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[Steven Vollom]

On Saturday 09 May 2009 10:15:02 pm Ric Moore wrote:
> On Sat, 2009-05-09 at 13:22 -0400, Steven Vollom wrote:
> >  Thanks for the help; if you see any holes in my understanding,
> > please reply with a warning, so I avoid losing data.
>
> I'd sure be doing SOMETHING different, like leaving the /media folder
> alone. There's all sorts of places to put stuff rather that a directory
> where devices auto-mount. It is not an entertainment file/content
> directory, as you keep thinking and as I have repeatably kept telling
> you it's not.

How do I get out of this problem without losing my data?  By the way, I was 
told to set up my storage partitions this way about a year ago from the list.
>
> The -computer- and Linux OS uses that directory, it was not meant for
> man to use it. While you can do anything you please, put stuff in places
> where no one has gone before, why dink with it as you're not at a
> proficiency level to do so??

I have a vague memory of the prior warning, but I don't remember any 
instruction that I could understand to fix the problem.  I frankly don't care 
what the names of the directories are for anything just that they work and 
don't create problems, and that I can find them.  What should I do, rename the 
directory on the storage partition, I will do that if it would help straighten 
things out?  Additionally, recently, I got instruction from Dotan Cohen to 
change to primary partitions for all my partitions.  I would like to do that 
too, but I want to do these things in a way that I don't lose everything in 
the process.

I just bought a new 1 TB SATA drive; it is on it's way.  With that I can at 
least protect all my data prior to correcting these problems, (unless it is 
urgent).  I am starting to understand both of you, I think, but I haven't been 
making my decisions without help from the list.  I have to rely on what you 
guys tell me; I, like you said and think, I am over my head most of the time.  
If I get bad instructions, I don't know enough to recognize it.  I trust you 
all implicitly, and take the advice you give without hesitation.

So that you understand my primary objective, it is as follows.  I want a boot 
drive with sufficient space to put my OS and all applications in.  I want my 
saved data, of whatever kind in storage partitions that are not part of a 
drive that contains working packages.  I want to be able to locate my data 
without a doctorate degree in computing.  But most of all, I want to get an 
appropriately configured computer so that I don't have to bother you guys so 
much.

I have a well endowed computer now and soon will have enough storage to be 
able to follow my current instructions from both you and Dotan and others who 
are continually trying to help me, because I will have room to save everything 
and start completely over if need be.

I haven't learned out how yet, but I would like to create some virtual 
machines to try other OS's too without screwing things up more.  In a few 
days, I will have 1.7TB of storage.  I currently have about 450gb of data to 
protect, including the OS and applications.  200gb is PATA, 1.5gb is SATA.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not playing or trying to create new things.  
I have enough trouble understanding your terminology when things are explained 
to me.

Here is the equipment I am working with and what I want to do with it.  The 
only changes I plan to make is adding an additional video card, the same as 
the one I installed on the board and perhaps an additional DVD ROM.

My processor is an AMD Quad, 2300mhz per processor.  I have 8gb of AXIOM ECC 
memory.  This time next week, I will have an additional 1 TB SATA drive 
installed.  To be able to take the advice I am currently given, it was a 
necessary purchase.  I currently have a 500gb SATA drive installed.  My video 
card is an nVidia 9600Gforce with 512mb DDR3.  My Motherboard is an ASUS M3N-
HT Mempipe.  My power supply is a BFG 800W.  There is also an 8400 nVidia 
Gforce video On-board and 8.1 on-board sound.  My DVD Writer is SATA.  Almost 
everything I want to protect in the way of data is Art or Art related.  My OS 
is current Jaunty 64bit up-to-date, excepting KDE 4.2.3; I am still with KDE 
4.2.2.

Now you know what I have to work with and what I want to do?  How would you fit 
the pieces together.  What size Boot partition would you create?  What size 
swap would you make?  What kind of partitions would you use; would they all be 
primaries like Dotan suggested?  What would you name the mount points of the 
partitions?  How much space would you allocate to backup?  How would you set 
up the configuration, so all saved data automatically went to the appropriate 
storage partition, not on the OS and application partition.  

I would like to use a 200gb Pata drive that I have for the virtual machines, 
if that makes sense.  I would like to change the memory structure so that it 
is ganged and not divided equally between the processors.

Can what I want be done without creating a comparable set of problems to the 
ones I now have to work through?

> supposed to do. Or, dink with the locate utility to make it bend to your
> will, so you can keep on doing what you want to do. Locate evidently
> doesn't waste it's time scouting around /media nor it's sub
> directories, ...so please don't waste ours.

Believe me, I hate wasting your time.  I have no one to tell me how to 
navigate through Linux yet.  I don't find the mistakes I make until long after 
I have made them.  Until this list, I had to struggle without any help; I did 
not even know how to use Google and Wiki in a way to get me where I wanted to 
be.  Nonetheless I have learned a lot, while unintentionally frustrating the 
crap out of many of you.  And I am sorry for that.

> Use /opt ...It's whole
> purpose is to safely do strange things there.

I don't have the foggiest idea of what you mean when you say 'use/opt'.  I 
don't understand the 'strange things' you speak of nor where 'there' is.  This 
is not a joke and I am not trying to be curt.  I do not know what you just 
said.

I am not angry, just frustrated.  You would not believe the difference in how a 
logical mind, like yours, and an artist's mind, like mine, perceived the exact 
same data.  Much of the time, your instructions are no easier for me to 
understand that translating Chinese using a dictionary.  Six months ago, I 
could not have understood your frustration or even hoped to answer it.  And I 
believe you now know what I want to do, but still probably think I have some 
alternate agenda for the questions I ask.

And lastly, when I don't take your advice, I just plain do not understand it.  
Sometimes it gets a little difficult to re-appear as stupid as I must appear to 
you, and I just stop for a while, until my brain-fart goes away.

I would just love to set up two canvasses, side by side, with a goal in mind, 
so that I could watch you struggle in my arena.  Your questions would appear 
just as illogical as mine do now.  I would explain how to make things happen, 
and you would become confused.  But if I took your brush and showed you, you 
would get it.  Just like if you were sitting here noticing my blunders as they 
happened, you would teach me through it.  

I would give anything to know what you know.  Especially if I had memories of 
how I think right now.  Then I would be able to help people with my 
deficiencies and not get angry or frustrated.  In fact, GOD willing I will do 
that some day.

Most cordially, my friend; thanks for your ongoing patience.

Steven