> Can this bit above be done with a nice GUI like Gparted?

>> I've added what I think the lines are doing, just to try and get a
>> grasp of what's going on.

> I'll only comment if I'm answering a question or you're wrong.
>>> use fdisk /dev/whatever to remove all the partitions off the old disk
>>> use mkfs.ext? /dev/whatever to put a filesystem on the "old" disk
>> Can this bit above be done with a nice GUI like Gparted?

> Probably, but I've never done it.  I've always added new disks before
> doing a clean install so have never had to do it.

>> Bonus question: Would it be a Good Idea to put an NTFS partition on
>> the datadisk, to allow others on the network to share files?

> Why NTFS?  You can share any directory using normal file sharing, and
> the network/OSs will translate the files.

>>> snipped

>>>> 3.  Then our friend will have everything she needs to get TalkTalk
>>>> wireless broadband and its router.

>>> if its just one computer why use a router ?

>> Because that is what TalkTalk offer on their broadband deal.

> I don't know what your bandwidth is but I wouldn't want to download the
> 790 mbytes that the cd will be.

>>>> snipped

>>>>> 3.  Then our friend will have everything she needs to get TalkTalk
>>>>> wireless broadband and its router.

>>>> if its just one computer why use a router ?

>>> Because that is what TalkTalk offer on their broadband deal.

>> I don't know what your bandwidth is but I wouldn't want to download
>> the 790 mbytes that the cd will be.

> Oh?  Downloading seemed to be no problem.  I went away and when I came
> back it was finished.

> Next step (you can tell this is not a rushed job, I expect ;)) is to
> get all the components in one room and build a computer with them.

>> Is there a way of making the Data Partition on the data store drive
>> the /home/user_name folder? Bearing in mind that the data storedrive
>> was added to the machine after Ubuntu was installed and the current
>> /home folder is on the "other" drive.

>The answer is "yes", but there is still a lot more to ask.  Do you want
>to keep any of the existing data?  Is there any good reason not to clean
>out the second disk (copying useful data off it onto the main one for
>the time being) and reformat it in a Linux format.  You're going to get
>some (I don't know how big) performance hits from having your home
>directory in a foreign file format.

>My recommendation would be to (I've invented all the paths below, but
>I'm sure you can replace them with whatever you actually get).  This is
>the command line version, you can do all of this interactively if you
>want (but it's a lot harder to describe!).
>mkdir other_data
>cp -rp /media/data_partition other_data

>>Tim Hall <timh...@nospamtoday.clara.co.uk> writes:

>Right. Progress report.

>>> Is there a way of making the Data Partition on the data store drive
>>> the /home/user_name folder? Bearing in mind that the data storedrive
>>> was added to the machine after Ubuntu was installed and the current
>>> /home folder is on the "other" drive.

>>The answer is "yes", but there is still a lot more to ask.  Do you want
>>to keep any of the existing data?  Is there any good reason not to clean
>>out the second disk (copying useful data off it onto the main one for
>>the time being) and reformat it in a Linux format.  You're going to get
>>some (I don't know how big) performance hits from having your home
>>directory in a foreign file format.

>>My recommendation would be to (I've invented all the paths below, but
>>I'm sure you can replace them with whatever you actually get).  This is
>>the command line version, you can do all of this interactively if you
>>want (but it's a lot harder to describe!).
>>mkdir other_data
>>cp -rp /media/data_partition other_data

>What I did was to copy the data I wanted from the Data partition to
>the /home/user_dir on the other disk by using the file browser. Worked
>fine. Can read the data. Good .

>>umount /media/data_partition
>>use fdisk /dev/whatever to remove all the partitions off the old disk
>>use mkfs.ext? /dev/whatever to put a filesystem on the "old" disk

>Used Gparted to make a newfile system (ext3) on the old disk, and at
>the same time grow it a bit to take up unused space. Odd result - it
>chuntered away for 2 hours and a bit and then said it had failed. But
>the error log showed success. OTOH the size doesn't seem to have
>changed when looking with System Monitor. Never mind, let's press on.

>(as an aside, for some reason, the disk which the system runs on
>seemsto be /dev/sdb, whilst the one I want as a data drive is
>/dev/sda. Should I worry?

>>mount /dev/whatever /media/data_patition

>Mount point media/data_partition does not exist.

>sudo mkdir /media/data_partition.
>sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/data_partition

>Then I tried to copy the contents of /home/user_dir to
>/media/data_partition. No joy - paste is greyed out. A look at the
>permissions suggests this is because the owner is root. What now?
>(feeling out of my depth a bit)

>> Ah yes, Linux is _so_ much simpler than Windows. (Ducks and runs ...)

>No, this is now easy to do in Linux.  In fact it's difficult and
>complicated.

>But I still think it's probably simpler than Windows.  But I'd be happy
>to be proved wrong.  Anyone like to explain how I take a disk with a
>Linux file system on, add it to a Windows machine, and put it into the

>>> Ah yes, Linux is _so_ much simpler than Windows. (Ducks and runs ...)

