when to resize partitions

[Stephen Constantinou]

Derek Broughton wrote:
> Ashley Benton wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 6:35 PM, Stephen Constantinou
>> <stephanos at writeme.com
>>> wrote:
> 
>>> After choosing to be guided over partition 8 I was offered a slide bar
>>> that seemed to change partition 8 from the initial setting of
>>>
>>> sda8, 13.4GB 50% AND kubuntu 8.10, 13.4GB, 50%
>>>
>>> I could move the bar left to increase the kubuntu partition/section but
>>> only reduce sda8 to 4.1GB 15% and kubuntu to 85%.
> 
> I'm not _certain_ what that's doing - I only saw it for the first time this
> week - but I think it's trying to preserve the original data by shrinking
> the partition, so...
> 
>>> As I progressed I got to a stage where it confirmed I was about to create
>>> partition 11 of SCSi1 (0,0,0) (sda) as ext3 and
>>> partition 12 of SCSi1 (0,0,0) (sda) as swop
> ...
>>> Am I really creating more partitions 
> 
> Absolutely - it is keeping all your old partitions and creating the minimum
> two that it needs for Ubuntu.
> 
>>> and how do I simply use the 
>>> existing partitions for kubuntu.  
> 
> Manual partitioning - at least to delete the old Mandriva partition, then
> you can back up and tell it to use the free space.  
> 
>>> Perhaps this was not a problem but I 
>>> cannot see how creating more partitions is what I want to do and why can
>>> I not use the whole of partition 8 for kubuntu?
> 
> You certainly can, but as long as you tell it to use the "guided" method,
> it's going to try not to damage anything else you have.
> 
>> I would use gparted to delete the partition (mandriva) and create an empty
>> partition, then install kubuntu on the new created partition
> 
> That's pretty much overkill when he's already _in_ a partitioning tool
> (based on parted, iirc).

Dear All

Thanks for this info and I think I have a way forward.

Just a little more background info.  The fat 16/32 partitions are for 
the Dell recovery and diagnostic programmes that I want to preserve.  I 
do not need to retain any data from the home partition in Mandriva.


Q1) How can I tell which partition was the home partition?

Q2) Can I assume that if I chose the manual option I will be able to 
combine all the non windows partitions and then at a different stage 
allocate it to kubuntu and it will sort out the swop, bootable partition 
etc.  I am hoping I will not be asked which partitions are for which 
purpose as I will not know.

Thanks and wait to hear

Stephen (the cautious)