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View Full Version : [ubuntu] 10.04/8.04 dual boot keeping existing /home



Bucky Ball
May 12th, 2010, 01:49 AM
Hi all,

As the title suggests, I want to install 10.04 on a spare partition and use the /home directory that exists in my 8.04 install on another partition (and existing /swap partition also).

Is this possible and what problems may I encounter with the Grub menu and getting the new install onto it. (I realise that 10.04 uses a newer grub - which is why I ask).

In other words, should I use the 10.04 grub and put 8.04 onto that or tweak the existing grub menu?

All help greatly appreciated. ;)

ronparent
May 12th, 2010, 02:34 AM
Sounds feasible. During the install just designate the manual partitioning with your choice partition as target for / and your current /home partition as a target for /home - without formating it. To be safe you should backup /home before you begin. Since some of your hidden files will be overwritten, it is not predictable how it will work with the 8.04 install. The new grub should find the 8.04. Since the / and the /home partitions are found by uuid in grub2 there should be no problem locating them wherever they are. Also be sure to install with the same user identity you want to retain (only one will carry with the install). Good luck.

Bucky Ball
May 12th, 2010, 02:37 AM
Cool, thanks Ronparent. In my mind's eye, that is what I imagined the procedure to be. I read in another post that when you don't format /home, you are actually asked at that time for the existing username and pw to make sure it is the person that belongs to the /home you are preserving, if you know what I mean. A security thing.