jmgibson1981

I don't know why, but this is the output from df -h

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
udev 1.8G 0 1.8G 0% /dev
tmpfs 370M 6.1M 364M 2% /run
/dev/sr0 1.5G 1.5G 0 100% /cdrom
/dev/loop0 1.4G 1.4G 0 100% /rofs
/cow 1.9G 85M 1.8G 5% /
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
[/code]

And I'm down to less than 50 MB on
t
I've tried going in and deleting files/folders wholesale. I wanted to reclaim enough RAM memory/HDD drive space to get through my current issue.
But a lot of folders/files that show a lot of available space, I could retrieve by deleting the folder or file it shows they are owned by root and can't be deleted.

I am pretty sure I did not set them with root properties, except for the operating system files. I built this system about 10 years ago and starting using Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.

You would think I should know a lot more about Ubuntu than I do. But old age and waning attention pushed me into
a straight work mode with no great interest except for what I needed to accomplish for the day.

First off I apologize, I had you run the wrong command. That being said, do you have all of your files and stuff that you can't replace in a safe place, backed up?

End of the day, this is fixable, but not by someone who isn't familiar with how to do it. It will take a long time for you to sort this out, and please understand I mean no offense. You need to get your data safe however you can, wipe the drive and do a fresh install. That is the most expedient, and realistic solution here.

In my previous post I quoted what you said about your 1tb usb drive. Does that contain all information you want to keep? Yes or no. If yes, then the simple answer is to do a fresh install on the computer, wiping out EVERYTHING on that 650gb internal hard drive including all of those random partitions. If no, then you need to get whatever personal files you need off of it first, then blast it with a fresh installation. I still can't figure out why you have so many separate partitions but that is something to avoid in the future. Ideally you should have your /home directory with all of your stuff in it. Not spread all over the system for this reason. Now you have a mess and you don't know where anything is. If it was all in /home/"$USER" then you could just backup your home directory and do whatever you needed to do to the system.

In that system I would suggest LVM for the whole disk, split into the following volumes and sizes.

root - / - 25gb
data - /data - 500gb
swap - 2gb (4 I think if you use hibernation, not sure of that one.)

I get that. The reason I've been slow to getting the full kill is because goofy way I did stuff. My other issue is how do I get into files that are root. I believe there are important files in those folders. But the rest of it I agree.I've came to the conclusion to just kill it and suffer the loss - if any. As to the partition madness - I think it started with the external drive I split it in half and I might done something dumber with the install and partitions., It's just a guess
When I go to wipe the drive, do I nuke each partition on the 650 GB separately? And should use Gparted to do it?
will kill it when I install the new 20.04 distro? N=Hmm that doesn't sound right, but what's the best tool to wipe?

So, I would like to check the locked root folders
Then wipe the drive, using which tool
And install the new ubuntu 20.04. On a side note, is 20.04 a good fit with my hardware? My system is easily
10 years old but it was whiz bang when I built it. AMD 9850 Phenom, quad core, etc. But I only have 4 GB RAM which strains ton keep up at times. A new desktop is in planning. I prefer a desktop for writing, so that is an issue.

And another question: I have a fairly new Lenovo laptop, but it is running Windows 10. I used to be good on Windows but after 10years with Ubuntu, The only reason to keep it is as an emergency system. I read that if I use a dual boot system I should install Ubuntu first and then Windows. If you don't mind, what is the best way to get it properly? What's your advice

First issue, root owned files. Unless you specifically made them root owned, they are part of the OS and will be installed properly when you do a fresh installation. No need to worry about them.

There is no need to do anything special for wiping or preparing the drive. Just load the live image, and run the installer. Follow the prompts. While most may suggest using the erase disk and install ubuntu option I would advise you attempt to figure out how to change the whole disk to lvm, and create yourself a few logical volumes. This will make things exponentially easier in the future, both for upgrades and or adding a new partition. I'd suggest an lvm layout of the following.

root @ / 25gb
data @ /data 500gb
swap @ swap 2gb (4-8gb if you hibernate. I'm unsure of this number)

The data could be home if you wish but I personally keep my data in it's own partition, and just link the folders into my /home/"$USER" directory. Keeps it tidy. The above lvm layout will leave you some extra space that you can use for snapshots when upgrading, or just plain out doing a fresh install to a new root while keeping your existing root safe. A bit more advanced usage, but lots of flexibility.

Hello jmgibson

I'm with you on wiping the drive. But I have an issue that I need to fix before the final solution. I've had many alerts for very low "no space on drive" warnings.
In the past I've been able to finesse and delay the problem. But yesterday the warning was "Zero MB" available. Which makes everything dangerous to my data. I am a journalist and writer, so saving documents is my highest priority. I have some other things I'd like to save that might be backed up, but I'm not positive. So, that's one problem with a failing system.;
I am trying to get some available space to move folders and files over to my backup.

I thought I could go through the various locations, double check them and either move them to safety, or let them go. That's what makes the changes from "create and delete" to "root only access" such a problem.
Some of my regular files/folders have been taken over by Root. They were set up as create/delete, there is no reason for me to change the settings. So I have no idea how it happened as I am the only user of my system. I don't have any great concern that people might want to wander through my computer.
But they are definitely not system files. You have seen my filing system (non existent) so I have a few home folders scattered throughout the partitions that are now locked with only root access showing -
"You are not the owner ...the file cannot move."

I'm planning to do a final, final walk through, before I zap the drive. I've got numerous regular files - documents, pictures, etc. that I should be able to move between folders on separate partitions with individual files or folders from one partition, to the 1TB external drive, yes? But when it does not work, like it is supposed to, I makes everything more difficult and time
consuming.

This is one of the warnings that pop-up when I try to move or save some of my files.

Basic: Permissions Local Share
Owner Root
Access Create and Delete files
Group Access
You are not the owner ....

Name: ranhanrio
Type: Folder (inode/directory)
Contents: 1,068 items, totalling 3.7 GB
Location: /media/ubuntu/a2aad275-090f-490e-a903-e4b68f52eb19/home

Free Space 54.2 GB

If there is 54GB
in available space, is there a way I can get to and use it? Just today, I tried to move and/or delete several files, but I can't. I just had a thought:
I've been trying to do these things within Firefox. Is there a relatively easy way to move or delete files with the terminal? I'm comfortable working in the terminal,
if I can cut & paste commands.

Another thing - Does 20.04 use a lot of ram for everyday tasks, or should I go with 18.04 until I build a new system. The AMD Phenom X4 processor Am2 + It was quite fast in it's day.
And I have never had a problem over the 10 years I have used it. I only have 4GB of DDR 2+ RAM.

I'm sorry I have taken so much of your time to help me through my situation. I appreciate it.

Id say if its that important now.might be a good time to upgrade to an ssd. Do a fresh install to the ssd then mount your disk, search through it at your leisure, backup everything you need. Then wipe it out jusy use it as a single large data partition. For OS an ssd is worth its weight in gold as far as being responsive.