.0), partition #7 (sda) and use the freed space.

This is what is listed under "Before":

/dev/sda1 47.4% (94.8 GB)
/dev/sda5 6.4% (12.9 GB)
/dev/sda6 2.1% ( 4.2 GB)
/dev/sda7 39.3% (78.7 GB)
/dev/sda2 4.8% ( 9.5 GB)

Kubuntu proposes the following changes:

/dev/sda7 to 28% (56.0 GB)
/dev/sda2 to Kubuntu 11.3% (22.7 GB)

So how do I go forward, saving my current /home drive and have it as a dual Kubuntu/Windows system.

Any help would be appreciated, Thank you. Elder73.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

Hi
Somebody more expert than I will be by in a short while to answer I am sure but you might try this quick thing to check on "what is what".

One of the problems that I always had with "multiboot" was what was on sdaa sdab, you name it.

Check the size of the partition while you are in XP in terms of megabytes and then also do so in Mandriva. Mandriva should actually let you "look" at the xp partition, but I'm sure you already know that.

That will tell you which "sda#" is which. The rest of them are "bootloader stuff".

If It turns out that SDA 7 the 78.7 GB is the XP partition then I, personally would say go for it, and install on what, it would seem to me, is the Mandriva partition which is sda1. All the stuff is going to be collected by Kubuntu and put into a newly reformed sda2.

Or vice versa!

But, again, give a look see at the sizes of the drives to figure out which is which and then hang tight and someone more expert than I will be along shortly.

woodsmoke

[vinnywright]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

from in mandriva open a terminal and copy the output of

fdisk -l

hear ....it will nead root privlage ...hear in kubuntu you would use sudo fdisk -l ....how you do that in mandriva I dont know.

then befor we start resizing your partitions you should run chkdsk then defrag then chkdsk in windows.

VINNY

[sithlord48]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

you can choose manual for the disk partitioning step and set what ever changes you want for your disk , if you know what partition is your home then you can simply tell it to mount that as home. but it might be better to backup your home and start a new. since coming from a completely different disto some settings might be incorrect or located in different places.

[elder73]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

from in mandriva open a terminal and copy the output of

fdisk -l

hear ....it will nead root privlage ...hear in kubuntu you would use sudo fdisk -l ....how you do that in mandriva I dont know.

then befor we start resizing your partitions you should run chkdsk then defrag then chkdsk in windows.

VINNY

Thank you, this is what fdisk -l gave:

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 185149124 92574531 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 372145725 390716864 9285570 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda3 185149125 372145724 93498300 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 185149188 210339044 12594928+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 210339108 218516129 4088511 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7 218516193 372145724 76814766 83 Linux

From the above Windows is on /dev/sda2 Mandriva is on /dev/sda5, 6 and 7

Mandriva shows the following:

sda5 (12 GB,12, ext3)
sda7 (73 GB, /home, ext3)

So the question is, how do I protect my /home directory, buried sowewhere inside /dev/sda7?

Thank you to all of you have responded, I appreciate your help.
It has been suggested that I backup and that I will do.

elder73.

[vinnywright]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

the esey way to do this would be to just install to sda5 and then link your old /home folders in sda7 (pictures,music,video,)to your new /home in sda5 ........or back up all the data in sda7 that you want and install /home to sda7 as before.

I would NOT use the old /home (without formating it)as it will have configs and stuff in it that will conflict with the new system.

VINNY

[dtr]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

I've found that when switching distro's, it's better to backup your data, then proceed with a fresh install of the new distro. Often there are many little configurations left in your home folder from your old distro that doesn't play nicely with the new. (I did a lot of distro hopping a few years ago, before deciding on Kubuntu)


Do manual partitioning - leaving the Windows partitions untouched and reformatting the rest. There are plenty of examples of ideal partition sizes for the swap, boot, root, and home partitions.

Just for example on the desktop I'm using now, mine is partitioned as follows - half is Windows (I used the shrink Windows 7 utility) then the other 500 GB is divided up as follows 2GB for swap, I think boot is 100mb, root is 60 GB and the rest is for home. This is what works for me on this desktop - your ideal partitioning will probably be different.

[elder73]

Re: Switching from Mandriva to Kubuntu

Thank you all for all of your helpful advice, I have copied your messages to a text file for when I make the change. Right now we are packing to get out of the snow and ice for the rest of the winter. And, no, we don't go to the Southern USA, we go to Victoria, British Columbia.

All I will have with me will be my mini notebook which Ubuntu or Kubuntu, I installed on it via VMware.

After I reviewing all of your messages I think I save off Mandiriva what I want to keep, and then do a clean install.

Thank you all, elder73.