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[Steven Vollom]

This email reads like I have already read and answered it, however, you took 
the time to help, so I will respectfully reply.  Ignore it if you have already 
gotten an answer.

(Trimmed)
>
> Here are 3 potential solutions for you.
>
> 1. As other have suggested, you can change the location where various
> apps store their downloads.  The downside to this is that you must
> configure each application separately.

I really do not mind the extra work, if it will obtain my objective.  If there 
is a better way, I am open to advice.  I just don't want to have data 
commingling with the Operating systems or applications.  That way, I hope to 
never lose important data again.  If the configuration changes that are 
required do not slow down the operation of my computer, I prefer my way.  

I lost my entire photographic records for 55 years while making a mistake 
using advice from the list.  It was not their fault, because it should have 
been protected better, but I did not have the storage and had just compiled it 
shortly before the loss.  When I made the mistake, I thought I still had 
carefully protected the data.  And maybe I did not lose them; they may be lost 
in my computer some place.  When I learn how to find things better, I hope to 
retrieve them.
>
> 2. I would recommend that you move your entire /home directory to
> another partition.  mount your (empty) partition at say /media/mnt and
> copy all of home there "sudo cp -a /home/* /media/mnt".  Now edit your
> /etc/fstab.  Add a line to mount your formerly empty partition at
> /home.  Reboot.

Would /media/mnt be a part of my boot partition, where the OS and applications 
are kept?  Would my /home directory then be on a partition different from the 
one the operating system and applications are on?

I have never edited /etc/fstab before.  Do I use an application like Kate to 
do so?  What words do I use to mount the partition?  By '/home' files, do you 
mean all my data?  If an application or the OS crash in a way that cannot be 
repaired, will it affect this new /home directory? 
>
> When you reboot your /home will be the new partition.  since it is
> done by a mount, it is transparent to any applications.  All home
> files will be kept on the partition.

This may have answered my previous question, but I am concerned with files that 
are necessary to have applications work too.  Do all application dependencies 
remain on the same partition that the applications are on?
>
> 3. Use symlinks.  

Is symlinks an application or a term?

> I do this for my media files.  I mount the other
> partition on /Media and I create directories on another partition with
> lots of space named, say, "Videos" or "Music".

Dotan suggested I do not use an Extended partition, however, if I made 
partitions for my various art records, Oil Paintings, Pastels, Pottery, 
Ceramic Sculpture, Wood Sculpture, Stone Sculpture, Copper Enamels, Pen 
Drawings, Charcoals, Photographs, Videos, and Music, it would exceed the limit 
of primary partitions.  Perhaps I could create a partition named Art and put 
sub-directories or folders inside identifying the various work.  Could it 
still be a primary partition?  The fourth partition could then contain my 
personal records, computer related records, and other things unrelated to my 
work-life.

> Then I create symbolic
> links 

I do not understand symbolic links.  Are they used to direct placement of data 
by the OS and other applications?

> to them "ln -s /Media/Music $HOME".  Then I make sure that such
> files are put in "~/Music".  This has some similarities to solution 1.
>
> For simplicity, you can't beat solution 1.  It has a second benefit of
> keeping your home directories separate from your OS files,

This is the primary reason I got into trouble.  I wanted this very thing to 
happen and lost important data trying to get to that point.   I have large 
blocks of saved information that I hope contains the photographic records of 
my life and work that may be recoverable.  I have no idea where it is, nor how 
to find it, and I only hope that it wasn't permanently lost.  I also may be 
able to find lost emails, thousands, I suspect.

> so if you
> even need to reinstall the OS, or put in an alternate OS, you can do
> so without worrying about your home files.

Thank you Michael, you understand my problem and I believe option 1 is best 
for me.  I also believe I understand most everything you have said.

I have a one  TB hard drive on its way.  It will have sufficient space to back-
up everything I currently have.   It should be here in a couple of days.  I 
will make this plan happen then.

I am not sure if setting the configuration for my computer is relevant to 
Kubuntu Help and User Discussions; it may be, though, because it will be a map 
of understanding for people like me with similar problems while using Kubuntu.  
When I get to that point, if I post and am chastised for being off topic, may I 
contact you directly, if I run into a snag?  Either way, thanks much, friend.

Steven

>
> Michael