Installing a new hard drive (Solved)

[smokeymtn_ron]

Right now I have Mint 7 installed. I used the first option to use the whole hard drive since that was the only option Windows would let me make since it was using the whole disc. I have a new hard drive coming that I want to install Mint 7 on and use custom partitions. My question is: is there a way to move what I have now to the new drive? Or would it be better to save what I want to transfer (documents, pictures, etc.) and just do a complete fresh install? Also, will my live cd boot when I install my new drive? I have never installed a new hard drive before, so any tips on getting mint installed would really be appreciated!

[Aging Technogeek]

There are programs available (Clonezilla, etc.) that will do an exact copy of your present installation on your new drive. The operative word here is exact . You will have a whole drive installation just as you have now.

If you want to specify partitions, you must do a fresh install. Your live CD will work just fine with a new hard drive, but, if you do a little work, you can create a live DVD copy of your current install that will boot and install just like the original Mint live CD.

First,open a terminal and enter:

Code: Select all

 sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

to acess the source list for Synaptic.

Second, go to this site: http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/ubuntu.htmll . Copy the entry for "Hardy and Newer" version 2.0.12-1 and paste it in at the bottom of the sources list.

Third, open Synaptic Package Manager and click reload. Once the reload is done. browse to the "System" entry at the end of the list in the left window. Click on "System" and remastersys should appear in the Package window. Click on it and mark for install along with all dependencies. Click the green check mark and Remastersys will be installed to Administration in mintMenu.

Launch Remastersys Backup and select "CustomBackup.iso" from the menu. Click okay and remastersys will take a snapshot of your present install and create a .iso file in /home/remastersys/remastersys. It will also generate an md5 sum for the .iso in /home/remastersys/remastersys/custombackup.isomd5sum.txt. Launch your favorite dvd burner (with the ability to burn a .iso to disk, I prefer K3B to brasero) and create your live DVD (the full installation including personal data will be too large for a CD).

Remove the DVD (of course you should check the md5 sum after each step to ensure the disk is good), replace your old drive with the new one, replace the DVD in the drive and boot it just like you would with the Mint live CD. You will be presented with a menu of possible actions. Choose the one you want and hit "Enter" and proceed with the installation. The remastersys DVD includes all the functions of the Mint CD including the ability to specify partitions. You will be able to set up your new drive just the way you want.

[smokeymtn_ron]

Ok. I think I understand. Are u saying if I do it the way your saying, it will install with all the things I have already installed (such as keepass and games and some other things) and it will put them in the right partitions?

[Aging Technogeek]

You've got it. It's just like installing from the Mint live CD except it includes all your additions.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post. After you paste the entry into your sources list, be sure to save the changed list either from The File menu or with the "Save" icon (third from left, looks like a 3.5 inch floppy disk).

Also, to make it easier to copy and paste the entry into the sources list, run Firefox in half screen mode and open the terminal in the unused part of the screen.

[smokeymtn_ron]

Ok, I think I forgot to save it, but the Remastersys is installed and working. The only thing I dont see is: "CustomBackup.iso"you said to use from the menu. It has:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup complete system including user system
Make a distibutable copy to share with friends- both cdfs and iso will be created
Make a distibutable copy cd filesystem only
Make a distibutable iso file only
Modify the remaster sys config file to customize options
Remove temporary files
About
Quit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Which one will do it for me? Number 2?
Thanks for all your help!!

[RedWagon]

Uh, what are you guys talking about? Boot into a live disc, partition the new hard drive like you want it using gparted, mount the source and destination partitions and run
sudo cp -rp /media/sdb1 /media/sda1
where /media/sdb1 and /media/sda1 is the source and destination respectively. Then just change the partition numbers in the grub menu and you're good to go. You can boot your new hard drive and test it out before erasing your old hard drive. Seriously, there is no need to re-install just to move to another partition. I distro-hop a lot and Linux is very flexible when it comes to stuff like this.

[smokeymtn_ron]

RedWagon, you completely lost me on all that. What I'm trying to do is when I install my new disc drive is to take my Mint the way I have it set up now with me, but with custom partitions. Maybe that was what you were trying say, but I'm to much of a newbie to understand what you were trying to tell me.

