Install Ubuntu (Zorin OS) using the "Something Else" method

Hi all,

this guide can be used on any Ubuntu based system and is intended for people who have a basic working knowledge of an Ubuntu installation and wish to keep the contents of their home folder after doing a re-install.

This guide is also intended for those that already have an existing swap, root and home partition setup!!.

DO NOT MIX AND MATCH VARIOUS OPERATING SYSTEMS ON YOUR HOME PARTITION AND BY THAT I MEAN THE FOLLOWING:

If you are updating lets say Zorin 6 to version Zorin 7, you can keep your "/home" as is without the need to format the home partition, the same goes for updating say Ubuntu 12.10 to 13.04, do not however keep your home folder if you are changing from say Zorin 6 to PeppermintOS because the system configuration files may well cause a system crash or at least make the system unstable or even unuseable!!.

If you are changing to a different distro then my advice is to format your "home" partition but make sure that you backup all your files before you do so; otherwise you will lose everything stored within the home partition!!!.

Follow the steps below and you should have all your data intact in your home folder without losing all your data from the original home folder!.

Start the installer icon on the desktop and the Welcome Window will open.

Select your language and click on "Continue":

Make sure you have an active internet connection and if you are using a notebook/netbook; that you have it plugged in to the mains and it is not running on battery power alone!. Click on "Continue":

Select your keyboard layout, test it if you wish and click on "Continue":

Select your region and click on "Continue":

At the screen "Installation type", select the "Something else" option and click on "Continue":

Assuming you already have a "swap" partition, there is no need to re-do it as it will be automatically detected by the system!!.

Now here you need to highlight the partition that you want to place your "root" ( / ) mountpoint, in my example; I highlighted partition "sda8" which already has Zorin 7 (Ubuntu 13.04) installed on it and for the purpose of this tutorial; is being re-installed:

Once the desired partition has been highlighted, click on the "Change" button and the "Edit partition" Window will open which is where you need to set your: File type- Mountpoint and Format option:

Now select "Use as" = Ext4
Format the partition = "Yes" (Put a tick in the box!)
Mountpoint = "/" (Forward slash)
Click on "OK" If you are certain that the changes you just made are correct. Remember that you cannot "UNDO" this operation once you commit and click on the "Continue" button in the next window:

After clicking "OK", this window will open an all you need to do is click on "Continue":

Now select (highlight) the partition you want to use as your home and click on "Change":

Now select "Use as" = Ext4
Format the partition = "NO" (DON'T PUT A TICK IN THE BOX!)
Mountpoint = "/home" (Forward slash and the word "home")
Click on "OK" If you are certain that the changes you just made are correct:

12.jpg (13.05 KiB)

Now you will see from this pic that there is no tick in the box "Format" and this will keep all your data intact in your previous home folder with all your bookmarks, music, pictures etc. Make sure that the "Bootloader" is set to install to "/dev/sda" which is where the normal "Master Boot record" (Grub Bootloader) is contained!.

Click on "Install Now" when you are happy that everything is as you want it!:

Who are you?. Enter the required details and click on "Continue:
(I advise you not to encrypt your home folder as this has led to problems in the past with Ubuntu based systems!)

Wait for the installtion to finish:

Installation Complete > click on "Restart Now":

Restart in "Recovery Mode":

Immediately after installing your system; I recommend booting into "Recovery Mode" (don't do a first boot but boot straight into "Recovery Mode") select "Network" and run "dpkg" using a cable connection), once you have run dpkg; and you re-boot, set your "Software Sources" (see link below) list and update again due to the changes made to the software sources lists!!. (I know this may sound strange but its something I found that seems to work well for me!.)

See also:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

For further help with partitioning:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

Ubuntu partition guide:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Howto ... ningBasics

I hope this is of help to you.

Regards Wolfman

Great guide WM!
I think that you must also include that we must always check were the "device for bootloader" will be installed.
Many had problems because for whatever reason, the grub was install on the USB stick (sdb).

Thanks MV, I have corrected it, I forgot all about that part!!.

