Repairing Ubuntu without loosing data or breaking Windows

[MR ZenWiz]

On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 3:49 AM, Enrique Becerra <kabeza at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi people
> Is there any guide I can follow to repair my Ubuntu installation
> without loosing important Ubuntu data or breaking Windows XP
> installation?
>
> My PC has a dual boot (Ubuntu 10.10 / Windows XP) but Ubuntu is not
> working because it freezes when gdm shows and can't run in safemode
> from any grub entry. I have my CD ready to begin, but I get "scared"
> when I reach the point where it asks me partition stuff... will it
> format everything again, right?
>

Just make sure you do a custom disk setup and tell it NOT to format
anything you want left alone.  If you put your /home on a separate
partition from / (and /boot), you should be able to reformat the /
(and /boot) partition(s) without affecting your /home or your Windows.

(Yes, I've done it - it's only scary the first time around but you
*do* have to be careful. :-)