user account corruption when trying to re-install 2012 kde4 with old home part.

[nerdful1]

Hello,

I reinstalled using a livecd of august 2012 kde. I left the "format sdax" home partition box unchecked.

During install, I use a fresh user account created for the install. It works fine, I updated synaptic and or used an exported synaptic list. The new account seems fine.

I add a new user from the old install with the control panel.
When I login to the old user from the old home partition names, I get all kinds of permission errors and stuff flashing up.

I can see files in the old user name's home folder, but the desktop icons are missing, there is a generic desktop background, etc.

I tried removing the .kde4 folder to let it regenerate, tried some backup .kde4 folders, but it just ends in a mess.

It also then seems to make the newly created user account. sluggish or unresponding.

How does one just install the OS onto its partition and preserve the user's environments?

Thanks

P.S.

Can I try installing LXDE using the old /home partition? This may be for another machine...





 

[ternor]

The user IDs must be the same.  The old user ID was probably 500 but the new one is probably 501.

You now have two users on your new installation.  The first one you created is probably using the number 500 and the second 501.  The previous user also is probably numbered 500.

[Phil]

Easy peasy, when you know how.

New installation, old user /home directory. Loads of permission errors ( but of course):

Open a terminal, say konsole
su to root
# chown -R nerdful1:nerdful1 /home/nerdful1
# chown -R nerdful2:nerdful2 /home/nerdful2

What you are doing is for effected directories changing user and group to the systems name an ID number for a specified directory,

That it, job done.

ps that is really an O-P tip

[nerdful1]

Thanks

I'll try that. I had no concept of the user number asignment.

It is my wife's machine, but I put other user accounts it so as not to disturb her settings when I borrow it.

I thought I just had to keep the same user names.

[Phil]

As extra safety:

Back up all personal files (I have mine on a separate partition for each user, with a link in the desktop)

Back up .kde4 to say .kde4bak for every user (assuming you are using kde)

Back up just the system with clonezilla (or do an iso) say once a month or before any major update.

That means most of the glitches which will inevitably occur will be no big deal.

[nerdful1]

Thanks for the help, all, almost done with this post
After a couple iterations, this is what I ended up doing:

I had copied her home folder to a usb beforehand, with of course, older .kde4 folders. I didn't bother with other user folders, as not too important, plus I trusted they would be left alone. (After all I'm on a reliable distro).


Then I just re-installed from cd again, to sda6 root only, leaving my sda7 home intact as before.

I made a user called user4 during the prompts.
using user4, I opened a konquerer file manager as root, trashed out her .kde4 folder.
Copied  October .kde folder from usb key.

Opened root terminal, and did: 
#chown -R joan:joan /home/joan

Then I opened her user account, and it seemed to find itself ok.

My question now is:

Synaptic updates when re-installing OS, keeping home.

I had not the chance to export her synaptic build before the messup.

Is it ok to export the synaptic from my other machine, which likely has her apps plus a lot of mine, or just leave hers in updated mode.

I don't remember all her apps she was using except chrome, foxit reader, etc.

In any case I'll mark this solved in a bit, it is still updating synaptic at the moment, but looks good.