Peterborough Linux User Group (Canada) Forum

Linux & Android => Support => Topic started by: fox on September 13, 2024, 07:42:00 AM

Title: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: fox on September 13, 2024, 07:42:00 AM
As noted in a previous thread (https://plugintolinux.ca/forum/index.php/topic,1921.msg12288.html#new), I am unable to upgrade my Mint 21.3 installation to Mint 22 because after I do it, my internet stops working. (I don't know why, because when booting up with a Mint 22 USB drive, the interet works fine.) I know I can keep 21.3 for quite awhile, but I'm wondering if there isn't an easy way to just install a new Mint 22 and then graft my home file onto it so that I have all of my apps and settings working as they are on 21.3. Note that my Home folder in Mint 21.3 is not on a separate partition.
Title: Re: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: Jason on September 15, 2024, 03:58:12 AM
If you're looking to install Linux Mint over itself while retaining /home, you're out of luck. You can't do this in the install AFAIK. A fresh install is going to overwrite the entire partition including/home.

Do you have a backup of your home files? Just do a fresh install and make a separate /home this time around and restore the backup.

Or you could make a separate partition, copy the files over to it and then during the install, call it /mnt/storage. Once you've finished the installation, you can copy the files over from that partition to /home/username. It's more work than restoring from a backup but probably faster since it's all on the same drive.
Title: Re: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: buster on September 15, 2024, 07:56:22 AM
" A fresh install is going to overwrite the entire partition including/home."

Pretty sure this isn't totally true. If /home is a separate partition, and you use exactly the same partitions, you can save some stuff by not formatting this partition. Only allow / and swap to be formatted. Did this a few times with Mint.
Title: Re: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: fox on September 15, 2024, 10:14:15 AM
Home is not in a separate partition.
Title: Re: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: buster on September 15, 2024, 11:28:51 AM
"Home is not in a separate partition."

Ah well.
Title: Re: "Clean install" of Mint 22
Post by: Jason on September 17, 2024, 02:25:40 AM
Quote from: buster on September 15, 2024, 07:56:22 AM" A fresh install is going to overwrite the entire partition including/home."

Pretty sure this isn't totally true. If /home is a separate partition, and you use exactly the same partitions, you can save some stuff by not formatting this partition. Only allow / and swap to be formatted. Did this a few times with Mint.

I said "partition" not "partitions". Note the singular use. Since I said the single partition "including /home" then I'm saying it will wipe it out if /home is on there. That's entirely true. Had I said the plural version, you would have been right to correct me. :) And Fox also noted /home wasn't on a separate partition in his first post.