Re-Install PCLOS Without Wiping out my Files/Photos/etc?

[ichido]

Is there a way to Re-Install PCLOS over my present install Without Wiping out my Files/Photos/etc?
I have had to Re-Install PCLOS 4 times now and each time I have lost all of my Files like Documents, Photos, CAD Files and the like and this is getting old real fast.

[timeth]

Do you have your /Home on a different partition to your install? That's the way to do it. Or at least have all your files, photos etc. backed up on a separate partition.

[Old-Polack]

Is there a way to Re-Install PCLOS over my present install Without Wiping out my Files/Photos/etc?
I have had to Re-Install PCLOS 4 times now and each time I have lost all of my Files like Documents, Photos, CAD Files and the like and this is getting old real fast.

I've never "had" to reinstall any Linux distribution in 12 years of using it. That includes 8 years of using PCLinuxOS. What is it about your system that makes you think you "have" to reinstall it so often?

To answer your question directly, if you have a separate /home partition you can reinstall as many times as you like, but don't reformat the /home partition. If you don't have a separate /home partition, just backup your /home/<you> directory, then copy it back after you reinstall.

[aguila]

If you don't have a seperate /home partition, you will loose them. Here's a strategy for multiboot or frequent re-installs:


Before doing anything, copy your personal files to an external storage medium (or a separate internal if you have).

Wipe your disk, then create a (primary) partition /data (or how you want to call it) for your personal data. For multiple users, create multiple /data partitions. Depending on your needs and disk size, I suggest 25% to 75% of the disk. You can dedicate the rest of the drive to an extended partition wherein you install your linux distros.

You only need one swap partition for a multiboot installation. So,

- create a swap partition as /dev/sda6 (about 1.5 times your RAM)
- create several (depending on the space) partitions for linux distros (if you want to multiboot), calculate about 10 to 15 GB per distro
- do not create (a) seperate /home partition(s)

Install linux to one of the "distro" partitions. For multi-boot, be aware of GRUB and GRUB2 issues if a *buntu is in the game.

On your /data partition, create folders for /documents, /downloads, /images, etc.

In your linux(es) /home folders, wipe those data folders and create symlinks with the same names (to avoid confusions if any apps are set to those) to the folders in your /data partition.

You can also put your Thunderbird profile on your /data partition and set the path in Thunderbird to your /data partition.

Of course you will have to add your /data partition to fstab in all the distros.

I hope this was not too complicated. If so, let me know.

[ichido]

I have re-installed PCLOS 4 times in the last two weeks, that is is when I first installed PCLOS on my laptop, which has *buntu alot.
I am moving away from this "African" Gnome-less Desktop and I thought I would try PCLOS KDE.

For old-polack:
The error which was inescapable was:

   Could not start process
   Unable to create 'io_slave'
   Klauncher said: Error loading 'kio_desktop'

Nothing I tried could allow me to boot up PCLOS so I had no other choice but to re-install.
I did back up my files to an external hard drive.

Forgive me for mentioning my other O.S. on this laptop, *another distro alot.
When I re-install and/or updated this O.S., it only re-installs the O.S. and it does not touch my /home et. al. saving all of my files, docs, graphics, etc.

For agulia:
I will try the separate /home partition if I can solve my PCLOS errors.

Thanks so far for everyone who has replied to my several "Cries" for help.

[T6]

if a problem like that arises you can always load a livecd and copy contents of your home folder to 3a external media like a usb hard disk

this is what i do with every os i am going to reinstall

what iso are you using to install?

have you verified integrity of the hard disk?

after installed, have you done a complete update?

[ichido]

if a problem like that arises you can always load a livecd and copy contents of your home folder to 3a external media like a usb hard disk

this is what i do with every os i am going to reinstall

I have a cirago, external, USB, 360GB Hard Drive that use to back up.

what iso are you using to install?

PCLinuxOS 2011.

have you verified integrity of the hard disk?

Yes

after installed, have you done a complete update?

Yes

[T6]

have you checked the iso you used to install?

what hardware specs do you have?  maybe a kernel change could help you, doesn't harm to try

[ichido]

have you checked the iso you used to install?

what hardware specs do you have?  maybe a kernel change could help you, doesn't harm to try

Where can I find this info on my system?

[T6]

the iso, the file you downloaded came with a md5 checksum value, you could verify that number before burning the iso or using it to create a liveusb

about the laptop, you could start by giving use the brand and the model so a web search could be done to find more information about the laptop

i couldn't read what you replied because you wrote it inside a quote, please don't do that, just quote the phrase and then reply, makes things simpler

about the hard disk check, how you did this procedure, with what tool?

about the external hard disk, could you use it to make the backups?

[ichido]

if a problem like that arises you can always load a livecd and copy contents of your home folder to 3a external media like a usb hard disk

this is what i do with every os i am going to reinstall

what iso are you using to install?

have you verified integrity of the hard disk?

after installed, have you done a complete update?

I now back up my files on my 360GB USB External Drive.
I am using the latest PCLinuxOS 2011, burned to CD from my Desktop PC.
Hard disk is good.
Yes, I have completely Updated the O.S. each time I re-installed.

[bartos]

I back up but use the same partition for /home installs. Just delete any hidden settings folders like .kde or .gnome. I only save my mozilla folders and any i want to save settings for.
Keep all you unhidden folders.

Reinstall and put to this /home partition for your new /home without formatting.
Has worked for me for years.