Regards Wolfman

Hi Swarf,

see "Maintenance commands" here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto

Regards Wolfman

I've been using the root, swap, /home system of partitioning pretty much since I started using Linux for personal use. It has saved me countless hours when re-installing. Why doesn't Zorin, or indeed Ubuntu use it as a standard setup? Rhetorical question of course. I'm not really expecting to resolve the question here.

I've been using the root, swap, /home system of partitioning pretty much since I started using Linux for personal use. It has saved me countless hours when re-installing. Why doesn't Zorin, or indeed Ubuntu use it as a standard setup? Rhetorical question of course. I'm not really expecting to resolve the question here.

The problem with that is it might set it up not exactly as you want it - a good example of this was PCLinuxOS 2007 - this also configured /etc, /var automatically too!

Thanks Sir

I've been using the root, swap, /home system of partitioning pretty much since I started using Linux for personal use. It has saved me countless hours when re-installing. Why doesn't Zorin, or indeed Ubuntu use it as a standard setup? Rhetorical question of course. I'm not really expecting to resolve the question here.

Hi,

you should write to Ubuntu (Canonical) to ask that one!.

Regards Wolfman

Hi,
I'm about to install Zorin 8 Core, and understand it is not like 6 which will be serviced for a long time.

Currently I'm using Windows 7, and save everything I want to keep on an external drive and a memory stick.

1. I suppose I will also be able to do that while using Zorin 8 right?

2. If so, will I then not be able later to just copy what I saved (while I was still using Zorin 8) on those external devices from them in a new version of Zorin when that comes out?

3. Is it possible to make and save backups with Zorin 8? I'm doing that now using the Windows 7 backup program and an external drive.

Hi,

yes you can still copy and paste, you can do a backup and you can retain your data and settings by upgrading Zorin 8 to Zorin 9 if you follow the above guide without the need to copy and paste all your data.

Sorry for the late reply to the How-To Wolfman - 600 blue ones to you sir!

Thank you much, Wolfman.

I'm saving a full system backup on my external drive right after posting this before using the DVD I just burned with Zorin on it for my laptop.

Hi Lode,

I hope you took this advice!.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4771

I will be trying this out soon. I can see how it is good to have /home in a separate partition, but I don't have a ton of space. Are there some guidelines on how much space to reserve for root? I am guessing that /home has my documents, etc., but if I install programs, I would think that those files will be in the partition containing root. If this is correct, then what would be a good size to reserve for root?

Hi, I usually 'plump' for 30 Gb (or 30000 in the space that GParted asks when sizing)

Thanks wolfman, I`ll give it a go. Do I boot my system with the Zorin 9 disk in the cd drive or boot into Zorin 8 and run the Zorin 9 disk then? (or doesnt it matter?)

Thanks wolfman, I`ll give it a go. Do I boot my system with the Zorin 9 disk in the cd drive or boot into Zorin 8 and run the Zorin 9 disk then? (or doesnt it matter?)

Hi,

boot directly from the OS disk you want to install, in your case Zorin OS 9!.

Hiya Wolfman do I have to Edit partition ? I only have Zorin 9 Core on my SSD Drive and I want to upgrade to Zorin Ultimate.

Hi Stephanie,

the important part is NOT TO FORMAT YOUR HOME FOLDER!, that is basically what the guide is for, saving all your data and settings!.

If you want to learn more about partitioning:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2601

Thanks honey .. done it using Zorin Ultimate now and loving it !

In conjunction with what Wolfman explained in setting up your individual partitions: (and this is for those who have a handle on, and are more advanced in customizing the partitions).....whenever you are going to specify a specific partition size....remember this formula:

Total size in GB x 1024 = total size in MB.....example, you want a root size of say, 50 GB...so you take 50 x 1024 = 51200, and a home directory of 100 GB......would be 100 x 1024 = 102400, swap would be 10 x 1024 = 10240

Always remember to do the calculations first, then enter the total number where it requests the size in MB....this is something I learned when studying for my A+ Cert in Computer Technology....hope this will help those who are wanting a more better understanding of partitioning their HDD


P.S. As a side note: 1024 = 1 MB

Thanks for the input Andrew!.

