Backing up Home directory

[John Bird]

Hi,
I have managed to corupt x-server and need to re-install and so I need to back-up my home directory to a USB memory stick in recovery mode.
Could anybody please give me instruction, please keep it simple and precice as I am not very good with commarnd lines.
Also which directoys should I restore to recover my mail and password (wallet) files.

Thanks in advance for any assistance and all the past assistance John.

[arochester]

Re: Backing up Home directory

Hi John

You will need a LiveCD, something like Knoppix or Kannotix will probably be best. You can get these through FrozenTech's LiveCD List at http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php.

Just boot from the LiveCD and put in your PenDrive...

I'm sorry I don't know about your particular email or passwords. I use Thunderbird. My emails are in my "Home" in a hidden file .mozilla-thunderbird>xxx default>mail>local folders

[kubicle]

Re: Backing up Home directory

I have managed to corupt x-server and need to re-install and so I need to back-up my home directory to a USB memory stick in recovery mode.
Could anybody please give me instruction, please keep it simple and precice as I am not very good with commarnd lines.

1. Have you tried purging and reinstalling or reconfiguring xorg first, most problems can be fixed without re-installing.

2. In case you really want to re-install:
Though using a liveCD should be quick and easy, backing up home can be done 'fairly' simply from the recovery mode (in case you don't have a livecd))

It basically needs just 2 steps:

a. Mounting your USB-stick with the mount command
If you have a fstab entry for the stick, you can mount it simply with:

mount <devicename>

(for example /dev/sda1)
or

mount <mountpoint>

(for example /media/usb...note that the mountpoint directory must exist)
If you don't have an fstab entry for it, mount it with:

mount <devicename> <mountpoint>

(you may need to define some options to mount depending on your setup, but try first with the defaults)

b. Copying/archiving your /home folder
You can use either copy (cp) or archive (tar) command, I'll use tar...check 'man cp' if you wish to use copy instead.

tar -cvvzf /<path>/<to>/<usb>/home.tar.gz /home/<username>/

This should create a compressed archive file with the contents of your home folder to the usb stick...this may take some time depending on how much files you got. Of course if you're not sure your home will fit on the stick (even when compressed)...you can create the archive to your disk first (just replace '/<path>/<to>/<usb>' with the directory you want to put it in)...and then copy the archive to the stick.

Also which directoys should I restore to recover my mail and password (wallet) files.

~/.kde/share/apps/kwallet and ~/.kde/share/apps/kmail (if you use kmail)

[John Bird]

Re: Backing up Home directory

Hi,
Thanks for the timely assistance.

Regards all John.

"All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that all the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer."
-IBM maintenance manual, 1925
(displayed in the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry)