Reinstalling Ubuntu. Can I keep settings?

Tobes

Tobes

Tobes

Soldato
Joined
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Hi,

Just wondering how easy it is to reinstall Ubuntu and keep everything?

I created the /home directory on another partition. Are all my applications and settings stored in there or is it just like Windows user folders and only keep application data there?

Just I want to reinstall Vista so that it is a much more lighter and faster for my Photoshop needs. So I was thinking now that I can work Linux better I make the partition bigger as I only set the /home directory to 2Gb.

Cheers,
Tobes
 
Hi,

Most (99.999%) UNIX apps will install their configuration in your home directory, usually in dot folders (e.g. ~/.ssh). Do an ls -al in your home directory to have a look :)

Doing otherwise is considered bad practice in the Windows world nevermind the UNIX one!
 
all user data and settings will be stored in your home folder.
if you show hidden files you can see folders starting with a dot which contain the program settings.

applications will need to be reinstalled though, just make sure you don't reformat the /home when you reinstall.
 
I myself setup my /home as a completely seperate partition.

This way I can chop and change completely freely to and from any distro I want to and I never lose any data.

Been doing that for several years now, and even recently I have gone in and out of all flavours of ubuntu and its family and I have had possibly 30 or more full reinstalls in the last 2 month alone... I have never touched the /home partition

I setup with a simple 3 partitions

sda1 = /
sda2 = swap
sda3 = /home
 
I assume the only problem constantly keeping a /home partition is that it could get a bit messy with application settings which are not being used.
 
Not at all.

Firstly is the apps are not being used, then they wont be putting junk in my /home anyway and if they are, then the junk will be there no matter whether I go to/from any distro or not.

If there is anything in there, then they will be for apps that I use and these apps will be used or installed no matter what Distro I go for, so I see absolutely no reason for that.

Its not like a reinstall of Windows when people reinstall without a format... The junk that gets plonked onto a HD can be ridiculous!!!
 
Yeah but say I installed 5 different torrent clients. I then formatted the file system partition and installed a fresh linux distro.

There will still be 5 folders with the client settings even though I won't have the programs installed correct?
 
probably have a .folder for each of them, but they'll be tiny, and linux's file systems don't die off if you actually use them, unlike some others ;)

However, to be sure nothing's robbing all your space, run kdirstat on your /home
It will show where the space is being used, and instantly warn you if there's a folder stuff with gigs of rubbish.

At leasst your /home is human readable, the same app-leftovers in windows, clutter up the dreaded registry and that's a lot harder to deal with without using automated and potentially destructive cleaners.
 
OK I got a custom Vista disc and the newest Ubuntu disc.

I need help knowing how to partition my drive. A 74gb raptor.

How big should I make the Vista partition? (I use Adobe programs and other big programs)
How big should the Ubuntu partition be?
How big should the /home partition be?
How big should the /swap partition be? (1gb of ram)

All my music, photos etc is on other drives. In vista I can make the default directories point to here. Can I do this in Ubuntu?

I may also want to test Mint.

Thanks,
Tobes
 
You have only a 74GB Drive and you are planning on dual booting Linux with Vista?

I dont mean to offend here, but dont you think that since Hard Drives are so cheap these days, that you are simply just being a stingy git?

Buy another HD FFS and put Linux onto that and give your Vista setup some room to breathe too!

These days a 74GB will be ok for C: but you would not want to take it too seriously if thats all you are going to let it have,and the same with Linux really.

Sure they will both go on and fairly comfy too, but then if oyu use them, they will fill the HD up quicker then anything.

Ok, if you really are THAT much of an Ebeneezer then Id do the following...

1 - Give Vista 40GB
2 - Give the linux root ( / ) partition all of the rest minus about 2GB
3 - Give the final 2GB to SWAP

Dont both with a /home or any other partition... Its not going to be worth the bother with that scroogy 74GB

Now, if we forget about Vista, and opt for just linux, then sure, 3 partitions will be great

sda0/dha0 = 30GB /
sda1/dha1 = 3GB SWAP
sda2/dha2 = the rest /home
 
Tobes said:
OK I got a custom Vista disc and the newest Ubuntu disc.

