New Install keeping Home directory
Forum rules
There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
New Install keeping Home directory
I am running Mint Cassandra and understand a new install up to Elyssia is better than and upgrade. However I have a separate home directory with all the usual settings which I would like to keep. How should I proceed to install and keep my existing /home? Are there any other directories or settings I should backup for future use?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
The easy way is choose manual partitioning during setup and electing to mount but not format the home directory. This may cause some problems though with config files between releases and you won't get a clean desktop.
I usually just backup the whole home directory and then copy across what I need once I have a nice default setup
hth
I usually just backup the whole home directory and then copy across what I need once I have a nice default setup
hth
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
Thanks for that hth, the document files are no problem to copy over but it is the settings that I am most concerned about, it must be a pain to copy individual files over.
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
I put all my /home hidden files in a folder and call it oldconfig. Then do a manual install without formating the home partition. I guess you could leave the config files you want to keep out of the folder. At least you will retain you docs and everything not in the oldconfig folder.
Using Mint as primary OS since 2006.
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
Thanks 'kinetics' I also like that idea too, just about to start!
- linuxviolin
- Level 8
- Posts: 2081
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:55 pm
- Location: France
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
Perhaps you may want to do a backup of the list of all packages installed on your system, so you can easily reinstall them.
e.g open Synaptic and choose File menu then 'Save selections under...' For reinstall select File then 'Read selections...' and select the file previously created.
Thus all the packages that you had previously installed will be selected for reinstall, just click on 'Apply' to reinstall them. Simple...
P.S= My system is in french, so I hope I have made a good translation of the menus but anyway it's so easy to find...
e.g open Synaptic and choose File menu then 'Save selections under...' For reinstall select File then 'Read selections...' and select the file previously created.
Thus all the packages that you had previously installed will be selected for reinstall, just click on 'Apply' to reinstall them. Simple...
P.S= My system is in french, so I hope I have made a good translation of the menus but anyway it's so easy to find...
K.I.S.S. ===> "Keep It Simple, Stupid"
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." (Leonardo da Vinci)
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." (Albert Einstein)
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." (Leonardo da Vinci)
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." (Albert Einstein)
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
There is a much better way described in this excellent How to (sorry for shameless self promoting). My recommendation is to export the package list to a text file, then go through it manually, and remove all packages with lib in the name (libraries), or even better, remove everything you know you didn't install.linuxviolin wrote:Perhaps you may want to do a backup of the list of all packages installed on your system, so you can easily reinstall them.
e.g open Synaptic and choose File menu then 'Save selections under...' For reinstall select File then 'Read selections...' and select the file previously created.
Thus all the packages that you had previously installed will be selected for reinstall, just click on 'Apply' to reinstall them. Simple...
P.S= My system is in french, so I hope I have made a good translation of the menus but anyway it's so easy to find...
As for keeping configuration files, most are set in /home, but some applications use other directories as well (for instance X, /etc/X11). I know how I want my system configured, so I do it manually every time I do a fresh install (I delete all hidden folders in my /home partition). In theory it shouldn't be a problem keeping your old settings, but theory and practice is two different things. If you want to keep them, don't move or remove any hidden folders in your /home partition, or do as one suggested, but all hidden folders in a separate folder, then recover each folder one by one, reboot after each to see if they produce any errors. My method could be called über paranoid (deleting all configs), the last method can be called paranoid (recover one by one), and just keeping /home is the most used one...
- linuxviolin
- Level 8
- Posts: 2081
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:55 pm
- Location: France
Re: New Install keeping Home directory
Maybe but the Synaptic way is easy and it works quite well... And for an inexperienced user it is perhaps easier to use and/or perhaps less intimidating.MagnusB wrote:There is a much better way described in this excellent How to
This is exactly what Synaptic done. It is even possible to make a shell script ("Generate package donwload script") that allows you to reinstall your packages quite simply.MagnusB wrote:My recommendation is to export the package list to a text file
But your How To is quite good and we can also encourage to follow it!
K.I.S.S. ===> "Keep It Simple, Stupid"
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." (Leonardo da Vinci)
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." (Albert Einstein)
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." (Leonardo da Vinci)
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." (Albert Einstein)