[PLUG] Is it wise to add other DEs once Ubuntu 12.04 is installed?

Word Wizard Word.Wizard at comcast.net
Sun Nov 25 01:08:05 UTC 2012


On 11/24/2012 04:26 PM, C W wrote:
> Thanks for the replies, everybody.  Does restoring from a backup work
> reliably?
>
> Just about every time so far for me. Some points to remember:
>
> IMAGE backups of a drive partition are much larger than backing up just the data that comprises the system. You're also backing up all the unused space on that partition. Thus the file produced is much larger than a tar or zip archive so more space is need on the storage drive. Hard drive gigs are cheap these days,even more so if you buy used at Freegeek or a factory reconditioned drive at Pacific Solutions, so that should not be a problem.
>
> Backing up the drive's partition table helps avoid some problems that might occur although such are rare. If your restore fails, e.g. if you boot and GRUB fails to find the system files it needs, restoring the backed-up partition table can help.
>
> It also helps to have a DVD or USB live copy of the main system you use. For example if you're using Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, write that distro to a DVD/USB and boot up with that. That way you minimize any problems that might arise by using another distro while restoring.
>
> If even restoring the partition table fails, you can always reinstall GRUB from that DVD/USB live system onto your drive thus:
>
> sudo fdisk -l # (to find Ubuntu root)
>
> sudo mkdir -v /Ubuntu
>
> sudo mount /dev/sda1 /Ubuntu #(where sda1 is the drive partition where your restored system is located)
>
> sudo grub-install --root-directory=/Ubuntu /dev/sda #(where sda is the physical drive where your restored system is located)
>
> Reading the grub-install man page before you need it and related online info will help clear up any confusion about grub-install options.
>
> You probably won't need that latter hassle but it helps to have the ammunition available if some odd issue surfaces and you can't get the restored system to clear GRUB. With all those tools you can pretty much rest easy that you can backup and restore your stable system without fearing its extinction and the need to reinstall from scratch.
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