Wrestling with Kubuntu 15.04? Backup your data, repartition your computer and install 14.04 or 14.10 first.

[O. Sinclair]

On 10/05/2015 21:16, Bas G. Roufs wrote:
> Hello everybody.
> 
>  
> 
> At this forum, I see many people wrestling with Kubuntu 15.04. This is
> perfectly logic, because it is - as far as I know- the first version of
> Kubuntu along with one of the first versions of KDE 5. The pitfalls and
> glitches I have been reading about, remind me of similar problems at the
> time of the introduction of KDE 4 - as far as I remember, somewhere in
> 2008 or 2009. Those problem reports have confirmed that I have made a
> good, practical decision: for the time being, I keep using my
> 'all-time-high' favourite Kubuntu 14.04 LTS along with the mature and
> reliable KDE 4.13 as a primary system - for all the professional
> production work under time pressure, I am using a few ppa-repositories
> to keep my system practical and up-to-date. The present version of
> Kubuntu 15.04 might work if you are a 5 star techwizzkid - though I have
> collected some Linux experience ever since 2007, I am not.
> 
>  
> 
> Some people at this forum ask how one can 'downgrade' from 15.04 to
> 14.10. As far as I know, something like that is nearly not possible. But
> even if it would be possible, it is simply not a good idea. If you are
> wrestling with a newly installed 15.04 configuration, consider acting in
> the way summarised below.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Step 1.
> 
> =====
> 
> Backup all your data to an external HD, if you have not yet done so.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 2.
> 
> ======
> 
> For safety, backup ALL your data again at a 2nd external HD.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 3.
> 
> ======
> 
> Buy a few rewritable DVD's or a good, at at least 35 GB external USB stick.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Step 4.
> 
> =====
> 
> If you prefer to work with DVD's, buy a reliable external DVD writer.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 5.
> 
> =====
> 
> 'Burn' 'system rescue cd' iso to a DVD: http://www.sysresccd.org/
> 
>  
> 
> Step 5a.
> 
> ======
> 
> Or transform your USB stick to a bootable sysrescue iso.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 6.
> 
> ======
> 
> Start 'system rescue CD' from the DVD or USB stick.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 7.
> 
> =====
> 
> Switch to the graphical mode from 'system rescue cd'.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Step 8.
> 
> =====
> 
> Use Gparted to partition your internal hard disk(s) to at lest 3 or 4
> partitions.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Step 9.
> 
> =====
> 
> You want to maintain a windows-partition? Than you'll need at least 4
> partitions: Windows (>25 GB, sda1), Kubuntu 14.04 or 14.10 (>50 GB,
> sda2), SWAP (4 GB, immediately after the primary system), a spare
> partition (25 GB at SDB) with whatever name you like and -finally-
> /Data/ - at the remainder of the internal HD.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 9a
> 
> ======
> 
> Use Gparted @ 'system rescue cd' to deal with the windows-partition. If
> you want to install a new windows system there, format that partition to
> NTFS and label it as 'windows' - the windows installation DVD will
> recognise that partition as the place to install its (non :-)) system.
> In that case, install the windows system first, before going on with one
> or two versions of Kubuntu.
> 
>  
> 
> If you want to MAINTAIN an existing windows configuration, do NOT format
> that partition - however, do LABEL it as 'windows' via Gparted.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 9b
> 
> ======
> 
> If you do not need any windows-partition, the primary Linux-system,
> Kubuntu 14.04 LTS or 14.10, will be the first one on the internal HD.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 9c.
> 
> =======
> 
> If you have 350 GB or less at your internal HD, reserve just 25 GB for
> one secondary, experimental system - Kubuntu 15.04 or whatever. Use the
> primary, stable system for your production work and the secondary system
> for experiments. If you have more than 350 GB, you can consider
> reserving one or more other 25 GB secondary partitions for other
> experimental Linux systems.
> 
> Format all the Linux partitions and /Data/ to ext.4. You can install one
> or more secondary experimental systems in a later stage, if you want to.
> However, priority one is a reliable, up-to-date production OS.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 10.
> 
> =======
> 
> Now, 'burn' a Kubuntu 14.04 or 14.10 ISO to a DVD or USB-stick and
> install the system on sda1 on a system without windows or sda2 on a
> system with windows.
> 
> Start running the system, update and restart it. After restarting,
> install midnight commander from the command line:
> 
> sudo apt-get install mc
> 
> After doing so, start midnight commander in the superuser mode:
> 
> sudo mc
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Step 11.
> 
> =======
> 
> Stay in midnight commander and go at the HOME directory at the left
> window. In the right window of midnight commander, look up /Data/ and
> click at it.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 12.
> 
> =======
> 
> Move ALL the -still empty!!- Home standard directories to /Data/:
> 
> Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Kontact, Luckybackup, Music, Pictures,
> Public, Templates and Videos. After doing so, the HOME directory will be
> empty.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 13.
> 
> =======
> 
> Stay still in midnight commander; take care of seeing the now empty HOME
> on the left and /Data/ with it's subdirectories on the right.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 13a.
> 
> ========
> 
> Create one or more extra first level subdirectories in /Data/ - if you
> need one or more of them - use midnight commander for this job.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 13b.
> 
> =======
> 
> Stay in /Data/ via Midnight Commander. Select Desktop and create a
> symlink to /Home. Do the same for each other first level subdirectory.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 13c.
> 
> =======
> 
> Copy your data from one of your external HD's to /Data/.
> 
>  
> 
> Step 13d.
> 
> =======
> 
> If you install one or more secondary systems, empty their HOME
> directories and make symlinks to /Data/ via midnight commander, as
> explained above.
> 
>  
> 
> Summary
> 
> ========
> 
> Separate the data from the systems by making symlinks between the HOME
> directories and /Data/.
> 
> Install a stable Kubuntu 14.04 or 14.10 system as primary system for
> your production needs.
> 
> By the way - there is nothing wrong with the still up-to-date OS Kubuntu
> 14.04 - especially if you use some ppa repositories. That OS will be
> supported until 2019.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope this provisional instruction will help you.
> 
>  
> 
>
Thanks for that instruction. A somewhat simpler way, if you have an
external backup disk or even a network one, is to download Clonezilla at
www.clonezilla.org.

then put it on either a CD or a usb flash (I use an old 512 Mb flash
myself), boot from that and backup either your whole disk or your
partitions. As I have partitions I regularly backup my /(root) and my
/home.

"Downgrading" is then a breeze, just fire up with Clonezilla and your
backup device and go back to where you were before it messed up.

Kind regards,
Sinclair