partitions

[Mark Robson]

Thanks, Joe.  I'm sure I want to see that script when
it's available, but I am many learning curves away
from understanding it.  In summary, my troubles come
from an unwillingness to reinstall win in the past, so
I upgraded and rescued and did a lot of what my
farmer-grandfather called hay-wiring.  It has
something to do with a broken down tractor and the
ready availability of hay-baling wire to fix the
problem.  Now I know why backups are so highly
regarded.  And why windows s***s

Thanks again to all who aided.  

Mark


--- Asheville Joe <josephj at main.nc.us> wrote:
> Hi.  Just catching up on old mail.  Sounds like
> you're getting plenty of 
> help recovering your system.  I have a dual boot
> Mandrake/Windoze 98se 
> box and have been working on backup and recovery
> methods (I've had to 
> reinstall windoze so many times).  I have written
> (and am testing) some 
> scripts using partimage on Linux to back up whole
> Windoze partitions at 
> a time - as is - no tar or moving things around etc.
>  My idea would be 
> to get reinstalled and tested and then make image
> backups of the whole 
> thing while still fresh (I use dump on the Linux
> Partitions) so that 
> when something bad happens, or Windoze just
> decomposes like normal, you 
> can just wipe it and reload it and every thing will
> be installed with 
> all your applications and all your preferences (half
> of which I usually 
> don't even remember exist, let alone what they
> should be set to!).  This 
> is a big deal to me because when I reinstall
> windows, it takes 4 long 
> days to get everything back to where it was and this
> should take an hour 
> or two and there's nothing to forget or miss.
> 
> My scripts are not ready for prime time yet, but
> they seem to work.  
> They are tailored to my system, but the changes for
> another system 
> should be relatively minor.
> 
> I've also just started using rsync to backup /home
> on a daily basis 
> (it's smart enough to copy everything and
> subsequently copy only stuff 
> that has changed.  That makes it fast.)
> 
> Hope this helps (later).
> 
> Joe
> 
> Mark Robson wrote:
> 
> >I have been having trouble with WinXP
> >(Ex-productivity?), and wish I'd learned to
> segregate
> >all those user-environment related files out before
> >the @#$($#@
>
>driver-corruption/page-fault/IRQ_not_less_than/circus
> >started last month.  Now I can't get past the
> >rebooting during load, cannot reinstall XP, cannot
> get
> >into safe mode.  I've made a real mess of it, and
> want
> >to end the madness.  Irony:  I got into the mess
> >because I was adding CDRW so I could BACKUP MY
> FILES! 
> >DOH!
> > 
> >I have an idea to use Linux as my solution, and
> please
> >advise how this might go;  I have a dual-boot
> >setup, with RH8 linux installed onto a second hard
> >drive.  I'm able to boot into RH8 and mount the xp
> >partition.  (RH8 server, with Samba, although I'm
> >totally an enduser, not admin.)  Can I sort out the
> >important files (*.doc/xls/htm mostly) and put them
> >aside in the penguin partition, then format the xp
> >partition and install 98?  I can see 'how' to do
> this,
> >but here's the point:
> > 
> >Does transferring these files from xp to linux and
> >back to 98 cause any problems with the integrity of
> >the files themselves?  As enduser, not admin, I'll
> use
> >a more gui (Gnome)than command line approach. 
> Would
> >not open or operate on the files beyond moving
> them.  
> > 
> >Original idea, which I can't make happen on the
> >Win/Loser setup any more, was to move the XP
> partition
> >up and create a new partition to install 98 onto. 
> Was
> >going to do that after I got the drives backed up,
> >never got that far.  I use PartitionMagic, and it
> >would do this in win non-destructively.  Is there
> any
> >comparable Linux partition program that is also
> >non-destructive?  
> > 
> >Other details:
> >About 2gb of user-environment related files to
> move.
> >Three hard drives altogether:
> >80gb WD, partitioned into two 40gb windows.
> >8gb  Fujitsu, windows single partition
> >10gb Maxtor, Linux, RH8 server default partition
> >scheme
> >Celeron p3 400, 384mb, 16mb agp video.
> >Broadband connection
> >The machine is part of a home peer2peer network,
> but
> >that is just to share the broadband and printers. 
> The
> >other machines are 98's.
> > 
> >Thanks in advance.
> > 
> >Mark
> >
> >peter <pvant67 at wnyip.net> wrote:
> >Sorry for the long absence, it's been
> strange/terrible
> >at best here.
> >
> >My comment about partitions: Anything I think will
> >matter to me in the 
> >long run gets a separate partition, esp. /home and
> >/usr/local.
> >
> >That's the only reason I've been able to keep
> >essentially the same user 
> >environment for so many years (1999-2000) to
> present.
> >Back then, I did 
> >things on a Compaq 486. Now, it is 2 or 3 hardware
> >systems later, but 
> >/home hasn't changed much. The contents are similar
> >but the capabilities 
> >are greater.
> >
> >The way I do things, the rest of the system is
> >disposable. You already 
> >know there's going to be upgrades, betas, etc.
> /home
> >isn't disposable - 
> >its the stuff you spent the last few years
> creating.
> >Hence, I never use 
> >the default partition schemes (I use RH9), and I
> >default to a custom 
> >install in order to preserve this.
> >
> >Hence, I would definitely give /home its own
> >partition; you can safely 
> >wipe and re-install the system without touching it,
> if
> >you opt to 
> >partition it manually.
> >
> >Hope this helps someone - Pete
> >
> >  
> >
> 
> -- 
> 
> ----------------------------------
> "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
> -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of
> Patents, 1899
> 
> 
> 


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