Not really other than adjusting to the change in the Desktop and menus. He doesn't use the computer for much other than watching movies, music, email, etc.

I don't know what PAROLE is and have not really used MPlayer much, started with VLC and it usually works well.

If you are using Mint or PinGuy, check to see which release of Ubuntu it is based on so you know the length of support. Mint 13 and Ubuntu 12.04 have support until April, 2017 which is longer than some more recent releases of the same distribution. Might check the PinGuy site, they should have that information.

Debian, Slackware and Opensuse are three other distributions which have been around a long time, have good support and stability. Might be a little different or harder for you coming from Ubuntu.

I thought we went through all that and you understood that it was possible. You haven't mentioned your setup, number of hard drives and partitions on each so I can't give you specific info. An example, if you have two hard drives and one has a windows operating system and the second drive has Ubuntu on sda1 and the rest of the drive is a data partition, sda2 then you would just need to assure that you put your new distribution, PinGuy/Mint on sda1. You just need to make sure you get the correct hard drive if you have more than one and the correct partition if you have more than one.

You might take a look at some GParted docs, the link below is their site and has a lot of details. GParted should be on the Mint or Pinguy CD/DVD. If you google gparted tutorial, it will bring up a lot of sites with information. Just reading or viewing them would be a good experience and expand your knowledge in regard to partitioning.

http://gparted.org/display-doc.php?name=help-manual

hey yancek:

I'm baffled...didn't I post results of my HDD structure? I have only 1 HDD (80Gb). It has just the 1 partition on which 12.04 is operating from. My laptop is a HP 2000-210us, currently running Ubuntu 12.04LTS. PAROLE is one of the opensource media players available from Ubuntu Software Center; as is MPlayer. Yes, I've got and am currently trying to understand GParted. ("reading up on how to's" and why's) I've learned from "other sources" that I can put a different Linux distro onto the same partition as I currently have Ubuntu (the basis of all our correspondence has been just that issue). Yes, we did decide I could install a Linux distro onto the same partition, however, I believe we had questions on "how" to go about it and whether it was wise to do so. And i see now, I had posted my HDD specs on another 'post". I will attach the results at end of this post. So onward I go!!! I'll soon be installing a newer Linux O.S and HOPEFULLY most all of my difficulties (with the laptop anyways) will be alleviated. You've been a wealth of help/information and for that I am truly grateful. I'm hoping that you'll not hear from me again, other than to maybe give an update on how well the newer distro is working for me.

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0009bc8e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 150292479 75145216 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 150294526 156301311 3003393 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 150294528 156301311 3003392 82 Linux swap / Solaris

yancek, take care, my friend.
RICK

Let me just add my 2cents just on Ubuntu 12.04lts not being good to use on video!i had Ubuntu 12.04LTS just for that Video and Streaming and must say Ubuntu it's one of the Best in software for video and streaming,and if you want to go up a big notch you install Ubuntu 14.04 and you sure get the best,For me and this is only my Opinion, Mint sucks compared to Ubuntu, it may look nicer but Efficiency and support wise,Ubuntu is better by far, again my opinion.PinGuy i don't know nothing about it so no comment.

Looks like I guessed correctly in my example. Your fdisk output shows one primary partition (sda1) and the Extended partition (sda2) which contains the swap (sda5). So during the installation, just select to install Mint/PinGuy on sda1. I don't know how you installed previously, use entire disk?? or something else. Using the Ubuntu 'something else' option gives a user more control and you get to make selections and see what is happening. Also, the fdisk output is what I referred to in my last post.

If you use the 'something else option, you will get to a window labelled 'Installation Type' and will see your partitions there. Click the sda1 partition to highlight it and then click the Change tab below the main window and you get a new window where you can set the size, filesystem type (ext4 is default), check the box to Format that partition and set the mount point which would be /, the symbol for root. Leave the default Device for bootloader installation at /dev/sda and it will install Grub to the mbr. Click Install Now and you're off. This is in reference to Mint but Pinguy should be similar, minor differences from Ubuntu.

Good luck with it.

69Rixter, STOP & READ BEFORE YOU PROCEED!

Brief Recap:

People try to answer but need more info -- then you respond:

Then you get your simple response ...

To which yancek patiently explains ...

A perfect example of "unknown variables" (to people trying to answer) is this:

I don't know if you (69Rixter) will read this in time or not; but if you don't back up the data you want to keep before the new install, it will be gone!

When you stated that you had lots of data elsewhere on the drive that you didn't want to lose, that implied that you had other partitions that contained the data. The implied goal was to keep those data partitions and only replace the Ubuntu partition. (That's what we think when you say you don't want to have to wipe the whole drive, just the Ubuntu partition. Your statements made it sound as if the data were somewhere else on the drive, not on the Ubuntu partition -- which would explain why you wanted to target just the Ubuntu partition and not the whole drive.)

