I have cleared a 250GB HD ready for Ubuntu 12.04 and want to keep 11.10 on my 500GB for now,.
I want tp have it as Mark said, my home directory but I have no idea how to.
I am also having load of trouble setting the 250GB HD as the home for 12.04, how the h*** do I partition it properly as I cant get any further than that.
BTW, I am writing this on Mrs Pookys lappy.
Wasn’t me that suggested that …
You’ve also baffled the hell outa me 
For the 12.04 install … What do you want to use as /home ? … which drive ? … the one with 11.10 on it ?
I am also having load of trouble setting the 250GB HD as the home for 12.04
Where (which drive) do you want the root (/) of 12.04 to be ?
I’m totally lost as to what you are trying to put where ???
I knew this would happen … SeZo mentioned using a separate drive as /home … and I just knew you were going to try to keep 11.10 as well, and things would get SERIOUSLY complicated, specially as you have multiple drives.
current setup
500GBHD 11.10 installed along with stuff I want to keep
250GBHD is where I want root for 12.04
I also want to make the 500GBHD where 11.10 is into home for 12.04 so I can still access the files on it.
I’ sure thats what you suggested earlier…
Nope, not me … SeZo:
http://linuxforums.org.uk/index.php?topic=9695.msg76636#msg76636
So I take it the plan is to set the 250GB drive as the primary boot device, and mount it as the 12.04 /
and mount the 500GB drive as 12.04’s /home
then to LATER remove all the system stuff ?
I’m trying to work out whether this is going to create a lot of permission problems … and I’m thinking the answer is probably yes.
is the system currently bootable ?
Can you boot to a LiveCD/LiveUSB, and send the output from:
sudo fdisk -l
and
df -h
I’m actually a little ahead of you, Installed 12.04 and now update manager is getting 348 updates.
when thats all done, I’ll let you know. Also, I want my GNOME DESKTOP BACK UNITY SUX ;D
How do I install it in 12.04?
Sorry, as to your above questions, yes
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
Should do it.
Done, thanks ;D
Now navigation is easier
Don’t forget to install hplip-gui:
sudo apt-get install hplip-gui
then use the HPLIP Toolbox to configure your printer.
Wow, talking about jumping the gun. You made this operation a whole lot more complicated.
I am sure Mark would have walked you through this (if given a chance)
Unfortunately now this is too late as it is exploded into several (overlapping) topics.
I thought they different topics, yes it’s a new 12.04 install but different programs, thats why I did it, I wasn’t to know.
He meant you jumed the gun WITH the 12.04 install … and without answering his question about the output from:
sudo fdisk -l
so we could check your partition layout first.
In other words . you got ahead of what was asked again
http://linuxforums.org.uk/index.php?topic=9695.msg76639#msg76639
I can easily do a re-install of 12.04 as it’s on it’s own drive and nothing else was affected…, if thats easier?
The Thunderbird stuff was just copied across so the original is still intact isn’t it?
Yeh, the originals are still there, but as you have a working 12.04 let’s not tempt fate by starting again … we’ll find another way of giving you easy access to the stuff on the 500GB drive in 12.04
I can access my other HD’s but they’re not ‘mounted’, they show as mounted when I click to open them. They need to mount at bootup.
And a rename of the 500GBHD to avoid confusion. And for my 12.04 install to point to the files on the 500GB so that theres just the ‘system’ on the 250GBHD.
There is now no “easy” way to mount the 50OGB drive as /home
Well it CAN be done, but would require you to delete some (NOT all, as the way you’ve set it up, the bootloader is currently on the 500GB drive) the system stuff from that drive, then move what you want from the /home/pete directory to a directory called /pooky2483 in the root of the drive … copy the config stuff from the home folder on the 250GB drive to the /pooky2483 folder on the 500GB drive … take ownership of it all, then mount the 500GB as /home is fstab.
I’m not convinced you’re up to this … so it would be easier and safer to continue “as is” … then auto mount the 500GB drive, and create a symlink in the 12.04 /home/pook2483 directory that points to the /home/pete directory on the 500GB drive … at least that will give you easy access to the user files on the 500GB drive.
I was trying to consider the best way to achieve this when you went ahead and installed 12.04 … now maybe you understand the “jumping the gun” comment a little better 
With my system, its not that complicated, I can change boot sequence in the BIOS, also, when booting, I get options to boot in normal, safe and it can see other installations of Ubuntu.
With that, wouldn’t it be easier to just point 12.04 to the home folder of the 500GBHD?
NO
a) mount points in fstab start with a PARTITION … so if you mounted /dev/sda(n) as /home … it would expect to find the user folders in the root of that drive … they currently are NOT in the root of that drive
b) you have given the user in 12.04 a different username … which may cause permission errors that needed to be rectified.
c) There is no way of being 100% sure that some of the 11.10 config files wouldn’t create problems in 12.04
I was trying to explain this (and think of the best way forward) when you went ahead and installed 12.04
With my system, its not that complicated, I can change boot sequence in the BIOS, also, when booting, I get options to boot in normal, safe and it can see other installations of Ubuntu.
It’s not complex … nor is it ideal (with your current setup the bootloader is probably spread across 2 drives)… nor is it the way you wanted it … so “complicated” is in the eye of the beholder, and if you’re not understanding what I’m saying it obviously IS complicated from your standpoint.
:o No idea what you just explained at the beginning.
Anyway, I want to get rid of 11.10 eventually…