Step by step learning to format everything and re-install from scratch

[newb85]

The other issue is the separate /home partitions. If the Linux installs are Debian based they can use the same /home or other data partition (using symlinks to achieve the latter). You don't need three separate ones.

Ahem, from someone who has tried it, sharing a /home partition across multiple systems can be messy. There are hidden system configuration files in there that can cause conflicts. For example, one system will save a default desktop session that doesn't even exist on an another system. If you choose a stock wallpaper in one system, that wallpaper won't be available in another system, and you'll have a blank desktop.

Instead, I would recommend having a common data partition that you set up with the same basic file structure as your /home directories, and you can symlink to it from your /home directories .

[Bucky Ball]

Ahem, from someone who has tried it, sharing a /home partition across multiple systems can be messy.

I do it ... with three Ubuntus, but have used others, with no issue. In the /home partition, you get /home/user1, /home/user2, etc. Each user for each new install (and it's hidden directories for system/app stuff) is not lumped inside a single directory inside /home; about the only way things could get mixed up. Each install makes a /home/user* directory and everything for that user's install goes inside that. The system settings (hidden directories with app config data etc) from each install aren't mixed at all in any way. They are in totally different directories (/home/user*) belonging to their own install (but all three /home/user directories are accessible from any install).

Instead, I would recommend having a common data partition that you set up with the same basic file structure as your /home directories, and you can symlink to it from your /home directories .

So would I. This is (almost) exactly what I did with an old /home/user partition that had all relevant data when I wanted to kill 10.10. I installed 12.04, linked everything to the directories existing in /home/10.10User, then deleted 10.10.

Not exactly what you describe ... but effectively the same. The bonus is, even though the with the old way you can still access all data from any user, you have one directory serving all three installs rather than three. Sweet, easy, elegantly simple and works for me ...

[cp2819]

I do it ... with three Ubuntus, but have used others, with no issue. In the /home partition, you get /home/user1, /home/user2, etc.

1) in this case, do you have to give different user names ?
user1 for Linux distro 1
user xx for Linus distro 2
or can you use the same user name for all ?

So would I. This is (almost) exactly what I did with an old /home/user partition that had all relevant data when I wanted to kill 10.10. I installed 12.04, linked everything to the directories existing in /home/10.10User, then deleted 10.10.

2) how can you link afterward to existing directories in /home/XXX
for example: if I have installed Linuxxx with everything in just one partition,
can I modify easily in "deleting" its /home directory and link it to an existing /home directory common with all other Linux distro present on my system ?



BTW, sorry for image size , I didn't know that , I will follow your advice
I will try to edit my last post and correct this tonight ...
thanks

[Bucky Ball]

If you have Linux installed on one partition (no separate /home) then you do as has been suggested by newb85 and alluded to by myself; create a separate data partition, create directories named the same as the ones in your /home directory in Linux install, delete the directories in the /home of the Linux install and create links to the directories on the /data partition.

The syntax is like this:

ln -s 'location to link to' 'name of symlink'

So, for example:

ln -s /media/data/Documents /home/username/Documents

I don't remember if you need to add 'sudo' to the beginning of the command to do this so if doesn't work try it. The above code presumes your data partition is mounted as /media/data and has a directory in it called 'Documents' so change accordingly to fit your needs.

This page explains more:

http://www.herikstad.net/2009/07/cre...in-ubuntu.html

[newb85]

Each user for each new install (and it's hidden directories for system/app stuff) is not lumped inside a single directory inside /home;

Therein lies the difference in our experiences. I used the same user for all systems.

[Bucky Ball]

Therein lies the difference in our experiences. I used the same user for all systems.

Got ya. I understand that could cause some serious and bewildering issues and conflicts, yes ...

[newb85]

If you follow the scheme in #34, you'll have to give the user write permissions for the folders on the data partition.