I need help knowing how to partition my drive. A 74gb raptor.

How big should I make the Vista partition? (I use Adobe programs and other big programs)
How big should the Ubuntu partition be?
How big should the /home partition be?
How big should the /swap partition be? (1gb of ram)

All my music, photos etc is on other drives. In vista I can make the default directories point to here. Can I do this in Ubuntu?

I may also want to test Mint.

Thanks,
Tobes
Click to expand...

There is no right or wrong answer to this. Which OS do you plan to use the most? Basically you should give your vista and ubuntu install at least 10GB each (obviously). I would create your swap partition to be 3/4 of your ram size - but this is really debatable as well. Your home directory, depends what you plan to do with it. I typically dump all my downloads in there before moving to my archive disks so mine is pretty large...

If your music/photos are on a NTFS partition on another disk you can easily access them in ubuntu as well.
 
Last edited:
I play to spend more time on Ubuntu but obviously the programs I use will not require as much space as the programs I will be using on the Vista OS.

I know I can access the files but can I make Ubuntus Music/Photos directory link to the directory on another drive?
 
Tobes said:
I play to spend more time on Ubuntu but obviously the programs I use will not require as much space as the programs I will be using on the Vista OS.

I know I can access the files but can I make Ubuntus Music/Photos directory link to the directory on another drive?
Click to expand...

Sure, 2 ways you can do this... edit your .gtk-bookmarks (I assume your using Gnome) file to point at where they are mounted or set the mount points of your other disk directories to be those directories.

Infact the 2nd way is better else your folders in your home directory will be redundant.
 
Excellent. Cheers.

The /home directory will only have application data in then. How big should I make that? I obviously want to keep it on a separate partition so it makes life easier to re install.
 
Tobes said:
Excellent. Cheers.

The /home directory will only have application data in then. How big should I make that? I obviously want to keep it on a separate partition so it makes life easier to re install.
Click to expand...

Hehe well.. if your only planning on storing .files/configs in there 1GB is an overkill haha. Saying that I would make it 5GB since you got plenty of space and you may wish to store other stuff temporarily.

The actual applications get installed elsewhere, only stuff that goes in your home directory is configs and stuff you put in their on purpose.
 
Sorry I overreacted as well. I get wound up when I use my brain.

Well my custom vista disc didn't work so all I have now is Ubuntu. I hope that makes you happy! :p
 
Ah, I have doen a couple of custom disks for Various Windows flavours and the best thing to do, is to customise it while in that same O/S. For example, if you are customising a Vista Disk, then do it in Vista... If its a Windows XP Disk, then do that in XP and so on...

The number of imes thatt hey dont accept the Serial numbers because of that, is annoying.

Thankfully I have enough Customised disks now that Im falling over them.

---

Make me happy? - no, you wanted a dual boot and its bloody annoying I know.

Well, my main Linux PC is my Opteron 285 at the moment, running off a 36GB Raptor and a 160GB Hitachi

I have user the 36GB as root ( / ) with a 4GB Swap at the end of it and the whole of the 160GB as /home with another 4GB at the end of that... 8GB Swap in total - overkill for now, but why not.

Its currently running Sabayon and is soon to be changed for either Mandriva ( Moved away from it but recenmtly started to like it again - absence makes the heart grow fonder perhaps? ) bu tthen I am also using Kubuntu on my LapTop so I might move there... Undecided yet.

Anyway, if you are only going to plop Linux onto that drive, then I myself would have it like this :-

sda0/hda0 = 30GB /
sda1/hda1 = 3GB SWAP
sda2/hda2 = the rest /home

It might also be a simple idea to have the lot on one partition and have a small swap... It wont be a good idea for upgrading later on, but for now, it might be all you need.
 
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