How To Save /Home To USB?

[ssands10]

I upgraded to 12.x version on my netbook and it takes a long time to load to login screen, when I enter my password it "failed to load Ubuntu client". I can get to a terminal. Based on other forum comments, I need to save my /home to a USB and do a fresh install. How do I copy my /home to a USB? Thank you.

[oldfred]

Did you have multiple users?

Do you see your current /home in terminal?

Have you run full updates from terminal?

This is to copy to a separate partition but uses same commands.
To move /home uses rsync- Be sure to use parameters to preserve ownership & permissions
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Pa...ng/Home/Moving


Updates if you want to try anthing after a # is comment do not type:

#if not chroot use:

sudo -i
#houseclean
apt-get autoclean # only removes files that cannot be downloaded anymore (obsolete)
apt-get clean
#refresh
apt-get update #resync package index
apt-get upgrade #newest versions of all packages, update must be run first
#would upgrade you to the latest kernel in the repositories
#dist-upgrade is also able to remove existing packages if required
apt-get dist-upgrade
apt-get -f install
dpkg --configure -a
# fix Broken packages -f
sudo apt-get -f install
# reinstall desktop
apt-get remove ubuntu-desktop
apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

[fibercut]

If you want to just save your home and do a fresh install do this..

(1)Log in as root if you cannot mount the usb as your self.
(2)cd /home

(3)tar -pcvf whatever_u_want.tar.gz /your_dir
tar The compression program
the -p Preserves the permissions
the c creates
the v stands for verbose
the f stands for file(s)

i.e. root#cd /home
root#tar -pxvf peter.tar.gz /peter
root#cp -r peter.tar.gz /path_to_usb/usb
***reinstall as you planned***
***login to new install***
root#cd /path_to_usb/usb/
root#cp -r peter.tar.gz /home
root#cd /home
root#rm -rf peter
root#tar -xvf peter.tar.gz (This will crate dir "peter")
root#cd peter/
root# all done.....

This is all assuming your path to your home dir is /home

If this all works for you and you use this method vs. the other suggested method message me when you have your new install up and running and I will give you the steps to backing up your home dir once a week or month or etc to either a back up partition or network drive or ftp site. I lost a drive once and lost a lot of info so I back my home dir up once a week.

[fibercut]

Meant to type i.e. root#cd /home
root#tar -pcvf peter.tar.gz /peter

not
i.e. root#cd /home
root#tar -pxvf peter.tar.gz /peter

If you want to just save your home and do a fresh install do this..

(1)Log in as root if you cannot mount the usb as your self.
(2)cd /home

(3)tar -pcvf whatever_u_want.tar.gz /your_dir
tar The compression program
the -p Preserves the permissions
the c creates
the v stands for verbose
the f stands for file(s)

i.e. root#cd /home
root#tar -pxvf peter.tar.gz /peter
root#cp -r peter.tar.gz /path_to_usb/usb
***reinstall as you planned***
***login to new install***
root#cd /path_to_usb/usb/
root#cp -r peter.tar.gz /home
root#cd /home
root#rm -rf peter
root#tar -xvf peter.tar.gz (This will crate dir "peter")
root#cd peter/
root# all done.....

This is all assuming your path to your home dir is /home

If this all works for you and you use this method vs. the other suggested method message me when you have your new install up and running and I will give you the steps to backing up your home dir once a week or month or etc to either a back up partition or network drive or ftp site. I lost a drive once and lost a lot of info so I back my home dir up once a week.