Ok I was running a setup of Ubuntu 8.10 with my home folder on a separate partition, the problem is that I installed Linux Mint over Ubuntu and kept my home partition unformatted so I could keep the data which I assumed would be fine although now after the desktop appeared there are some unexpected things which I didn't expect... but basically it looks like a Ubuntu installation but with mint there's no mint menu or anything it basically looks like my ubuntu install lol I assume this is because my gnome settings were kept? what do I need to delete on my home partition to get the default linux mint desktop?
Thanks in advance!
Problem with everything...
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Problem with everything...
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- Fornhamfred
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- Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:38 pm
- Location: Suffolk UK
Re: Problem with everything...
Hi
If I were you I would copy any files which you wish to keep from your home folder and then do a fresh install making sure that you format the home partition so you start with a clean install.
If I were you I would copy any files which you wish to keep from your home folder and then do a fresh install making sure that you format the home partition so you start with a clean install.
Re: Problem with everything...
Fornhamfred wrote:Hi
If I were you I would copy any files which you wish to keep from your home folder and then do a fresh install making sure that you format the home partition so you start with a clean install.
The problem is I have nothing to copy the files I need onto as it's mostly music, photo's and video which come to the grand total of roughly 400gb
I'm assuming that only certain folders contain the gnome settings and things, could I possibly delete everything apart from the folders containing the stuff I want to keep? would that work?
Re: Problem with everything...
How about this: When you go to reinstall mount your old "/home" partition as "/data" partition without formating it. Then you can either create a new /home partition or simply let /home be a directory not a partition within "/".
Please add a [SOLVED] at the end of your original subject header if your question has been answered and solved.
Re: Problem with everything...
First of all kamitsukai, let me thank you for this post. Purely because I like gloating (that is, being proved right, in case English is not your first language). For years I have argued (and I am pleased to say that the Mint Wiki now agrees with me) that a separate /home partition is not a benefit, it is a curse. As their wiki now says a separate /data partition is a benefit. This is the problem you have fallen foul of. Not really your fault because the former argument is such a widely held belief. A separate /home partition is only of any use if you are installing exactly the same OS over again. Even an upgrade of the same OS is likely to be a problem and the installation of a different OS is likely to be a disaster as you have found out. It is like installing Windows XP with a registry from Windows 98 - it is not going to work.kamitsukai wrote:Ok I was running a setup of Ubuntu 8.10 with my home folder on a separate partition, the problem is that I installed Linux Mint over Ubuntu and kept my home partition unformatted so I could keep the data which I assumed would be fine although now after the desktop appeared there are some unexpected things which I didn't expect... but basically it looks like a Ubuntu installation but with mint there's no mint menu or anything it basically looks like my ubuntu install lol I assume this is because my gnome settings were kept? what do I need to delete on my home partition to get the default linux mint desktop?
Thanks in advance!
Anyway, I wouldn't respond unless I thought I had a solution, and I think I do.
All of the configuration files that are causing you problems are hidden files within your /home directory, so I believe that all you need to do is delete those before repeating the install and then you should have a proper Mint installation.
So open your /home directory, find a way in your file manager to "Show hidden Files" and delete all of them, then try Mint installation again. I am pretty sure this will work, and as long as you don't format your /home partition all you data should be safe.
Re: Problem with everything...
viking777 wrote:First of all kamitsukai, let me thank you for this post. Purely because I like gloating (that is, being proved right, in case English is not your first language). For years I have argued (and I am pleased to say that the Mint Wiki now agrees with me) that a separate /home partition is not a benefit, it is a curse. As their wiki now says a separate /data partition is a benefit. This is the problem you have fallen foul of. Not really your fault because the former argument is such a widely held belief. A separate /home partition is only of any use if you are installing exactly the same OS over again. Even an upgrade of the same OS is likely to be a problem and the installation of a different OS is likely to be a disaster as you have found out. It is like installing Windows XP with a registry from Windows 98 - it is not going to work.kamitsukai wrote:Ok I was running a setup of Ubuntu 8.10 with my home folder on a separate partition, the problem is that I installed Linux Mint over Ubuntu and kept my home partition unformatted so I could keep the data which I assumed would be fine although now after the desktop appeared there are some unexpected things which I didn't expect... but basically it looks like a Ubuntu installation but with mint there's no mint menu or anything it basically looks like my ubuntu install lol I assume this is because my gnome settings were kept? what do I need to delete on my home partition to get the default linux mint desktop?
Thanks in advance!
Anyway, I wouldn't respond unless I thought I had a solution, and I think I do.
All of the configuration files that are causing you problems are hidden files within your /home directory, so I believe that all you need to do is delete those before repeating the install and then you should have a proper Mint installation.
So open your /home directory, find a way in your file manager to "Show hidden Files" and delete all of them, then try Mint installation again. I am pretty sure this will work, and as long as you don't format your /home partition all you data should be safe.
Yep that's what I was doing after id posted my second response I cam to the conclusion that it wasn't going to do any harm so I just deleted everything in there apart from my custom fonts.conf file (makes my fonts look super sexy ) and my video, pictures and a few other data folders and then reinstalled Linux Mint and it now works perfectly
Thanks everyone!