To much Reinstalling

[Mdyter]

Hello to everyone here!

Sorry for poor English, i didn't use it for some time...
I would like to ask - how do you keep clean the system?

what do i wont to say?yea.. it's a little difficult to explain, but i'll try.

I'm always breaking my system. i set up some settings , install some applications, make all the updates and in the end, i almost always end up with some problems. if i get a problem, often i don't found how to solve it and i'm forced to reinstall .

I'm really tired of it. for example, i installed today LMDE 2-3 times.

i like the way linux lets you customize it, but i just don't know why it's so easy for me to break it.
it reminds me of Lego...

[Habitual]

Hello:

Perhaps you should change the order of installs from "install some applications, make all the updates and in the end"
to updates then installs?

What distro and platform of LinuxMint are you using?
What do you install exactly and from what source(s)?
What breaks exactly?

Please let us know...

I never broke my Legos, I just put them together in ways that were never intended.

[Habitual]

Ironic enough a fresh post on what to "do" after installing....
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 39#p380759

[Mdyter]

it's now about the order i made them, it's more about how i use it later. it can work well a week or two, but in the end i always broke something.
now i'm using LMDE 64bit. usually i try to install only the minimum of software needed, removing a lot of app .
after a while it starts to "loose parts". the last time i reinstalled all because i couldn't move to trash files from rhythmbox directly.
another time conky refused to start and i didn't manage to start it up.

are there easy ways to keep the system alive?
i just can't do it

[sgosnell]

Reinstalling the complete OS is a drastic measure, and I don't recall ever doing it except to install a different distro by choice. Linux is far more fixable than Windows, for example, and it's almost always possible to fix whatever problem you may have. Removing packages for no good reason can easily result in problems, so there is little reason to do it unless your hard drive space is very limited. Make frequent backups of your home directory, and you should be able to recover from most problems fairly easily.

[GSXR750L]

The best way to keep the system alive is to - read - Google - search - read all Forum Posts - read MORE - search + search and read more - re-read the forum posts then go back and re-read all the tutorials.

The only way to gain knowledge is to keep taking large doses of it.

There are no Simple answers, all answers can be explained in great depth, 'Simple' is a Lego construction built upon acquired knowledge.

Oh and read some more

[craig10x]

You can avoid a lot of problems by not uninstalling huge amounts of applications...just because you don't use something doesn't mean you need to remove it..just don't use it

Linux is not like Windows where you have tons of junk on there that you want to get off to help your system run better...
You must be use to the "windows mind-set"

The applications on linux distros are not junk...just use the ones you want...

[Mdyter]

often i have problems to find what i need even in google. i know i could sound a little crazy, but it happens .
now i was looking for an answer to "is there any point in making another user after installing mint and use it?"
shouldn't it help ?if i break some settings , could i just make another user and delete the old one having everything like after an fresh install?

i'm using a separated /home , but never understod how can it be useful? any important files i just throw to another hdd.
reinstalling the os and using the old /home usually brings me some problems..

@ craig10x
it could be a "windows-mind "
in fact i don't know it's irritating me when i see a lot of software that i never use. also i always disable all plugins for rhythmbox or remove all icons from desktop (i love xfce desktop without any icon and with menu on right click)

[Murdock]

Here's how it's done............
Reinstall with your coffee every morning if you want to.

[Mdyter]

Here's how it's done............
Reinstall with your coffee every morning if you want to.

mine is this way.

[Habitual]

Mdyter:

You are in the right place using the right OS. Don't give up!
There's an old saying where I came from "A closed mouth does not get fed", or "Not asking is the same as a 'no'".

We are here to help.
All you have to do is ask.

[zandu]

Reinstalling the complete OS is a drastic measure, and I don't recall ever doing it except to install a different distro by choice. Linux is far more fixable than Windows, for example, and it's almost always possible to fix whatever problem you may have. Removing packages for no good reason can easily result in problems, so there is little reason to do it unless your hard drive space is very limited. Make frequent backups of your home directory, and you should be able to recover from most problems fairly easily.

I beg to differ , having used windows xp for many years, to do a reinstall is simple and you lose nothing takes at max 30 mins as xp cd has a built in non destructive reformat process whereby you lose no settings or programs etc . Just done one for a friend ... can mint be reinstalled without losing settings etc ?
I have only been running it for a couple of months and it has cracked, now I have had to put an old windows hard disk back
in to use my pc as I dread the thought of spending hours and hours of resetting up Mint again.Google Google and more Google oh what a thought .
Perhaps I should have backed up by clone or drive image but I didnt .

[tdockery97]

Perhaps I should have backed up by clone or drive image but I didnt .

You said the magic words. I cannot stress this enough. All it takes is about 10 minutes a week to do a Clonezilla backup of a partition. And no, I don't get paid by Clonezilla for saying it. I just believe in it. As one who tinkers with his computer and systems as a hobby, I probably break one of my OS' at least once a month. 10-15 minutes and it's right back the way it was. It's really easy to clone your system, and just as easy to restore it to perfection. Put the fun back in Linux

[Dyfi]

Yes indeed - Clonezilla backups are very sound advice for anyone using Linux..

Dyfi.

[GSXR750L]

Hello Mdyter when re-installing operating systems it is probably good to delete any .hidden files from /home if you use a separate /home partition as it contains settings which can conflict with a new install.

[Mdyter]

@GSXR750L
thank you for your advise. in practise, i always reformat my /home before making a reinstall. i'm doing it because usualy i'm messing the settings, the desktop, audio, ...
never kept anything on home (i'm asking myself why i made it so big ? )

@Habitual - i won't give up. yesterday i pulled a big part of my multimedia files from ntfs partition to an ext4 one.
in this way i will have one reson less to use windows
and thank you too..

at the bottom, i looking to install Clonezilla too. i will delete /boot partition later then making a fresh install (yes yes.. another one). is there any reason to keep /boot partition and backup it later too?

[sgosnell]

Yes, Mint and any other Linux distro can easily be reinstalled without losing any settings if you put /home on a separate partition. It isn't touched during a reinstallation unless you specify that it be formatted or removed. I've kept my /home partition intact over several different distro installations and reinstallations, without any issues at all.

Keeping backups is a basic necessity, though, no matter what OS you're running. Not doing that is gross negligence.

[monkeyboy]

Hello to everyone here!

Sorry for poor English, i didn't use it for some time...
I would like to ask - how do you keep clean the system?

what do i wont to say?yea.. it's a little difficult to explain, but i'll try.

I'm always breaking my system. i set up some settings , install some applications, make all the updates and in the end, i almost always end up with some problems. if i get a problem, often i don't found how to solve it and i'm forced to reinstall .

I'm really tired of it. for example, i installed today LMDE 2-3 times.

i like the way linux lets you customize it, but i just don't know why it's so easy for me to break it.
it reminds me of Lego...

The next time something goes wrong don't reinstall. Instead do your research and if necessary bring the problem to the forum and see if the board members can be of assistance. After a few successful guided repairs the problem solving process often start to make better sense. Good Luck