Thanks for the input Andrew!.

Any time Wolfman...figured I'd pass along, a little of what I learned in or from my computer training.....

Hi, I'm fairly new to Linux. I'd like to dual-boot Windows Vista and Zorin OS 9, will I be able to dual-boot with these same instructions above?

Instructions on partitioning on Vista would be much appreciated too! Thank you!

It should - check out my tutorial video here:

https://vimeo.com/110085401

I have my Home set inside my Root partion. Is there any way I can do the above and not lose software already installed in my Zorin 12 installation.. ie to have a separate Home partition without losing current software installs? Yeah, I know..I should of done it in the beginning !

I have my Home set inside my Root partion. Is there any way I can do the above and not lose software already installed in my Zorin 12 installation.. ie to have a separate Home partition without losing current software installs? Yeah, I know..I should of done it in the beginning !

I don't believe so...

Wolfman
Nice guide you made for this. Very much appreciate it and I will be sure to use it and your other materials.

First thing you need to have (additional) space or do you want to shrink root and separate home?

Anyway you can do it by booting from a live disk or usb. Just copy the current home to the new partition and then mount that new partition as /home. If it's all on the same disk anyway it might be easier to just leave it as it is now.

Hi Everyone and Wolfman!

This thread has been extremely helpful for an absolute N00b such as myself! My name is Tom and I am brand new to this thread. I can only assume that everyone here is nice and helpful I have looked through this forum for answers to my questions but have not been successful. Apologies if I am being redundant!

I am so close to being all set up with Zorin (12.4lite), but I do have some questions.

I am installing Zorin on my father's computer and -- seeing as he is adverse to this, or any, change -- would like to run it alongside Windows rather than wipe it all out.

I have made my USB boot drive and have succeeded in taking Zorin for a test drive. I am ready to install alongside Windows.

Ideally, I would simply select the lovely first option from the shot bellow and "install Zorin Alongside Them" (i specifically love the part that says "you can choose which OS you want each time the computer starts up"! Great for my father when and if he needs windows for something.



....But that option is not available for me for some reason! By way of proof, here is a terribly lo-qual photo:

Alas, I move on to the "something else" option where I will have to learn a lot more about partitioning.

For that, I have found this webpage https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-dual-boot-mode-windows to be very useful, but still some questions linger.

My questions for the board are as follows:

1) Why is there no "install Zorin Alongside Them" option on my Installation Type window? Is it because I am running Zorin Lite?
2) If I must select the "Something Else" option, can someone please guide me as to what sizes I should be making my Root, Swap and Home partitions? Here is (another terrible) photo of my partitions:

Pretty straightforward looking partitions, no?! I got as far as removing the sda2 partition and making it 500 GB of free space, but short of just copying size amounts from someone else's screenshots, I am little lost and without direction.

Thanks so much all!

Whilst I made the video for Zorin 9 the route is the same:

https://vimeo.com/110085401

Whilst I made the video for Zorin 9 the route is the same:

https://vimeo.com/110085401

Thanks Swarfendor437!

If you look at the 36:22 mark of your video, you will notice that you have the "Install Zorin Alongside ____" option that I do not have. That is the first of my questions: why do i not have that option and how can i get that option.

my second question was "If I must select the "Something Else" option, can someone please guide me as to what sizes I should be making my Root, Swap and Home partitions?"

Swarfendor437 I see that you made your Root partition 30000 MB, your swap partition 4096mb, and your home partition 40923 mb. I am wondering what sizes you recommend that I make my root/home/swap partitions given the size of my free space (500 GB)

Thanks again!

To some extent it will depend on whether you intend to use Windows apps under wine - all of the windows apps/games get stored in your /home partition. As someone correctly pointed out on here I should have made it 30720 in size (30 x 1024 = 30 Gb) for root (/), This is created at the start of the drive and marked as Primary. I then created an extended (logical) partition at the end of which I created a 4 Gb of Ram swap area which matched my physical RAM but recent articles I've read state this should be doubled. The problem with the 'alongside Windows/other OS option is that if you should have something go wrong with your Zorin installation you might not be able to get access to your valuable data.