#1 2021-04-19 10:15:54

nyanpasu

New Member

Registered: 2021-04-19

Posts: 2

[SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

I have an existing /home partition and users and I would like to install BunsenLabs to make use of that. However, the standard BunsenLabs installer asks to set up a new user. I do not want to set up a new user. I want to use the existing user in the /home partition.

How do I do this? Basically, I imagine running the standard BunsenLabs installer, skipping the user setup part. Is that possible?

Last edited by nyanpasu (2021-04-21 16:35:08)

sleekmason

zoom

Registered: 2018-05-22

Posts: 584

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

There are two ways (and probably more).  The safest is to add the partition after install, but the easiest is to just do the reinstall.

So, yes, make the user and password the same as the /home you wish to use.

When you get to the disk formatting part of the installation, do not format the partition you want to use as home, but still add it in the installation. This way the name and password for /home are maintained, but your stuff is still there.

Any new users/passwords can be added after.

Sector11

Conky 1.9er Mod Squid

From: Upstairs

Registered: 2015-08-20

Posts: 6,667

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

Cannot skip the use part.  You can reuse the name you have.
HOWEVER there are consequences if not done right
You said "users" <-- plural: How many?

Are you running more than one distro?
Is the existing /home a "Bunsen" home?
What does

lsblk

show?

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unklar

Back to the roots 1.9

From: #! BL

Registered: 2015-10-31

Posts: 1,476

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

^I generally can't recommend this unless you are Linux savvy.
Note this changes (I don't know which /home you have).

  So if you are brave, then:
===> ===> ===>

Good luck.

Last edited by unklar (2021-04-19 13:11:06)

serialschoenberg

Member

Registered: 2020-04-01

Posts: 26

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

Is your /home on a separate partition? Then it will be easy: never format this partition.

If your /home is on the same partition than / or another you mast save, save and save. Saving the data is always a good idea.

ohnonot

...again

Registered: 2015-09-29

Posts: 5,487

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

I have an existing /home partition and users and I would like to install BunsenLabs to make use of that. However, the standard BunsenLabs installer asks to set up a new user. I do not want to set up a new user. I want to use the existing user in the /home partition.

How do I do this? Basically, I imagine running the standard BunsenLabs installer, skipping the user setup part. Is that possible?

I recommend

• backing up the user(s) data (/home, basically)

• installing BL normally

• booting into maintenance mode

• putting the user(s) data back in place (replacing /home, basically)

• reboot, hoping BL will be able to deal with that.

You can achieve basically the same with clever partitioning, too:

• have all your user(s) data on one partition

• install BL on another partition

• boot into maintenance mode, delete /home, edit /etc/fstab to mount your user data partition to /home

• reboot, hope it works

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Give to COVAX! Here or here. (explanation)

nyanpasu

New Member

Registered: 2021-04-19

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

Hi everyone, thanks for all your suggestions!

I forgot to note in my original post that /home is on a different partition. So this is what I did:

1. Just to be safe, rsync my home folder to a different drive.

2. Install BunsenLabs the normal way.

3. When the installer asks for the user setup, I used the same username as that on the existing /home partition.

4. When the installer asks for disk partitions, that former /home partition first shows up as "Do not use". So I went in and specified to "keep its data" and "mount it on /home".

5. Everything went smoothly. I did not even need to copy back my home folder from the other drive.

Well, "Everything went smoothly", but always always backup!

How do I mark this thread as [SOLVED]?

Last edited by nyanpasu (2021-04-20 14:39:48)

eight.bit.al

Member

From: Prison

Registered: 2015-10-01

Posts: 985

Re: [SOLVED] Install BunsenLabs Lithium with existing user and /home

How do I mark this thread as [SOLVED]?

Go to the first post and edit it. Glad things worked out.

8bit

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we who wander this Wasteland
in search of our better selves?'