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I recently decided to move to Ubuntu 13.10 (by move I mean install from ISO not update)

My Ubuntu 12.04 had 3 partitions

  • SWAP partition
  • LINUX partition (ext4)
  • NTFS partition OF 500GB of DATA

Why selecting the option "remove Ubuntu 12 and replace it with Ubuntu 13" decided to mess with my partition scheme ? Why did it decided to REMOVE THE NTFS and make me lose YEARS and YEARS of data by using all disk and not reuse the SWAP and EXT4 partition of the version 12.04?

Also a BUG has been open https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1265192

ADDED:

I first tried TestDisk but the one that helped me was PhotoRec I recovered as many files as posible from the lost partition

VERY IMPORTANT

As soon as a picture or file is accidentally deleted, or you discover any missing, do NOT save any more pictures or files to that memory device or hard disk drive; otherwise you may overwrite your lost data. This means that while using PhotoRec, you must not choose to write the recovered files to the same partition they were stored on.

This also applies for any other tool not just for the two that I have mentioned

For further info about this tools take a look at this

How to resolve " The harddisk seems too small" with Testdisk deeper search option

Community
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Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez
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1 Answers1

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To reuse the ext4 and SWAP partition you need to specify them manually using the advance install (select the "something else" option).

enter image description here
(source: linuxbsdos.com)

Now you just need to unmark the ntfs partiton and mark down the partitions you will be formating for the install (you don't need to format the SWAP partition).

enter image description here

Please note that unless you have a separate home partition, formating will also delete the files you had on the ext4 partition. Consider moving your home to it's own partiton or create a separate home partition while installing Ubuntu.

Glorfindel
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xangua
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  • Read the TEXT of the OPTION...THIS WILL DELETE ALL YOUR UBUNTU PROGRAMS, DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS MUSIC AND ANY OTHER FILES....that applies to UBUNTU does PROGRAMS applies to UBUNTU but the rest of the text means the WHOLE DISK ? – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 05 '14 at 17:53
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    besides I am not asking how to install UBUNTU I am asking why they calle it REPLACE UBUTUN 12 WITH 13 if it actually should be called USE WHOLE DISK FOR UBUNTU 13 !! – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 05 '14 at 17:55
  • Asuming the use of commas, the text "this will delete all your ubuntu programs," refers to only ubuntu programs. Then one can asume that "document, photos, music and any other files" reffers to all this kind of files in the whole disk. – xangua Jan 05 '14 at 18:01
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    I think you can see that the TEXT IS NOT CLEAR since when a whole differente partition that has nothing to do with UBUNTU is included in the main idea of "replace UBUNTU" ?? – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 05 '14 at 18:07
  • @MauricioGracia it is difficult to write text (without going into a lot of detail) that will make sense to both power users (as you are) and casual users (like most computer users). Most users see their operating system as the entire system, meaning every partition, every file, everything. This is why it is worded in this way. It really could be worded better, but in trying to cater to less experienced users, unfortunately, you can end up hurting the experts. – RolandiXor Jan 05 '14 at 21:30
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    @RolandiXor I think MAKE UBUNTU 13 USE ALL YOUR HARD DRIVE LOSING YOUR DATA is clear enough for both – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 06 '14 at 04:50
  • @MauricioGracia if you have a suggestion or think it should work diferent, this is not the place to discuss it, this is a comunity support site. Then either file a bug or propose a diferent text. https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-installer – xangua Jan 06 '14 at 15:52
  • @xangua thanks this is the link to the QUESTION/SUGGESTION https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/241788 – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 06 '14 at 19:02
  • a BUG has been opened https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1267204 – Mauricio Gracia Gutierrez Jan 08 '14 at 19:26
  • Reading the https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1265192 bug it's obivous that the wording is not clear as people got others OSes erased. "Erase Linux are reinstall" has a huge different meaning than "Wipe all partition and do an automatic install". – Édouard Lopez May 20 '14 at 08:07