install new distro WITHOUT loseing data in /home and other partitions

Lleb_KCir · 07-20-2005, 12:28 AM

i am needing to install a differnt distro in order to get my graphics back and to get Crossover office supported distro running.

debian-unstable is just that and not compatable enough to make me a happy camper so i am going to try SuSe 9.2 as it is supported as a distro for Crossover office and i can then get QuickBooks running in linux instead of win2k that eats my data without authorization... /rude MS.

anyways, other then backing up my /home folder, what steps do i need to do when installing SuSe 9.2 to prevent any loss of data to my personal data outside of / and /boot?

here is what my system looks like atm:

Code:

ray@ssmadebian:~$ df -h
Filesystem            Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda3             6.5G  3.9G  2.3G  63% /
tmpfs                 507M  4.0K  507M   1% /dev/shm
/dev/hda4             115G  9.5G  100G   9% /home
/dev/hda2              20G  6.0G   14G  31% /home/ray/wind

hda2 is my windows partition that i can not dump just yet as i still need it for access to PageMaker, but thankfully that is getting less and less so soon i will be able to take that partition and turn it into a linux partition.

thanks.

gruven · 07-20-2005, 01:30 AM

When you install SuSE, it will give you a graphical partitioner. Just make sure to not format your /home partition, and mount it as /home. Just click on the partion in the partioner, and select edit.

Lleb_KCir · 07-20-2005, 01:37 AM

ok thanks.

J.W. · 07-20-2005, 01:55 AM

Just to expand on the previous comment a bit, if you keep you existing partitioning scheme, and assuming that /home exists on its own partition, it's a piece of cake to leave /home in place while installing another distro 'around' it -- just don't format it while you are going through the partitioning process with the new distro. Additionally, if the machine is a dual boot, be sure to likewise leave the partition containing Windows as is. I've done this several times, and so long as the partitioning scheme remains the same it's pretty straightforward. Good luck with it -- J.W.

mkoljack · 07-20-2005, 02:11 AM

Also, the SuSE partitioning/install tools are excellent. Just a thought, SuSE 9.3 is now publicly available to download and install. Something to consider.

Good Luck.

Lleb_KCir · 07-20-2005, 09:47 AM

yes, but Crossover Office does not support 9.3. it also does not support testing debian. in fact i could not even get Cxoffice to load properly, nor could i get it to install apps correctly in testing.

my laptop had zero problems upgrading to unstable, well none worth worring about yet, and i was able to install cxoffice and QB and get QB running. biggest differance is i did not run a dist-upgrade on the laptop. like a numbnuts that what i did to the workstation and its convertion from Xfree86 to X.org fubard ALL of the graphics.

ive been through the xorg.conf, ive reinstalled the nvidia drivers and the blasted thing still can not find any screens.

/rude xorg