However, now -- all the way at the very end of your postings -- we find out that the Ubuntu partition is the ONLY one there is! That means your data files must be on that same partition and will be lost when installing and formatting that partition.

If you did proceed and this has happened, the main lesson you need to learn is that people on the support forum usually have a good reason for the questions they ask. Instead of getting frustrated at them because you don't know the purpose of the questions, you should respond with the details they need to give you good, accurate answers.

Hopefully you read this before losing your data!

If you do, you must backup your data to somewhere else first, then install, then copy it back -- whether you like it or not. To alleviate having to do that the next time, make a separate /home partition to keep the data separated from the system files. In that scenario, you can keep the data and only replace the root partition when switching versions.

P.s. In case you need it, here is a good GParted tutorial: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gparted.html

This might be a classic case of not asking the question one wants an answer to. Reviewing the posts by the OP, I see in post 11 a comment in the middle of a long paragraph about moving files and mentioning usb drives. At that point, the only person who knew there was only one partition was the OP. I guess this can be attributed as an oversight on the part of the OP, as he apparently thought he had posted drive/partition information which he does not do until post 17.

It appears the question the OP actually wanted an answer to is: "Can I install another operating system to the same partition and still keep my personal data on that partition?", which would have generated a different response. Not knowing the drive/partition information is the primary reason people kept asking for more details.

It would be more fruitful when asked for information to ask why the information is wanted/needed if one doesn't understand rather than coming back with a bitchy response.

I hope for the OPs sake he read the post by gold finger.

To yancek To: gold finger

OK, I guess I didn't "word" my question in a form that everyone could understand. Although I believe yancek got my drift. OK, now with everyone weighing in, I see some basic flaws with my conception. Let's see if we're all one the same page now. It is my understanding I CAN install a Linux distro on the same partition (?). It is my understanding I will lose files I wish to have because there is only 1 partition and said files are on that partition(?) So, I must #1. Move desired files to another disc.
#2. Wipe HDD and partition before O.S. install or let install do this. #3. Install O.S. into newly created partition #4. Create another partition and move desired files into it.(the one operation I was trying to get around). Does this sound correct or is there an easier route to take? I do apologize for not posting the HDD results earlier. I, honestly, thought I had. NO ONE was belittled by me in any posts pertaining to this thread. If someone took offence, then that's their misconception! Yes, I have experienced a great deal of frustration due to the MISCONCEPTION that Ubuntu was supposed to be easy to operate. Contrary to ivtech's post, I've had nothing but trouble with 12.04 since I first installed it. And, to ivtech especially, the problems continue. These are not operator failures I'm speaking of. Kudo's that ivtech got along with his 12.04 version. This site wouldn't exist if it not for those of us who do have difficulties. And just take a look at the amount of folks that did/are experiencing 12.04 failures!!! OK, Ubuntu moves on to 14.04. Good Luck. I, however am moving on to another Linux distro. Opinions expressed within this site SHOULD stay "opinions" and not be considered "slights" to those who do not share such an opinion. To those who have considered my postings offensive, so be it....that is YOUR misconception!!! yancek, gold finger and others who have contributed; I THANK YOU all. I HOPE we all can get along now.
RICK

Yes.

Yes. All the system files will be new as will some/most of your programs and your personal data, pictures, music, movies or whatever else you have will be gone.

Depending upon how much data you have, you could copy it to flash drive if one is available or as you say, to another disk.

The other option is to leave Ubuntu and create another partition on which to install Mint/Pinguy. An additional step will be necessary because your Ubuntu partition (sda1) takes up almost the entire disk. You would need to shrink that partition first so that you have free/unallocated space to use to create a new partition. The simplest way to do that would be with GParted which if you are switching to Mint, should be on the installation disk for Mint. I posted a link earlier to the GParted site which you may have reviewed. You should be able to find a lot of other tutorials for using GParted.

69Rixter,

Sounds like we're all on same page now. You only have to copy off the data files this time because they are on same partition as the Ubuntu root system files.

If space allows, you could try yancek's idea of keeping Ubuntu and installing new one after shrinking the partition. However, you might want to consider this as an opportunity to set up the partitions in a way that will eliminate this problem in the future should you decide to switch distro's or upgrade versions later on.

You can go about that in a couple of basic ways.

1. Make a separate /home partition to hold the data files and user program config files.
2. Make a separate partition for the data files only and keep /home on the root partition.

Either of those options will allow you to reinstall or replace the OS by overwriting the / (root) partition alone -- leaving the data untouched. If you stick to using the same distro and same desktop environment, then having a separate /home partition may be best. It will preserve not only your data, but program config files as well and re-use them for the upgraded distro version when you make that next switch. (Most of the time those config files will continue to work with the next version.)

