partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

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frisa2000

partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by frisa2000 »

I am running LM17 but I want to upgrade to LM19 since I was completely unable to launch the desktop before (it went black every time after I logged in the LM17 so I got tired of no progress and here I am reinstalling). FYI - I have separate /root and encrypted /home/folder partitions in my disk.

QUESTION - Can I move the starting and ending location of /root and /home/folder with Gparted so I can add more space and then re-install LM19 from USB to the relocated /root? I am unsure of whether I can change the starting/ending block locations without any ill effects. You have only one chance to do this right....

REQUEST - If you are going to tell me to be careful please tell me specifically about what. A vague warning is useless.

Thanks!
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germanix
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Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by germanix »

I do not see a problem for you to do what you are asking. This is just a new install. Make backups of those files important to you. Format the drive and make a new install to suit your own wishes. Happy installing!
a man without religion is like a fish without a bicycle.
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frisa2000

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by frisa2000 »

Thanks. I am not looking to wipe out the drive. I have /home in a separate partition (which I also want to resize before re-install) so I can then decrypt it. I could not backup /home after some attempts to decrypt it from the command terminal. Since /home is in a separate partition from /root I understand I should be able to upgrade/reinstall LM without affecting /home. This is what I want to have expert assessment. Thanks.
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Larry78723
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Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by Larry78723 »

frisa, before we can help you, we need some information from you. Please run each of the following commands in a terminal and post back the results of each by copying from the terminal <ctrl><alt><c> and pasting the results of each command by clicking on the </> button at the top of the reply screen and pasting <ctrl><v> the results. That will tell us what your drive type and capacity is as well as your partition information.

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz

Code: Select all

sudo blkid

Code: Select all

lsblk
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catweazel
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Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by catweazel »

frisa2000 wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:56 pm If you are going to tell me to be careful please tell me specifically about what. A vague warning is useless.
If you don't know what you should be careful about then perhaps making sure you have a backup stored well away from the machine is a good idea.
frisa2000 wrote:I am not looking to wipe out the drive
But you might. That's why a backup stored in a safe place is recommended.
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
hcentaur13

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by hcentaur13 »

You needs a minimum of 20 GB for /, the root of your filesystem. That is enough for a standard desktop system.
You will need a partition named swap if your system owns 4 or less GB RAM in size of 16 or more GB .

Optionally you will use its own partition /home with a minimum of 4 GB for each and any data your users will hold. The minimum is 4 GB for each single user. In question extend that minimum to give the user the chance to use more data like documents, music, vidios and so on.

Yes, it is easy to movethe content recursive fom a single directory into another partition on another drive when needed - but that costs time and work to do.

You can view online documentation by
man man
man mount
man umount
man fstab
man mountpoint
man chown
man chmod
frisa2000

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by frisa2000 »

Thanks for your comments - but remember I only have TERMINAL access, no GUI with which to cut and paste.
pbear
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Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by pbear »

You mentioned that where? Is it true even when you boot the LM19 ISO?
hcentaur13

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by hcentaur13 »

You would boot up a live system. With that you can extend any partition if there is beside it an area of free space.

If you needs fre apca in an extended partition you may need to occupy free space from otside it and move logical drives around in it.
ganamant
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Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by ganamant »

If you have ext4 partitions, you can grow, shrink and move them offline (i.e. while not mounted) with minimal risk of data loss. Such risk is always present, however, so do a backup first. Of course, if you shrink, the new size can't be smaller than the data you've got (leave some padding too: a partition more than 90% full tends to work worse). Since you are altering the partition table, no partition from that volume should be mounted: use a live distro that has gparted, no special need for a Mint iso. If you want a CLI tools, there is parted, but it's more tricky to use and more error-prone.
frisa2000

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by frisa2000 »

pbear wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 11:59 pm You mentioned that where? Is it true even when you boot the LM19 ISO?
No, I can boot with liveUSB but I want to reduce the risk of destroying or affecting access to the encrypted and separate /home partition.
hcentaur13

Re: partitioning / root before re-installing LM19 off USB

Post by hcentaur13 »

Even as gparted works perfectly it lives a risc öf data loss while changung partitioning because something can fail, e.g. power loss.

Make a backup of any data you needs really! That means data you can't back when it gets destroyed. That i nothin in / but something in /home. That mean the hidden directories /.thunderbird /your email), .mozilla (bookmarks, passwods...) documents and multimedia data)......

You shold do that anyway.

I have extended and shrinked /home and / in the years I use linux without problem. I have moved /home rom one PC to another multiple times while upgrading hardware components from one generation to the next.

It is good to have a backup outside the running system. Because when you have one you have no need for - but you will need it when you have none.
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