[kansasnoob]

My question is, "What do you want when you're done?"

If you want a dual boot you're doing everything wrong.

Depending on the size of your original drive you may not have needed a new drive at all!

Many people think installing different operating systems on different drives is going to be a "cure-all" and it's NOT!

In fact it creates more problems than it solves! And, having used Mint since Elyssa, there is no reason to have to delete your Windows partition when installing!

[smokeymtn_ron]

No duel boot- Windows is history.
I have been using Mint 7 for about 2 weeks now and have added some games, documents, pictures, etc. The reason I'm putting in a new hard drive is to get more GB's than what I have now. All I would like to do is put "Gloria" on the new drive with custom partitions without having to install all the stuff again. Windows has been off my machine for about 2 weeks now. I'm not trying to run 2 OS's.

[Aging Technogeek]

ron,

You want the first menu entry "Backup Complete System Including User System". The result will be a file called Custombackup.iso. This is the file you burn an image of to DVD and install on your new hard drive.

Remastersys will also create an md5 check sum for the .iso file so you can check data integrity at every point during the DVD burn and installation. K3b is an excellent DVD burner available from Mint Install. I prefer it to Brasero for several reasons. One of them is that K3B computes the md5 sum of a file before it burns the disk and can be directed to compute the md5 sum for the finished disk by beginning the process of copying the disk. I would suggest you use K3B to burn your .iso to DVD and check the md5 sums just as if you were burning a download of Mint 7.

Once you have the finished disk, you are ready to install. Good luck in all endeavors and enjoy Mint. If you need more help, the forum is always open.

EDIT

Almost forgot, the path to the .iso file will be: /home/remastersys/remastersys/custombackup.iso. You will need this to specify the file to the DVD burner

[RedWagon]

I may be missing something, but why is everyone telling him to reinstall? He does not need to reinstall, remaster DVD's or anything like that. I think the reason nobody else here has posted this solution is that it's so simple it is easy to forget it exists. My first post explains the process briefly, when I get home from work I can put up some more detailed instructions.

Maybe that was what you were trying say

It was, I did the exact same thing to my computer a couple weeks ago.

Code: Select all

I'm to much of a newbie to understand what you were trying to tell me.

I'll get some easier instructions up later tonight.

[smokeymtn_ron]

I am REPLACING my hard drive. Not adding a second one. I have to reinstall something on the new drive, right? I only have 1 slot in my computer for a hard drive, so I can not hook both drives up and transfer the data. I think that's what you were thinking I was trying to do.

"You can boot your new hard drive and test it out before erasing your old hard drive."

[Fred]

smokeymtn_ron

Is it a laptop or a desktop?

Fred

[smokeymtn_ron]

Desktop.

[Fred]

smokeymtn_ron,

The chances are very high you have another port you can use for a second drive to transfer your OS to the new drive with. You can put two drives on a controller, as a general rule of thumb.

Since RedWagon has already started to give you instructions I would wait on him to finish them, rather than confuse you by showing you my way. Of course you can use the remaster too but I do believe it will be simpler and less error prone to just copy your install over to your new drive.

Fred

[richyrich]

smokeymtn_ron,

Stick with Aging Technogeek , he has you covered.

regards, Richard
ps: it's nice to know you have a Live DVD backup of ALL your stuff! I use remastersys all the time, no errors or faults.

[smokeymtn_ron]

Ok. Thanks Fred. I'll wait and see what RedWagon comes up with. My new drive hasn't got here yet anyway. I'm just trying to get a plan going now so when it gets here I know what to do. Thanks to everybody that's been helping me on this!!

Thanks Richard. Just saw your post. The one problem is I don't see the iso file that Aging Technogeek says should be there.

[smokeymtn_ron]

All I find under /remastersys/remastersys Is folders;

dummysys
ISOTMP


I don't see custombackup.iso

[richyrich]

Maybe try a search for *.iso

good luck, Richard

EDIT: It should have taken a while to create the iso, and it should be BIG

[smokeymtn_ron]

Yea, my problem was I didn't let it finish. Did it right this time and made a live dvd. I want to test it, but how do I make it boot? It's not showing a boot screen when I load it like my Mint 7 live dvd did.