However, if you switch distros or desktop environments, there is a higher chance that the configs may cause conflicts with the new system. In that case, having a partition for data only might be the better choice. Keep /home under the / partition and when you replace the OS you'll start with fresh config files also. You just create a mount point for the data partition, an entry in /etc/fstab for mounting it on boot, and link it to /home. (A few extra steps, but takes less than 5 minutes.) See here if not sure how to do that: HOWTO: Create & Use a Separate DATA Partition.

To gold finger:

Ahhh...now we're getting somewhere. OK, I'm pretty sure I've got what your telling me. It makes sense..Damn ...see how easy that was. LOL LOL. Alright, now I'll check out the "How To" you cited. So, was I correct in that I must create a partition separate from the O.S , then load the 'saved" files into it (labeling it as 'Home" or whatever I think I want to call it.) Is this correct?
Ok, listen, I don't know where you picked up that I was insulting/offending anyone. NEVER was that my intention (for the exception of 1 case). FRUSTRATED...absolutely!! I got 'spoiled" w/ 10.04 and having to FIGHT with 12.04 was really getting to me. You see, for ME, 10.04 was simple, easy to configure, and I never had the difficulties with it that I've experienced w/12.04. Good riddance to 12.04 and I'm still debating as to LinuxMint or Pinguy. I must confess, I really like what is said concerning Pinguy. Yet, I also read good things about LinuxMint. That said, I MAY install both and see which I prefer. Would you have an opinion on either of those distro's? Oh,..yes..almost forgot...what would be a proper size for the O.S. partition?

THANX for all the help!!!!
RICK

First, do not try this without backing up your precious files.
You could rename your /home to something else, like /oldhome.
Then you could use shell from install CD/DVD to remove ALL directories but /oldhome.
Now go ahead with install, skip partitioning and formatting.

Backing up your data (if you care about it) is complimentary, any hard drive can die any time.

If you have a flash drive large enough to hold whatever data you want from Ubuntu, that would be safer. Repartitioning and installing a new system is always risk, one small error and everything can be lost.

There are advantages to using a separate /home partition but in your particular case, at least for the sake of simplicity, just create a separate data partition and if you don't have an external medium to copy your data to, copy it there. Very important that you not what the partition is named, probably sda2 in your case but verify this.

In any case, you will need to shrink the current sda1 with Ubuntu to create a new data partition or a new partition for Mint/Pinguy as well as a data partition. You should be able to do this with Mint. From the installation medium, just type: sudo gparted and the GParted windows opens and you can resize and create a new partition(s). I'd read some tutorials on it before trying it so you are familiar, pretty simple actually.

I wasn't thinking that you were insulting/offending anyone and didn't mean to imply that. When reading through the thread I just got the impression that you were trying to rush things to get a simple "yes" or "no" answer to your questions and in doing so were getting frustrated at the people answering because they were asking for details you didn't think (at the time) were necessarily important. The problem is, sometimes terminology used by one person may not carry the same meaning for another. In addition, the people trying to help may have (frequently) run into situations before where underlying fundamentals where assumed to be understood, only to find out after-the-fact that they weren't when something goes terribly wrong. (That has happened to me before on a different forum and it could have happened in your case here only because, from our perspective, it "sounded" like your data was not on the same partition as the Ubuntu root partition.) So, frequently a helper on the forum will ask questions that can seem frustratingly basic and unimportant; but that is only to make sure that there are no mis-understandings before instructing a course of action.

As a (hopefully) final note on this subject, I can assure you that if I had thought that you were insulting people here -- I would have sat back and waited for you to destroy your data. I wouldn't have said a thing beforehand.


Back to the important subject: How to proceed from here?

As warned by others, no matter what you decide you should make a backup copy of your data files to a location other than the hard drive. Once you have that, you can either wipe the drive completely and start fresh with either Mint or Pinguy; or you can shrink the Ubuntu partition, make a DATA partition, then copy the data over to the data partition, then just install the new system to the Ubuntu partition and link to the data partition after installation. The second option will not work if your data files take up more than half of the drive space though. So take that into consideration.

Don't know what problems you had with 12.04, but I do empathize with you on this. I used to use 10.04 also and loved it. When Ubuntu switched to Unity I just couldn't get used to it and it did nothing but frustrate me -- so I switched.

I happen to use Mint 16 Xfce and Voyager (also Xfce-based) primarily myself and like them both. Experiment frequently with others, but have never tried Pinguy so can't really offer an opinion of it. Best bet is to try a live USB of both and possibly others to see which gets along the best with your hardware and which "feels" best for you. Everyone's got slightly different tastes and reasons for their selections and you're really the only one who can truly decide that. If you have enough room to install both, that's certainly another option. I have a couple of my computers set-up with more than one distro installed. I use VirtualBox for messing around with many others.

Good luck! Hope you find a distro that works better for you.