You should have backups anyway, anything that can potentially change partitions has a data loss risk. That said, in this case, assuming you want to reinstall the same version, you can select all the partitions of the previous - / (sda2), swap (sda3) - and the ESP (EFI System Partition) (sda1) but do NOT format. This keeps everything in /home but not previously user installed software (software configurations are preserved at /home but the software must be reinstalled). Probably better to save your files somewhere else and do a fresh install.
– Nov 20 '17 at 23:04
2
MichaelBay's suggestion should work, but note that anything you changed that is a system file or setting, will be overwritten and defaults will be used. Only the files you created will not be erased and only if you DO NOT check the format option on / or if you had /home as a separate partition.
– oldfredNov 20 '17 at 23:06
Thanks, yes I did a backup yesterday just in case. So do I click on "Something else" then? And then I select /dev/sda? (the very first option of the list). I do have windows installed in another partition. I'm sorry for my silly question I'm a bit lost here.just
– RosamundaNov 20 '17 at 23:16
1
Always follow @oldfred 's recommendations. 2. "Install alongside will create two distinct installation and I suppose you don't want that. You can use the method I explained before, with "something else" but instead select format in the root partition (/). This will reuse the partitions but the installed system will be as new.
Thanks! I think I've got it. The device for boot loader installation should be /dev/sda as well I suppose? Thanks again!!!
– RosamundaNov 20 '17 at 23:24
@Rosamunda, you do not need to create a new partition. Looking at your screen shot, I think /dev/sda2 was your original root file system. So you should select / as the mount point for this partition, and /dev/sda2 will be defied as your root partition for the new install. Be sure to NOT format this, as MichaelBay has suggested.
– EnterpriseNov 21 '17 at 01:49
You always install the boot loader (grub) to a drive. With UEFI, Ubuntu's version of grub only actually installs to the ESP - efi system partition on drive seen as sda, or first drive if NVMe. But that is unique to Ubuntu's grub as a Fedora install did install to the ESP on sdb when drive sdb selected during install.
– oldfredNov 21 '17 at 02:49
2
Take a look at
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PartitioningSchemes for a better way to use your 4T disk space.
– ubfan1Nov 21 '17 at 03:37
/
(sda2),swap
(sda3) - and the ESP (EFI System Partition) (sda1) but do NOT format. This keeps everything in/home
but not previously user installed software (software configurations are preserved at/home
but the software must be reinstalled). Probably better to save your files somewhere else and do a fresh install. – Nov 20 '17 at 23:04/
). This will reuse the partitions but the installed system will be as new./dev/sda2
was your original root file system. So you should select/
as the mount point for this partition, and /dev/sda2 will be defied as your root partition for the new install. Be sure to NOT format this, as MichaelBay has suggested. – Enterprise Nov 21 '17 at 01:49