Lost my home partition after reinstalling Ubuntu in the systempartition

[gopada]

Hi -- I am bit new to linux/ubuntu so bear with me :-)

I thought I did a smart initially - having a clean hp box to install Oneiric on. So I proceeded to make 2 partitions with ext 4 formatting plus a swap. One was of course the system part. containing Ubuntu 12 GB and the other would function as my HOME drive with all the files etc.

However - as I wasn't able to run: sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
to get a newer kernel - and solve a hanging splash screen on shutdown
I went ahead an first reinstalled U on the first drive on top of the existing U and then the home drive was no where to be seen after the first boot.
At the time of installing i was asked to make a swap part. once again - that I did.

OK - since the problem with installing a new kernel persisted I went radical and reinstalled U completely on the first drive. The new home drive is on the firste drive now.

What does this mean ? Do I have to mount the old HOME drive - the partition is still there I believe:
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 hoveder, 63 sektorer/spor, 9729 cylindre, i alt 156301488 sektorer
Enheder = sektorer af 1 * 512 = 512 byte
Sektorstørrelse (logisk/fysisk): 512 byte / 512 byte
I/O-størrelse (minimum/optimal): 512 byte / 512 byte
Diskidentifikation: 0x0008195c


Enhed Opstart Start **** Blokke Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 23437311 11717632 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 23439358 156301311 66430977 5 Udvidet
/dev/sda5 23439360 144531455 60546048 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 144533504 156301311 5883904 82 Linux swap / Solaris


Disk /dev/mapper/cryptswap1: 6025 MB, 6025117696 byte
255 hoveder, 63 sektorer/spor, 732 cylindre, i alt 11767808 sektorer
Enheder = sektorer af 1 * 512 = 512 byte
Sektorstørrelse (logisk/fysisk): 512 byte / 512 byte
I/O-størrelse (minimum/optimal): 512 byte / 512 byte
Diskidentifikation: 0x92172845


Disk /dev/mapper/cryptswap1 indeholder ikke en gyldig partitionstabel


Disk /dev/sdb: 8382 MB, 8382316544 byte
64 hoveder, 32 sektorer/spor, 7994 cylindre, i alt 16371712 sektorer
Enheder = sektorer af 1 * 512 = 512 byte
Sektorstørrelse (logisk/fysisk): 512 byte / 512 byte
I/O-størrelse (minimum/optimal): 512 byte / 512 byte
Diskidentifikation: 0x69737369


Dette ligner ikke en partitionstabel.
Du har nok valgt den forkerte enhed.


Enhed Opstart Start **** Blokke Id System
/dev/sdb1 ? 1869771365 2038460886 84344761 69 Ukendt
/dev/sdb2 ? 1701519481 3571400945 934940732+ 73 Ukendt
/dev/sdb3 ? 2573 2573 0 74 Ukendt
/dev/sdb4 2885681152 2885733566 26207+ 0 Tom



But U cannot see it. So how do I make the new installation be able to read it??
Sorry about the language. :confused:

[oldfred]

When you have a separate /home partition, you have to include it in the install. You tell it to use the partition as /home but DO NOT format it.

If you do not want to reinstall, you should only need to edit fstab with the /home entry.

You only need to see the last couple of commands on mounting /home and the examples of fstab entries for your /home from the normal moving /home to a new partition.
To move /home uses rsync
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Partitioning/Home/Moving

[darkod]

During the latest install, did you tell it to use the existing /home partition or not? It can't assume what you want to use, so when you have a separate /home partition you need to use the manual install method and select to use that partition as /home WITHOUT formatting it.

[gopada]

Thanks both.

(http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=852711) I made a new install on the systempartition - this time I remembered to point to the old /home partition without formatting it. The only little twist was to remember which type of formatting I used when I did the very first installation - I believe that this could have caused some trouble in case I had made the wrong choice.

After that all was easy - I could find the old /home with all my files EUREKA!!!!
and the new kernel : sudo atp-get dist-upgrade
went well. So all in all it worked very well.
Thanks again.

Thanks for the boot info script - I will definitely try this out as well as the other commands like rsync. I am just getting my feet wet.

:-)

[gopada]

:-)