>>No, this is now easy to do in Linux.  In fact it's difficult and
>>complicated.

>>But I still think it's probably simpler than Windows.  But I'd be happy
>>to be proved wrong.  Anyone like to explain how I take a disk with a
>>Linux file system on, add it to a Windows machine, and put it into the

> What's a "Linux file system" - FAT(n), NTFS, other?

> I don't _think_ a disc or partition can appear to be a subdirectory in
> another one (the opposite can, with the little-used subst command).

>>>middle of the Windows folder structure (so that it is, say C:\Nick\My
>>>Documents\)"?   After all, this should be just as easy in Windows!

>> I don't _think_ a disc or partition can appear to be a subdirectory in
>> another one (the opposite can, with the little-used subst command).

>So is doing that in Linux - what the whole thread is about - easier or
>harder than it is in Windows then?

>>>>middle of the Windows folder structure (so that it is, say C:\Nick\My
>>>>Documents\)"?   After all, this should be just as easy in Windows!

>>> I don't _think_ a disc or partition can appear to be a subdirectory in
>>> another one (the opposite can, with the little-used subst command).

>>So is doing that in Linux - what the whole thread is about - easier or
>>harder than it is in Windows then?

> Linux, obviously. But the post to which I was replying was getting
> very obscure (-:! (I'm not saying Windows people can't be equally
> obscure.)

>>>Tim Hall <timh...@nospamtoday.clara.co.uk> writes:

>>Right. Progress report.

>>>> Is there a way of making the Data Partition on the data store drive
>>>> the /home/user_name folder? Bearing in mind that the data storedrive
>>>> was added to the machine after Ubuntu was installed and the current
>>>> /home folder is on the "other" drive.

>>>The answer is "yes", but there is still a lot more to ask.  Do you want
>>>to keep any of the existing data?  Is there any good reason not to clean
>>>out the second disk (copying useful data off it onto the main one for
>>>the time being) and reformat it in a Linux format.  You're going to get
>>>some (I don't know how big) performance hits from having your home
>>>directory in a foreign file format.

>>>My recommendation would be to (I've invented all the paths below, but
>>>I'm sure you can replace them with whatever you actually get).  This is
>>>the command line version, you can do all of this interactively if you
>>>want (but it's a lot harder to describe!).
>>>mkdir other_data
>>>cp -rp /media/data_partition other_data

>>What I did was to copy the data I wanted from the Data partition to
>>the /home/user_dir on the other disk by using the file browser. Worked
>>fine. Can read the data. Good .

>>>umount /media/data_partition
>>>use fdisk /dev/whatever to remove all the partitions off the old disk
>>>use mkfs.ext? /dev/whatever to put a filesystem on the "old" disk

>>Used Gparted to make a newfile system (ext3) on the old disk, and at
>>the same time grow it a bit to take up unused space. Odd result - it
>>chuntered away for 2 hours and a bit and then said it had failed. But
>>the error log showed success. OTOH the size doesn't seem to have
>>changed when looking with System Monitor. Never mind, let's press on.

>>(as an aside, for some reason, the disk which the system runs on
>>seemsto be /dev/sdb, whilst the one I want as a data drive is
>>/dev/sda. Should I worry?

>>>mount /dev/whatever /media/data_patition

>>Mount point media/data_partition does not exist.

>>sudo mkdir /media/data_partition.
>>sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/data_partition

>>Then I tried to copy the contents of /home/user_dir to
>>/media/data_partition. No joy - paste is greyed out. A look at the
>>permissions suggests this is because the owner is root. What now?
>>(feeling out of my depth a bit)

> Ah yes, Linux is _so_ much simpler than Windows. (Ducks and runs ...)

>>> Ah yes, Linux is _so_ much simpler than Windows. (Ducks and runs ...)

>>No, this is now easy to do in Linux.  In fact it's difficult and
>>complicated.

>>But I still think it's probably simpler than Windows.  But I'd be happy
>>to be proved wrong.  Anyone like to explain how I take a disk with a
>>Linux file system on, add it to a Windows machine, and put it into the

> What's a "Linux file system" - FAT(n), NTFS, other?

>>middle of the Windows folder structure (so that it is, say C:\Nick\My
>>Documents\)"?   After all, this should be just as easy in Windows!

> I don't _think_ a disc or partition can appear to be a subdirectory in
> another one (the opposite can, with the little-used subst command).

>> Oh?  Downloading seemed to be no problem.  I went away and when I came
>> back it was finished.

>> Next step (you can tell this is not a rushed job, I expect ;)) is to
>> get all the components in one room and build a computer with them.

>The longer you leave it, the more updates it will want to go off and get
>when you do install it.

>> Then I tried to copy the contents of /home/user_dir to
>> /media/data_partition. No joy - paste is greyed out. A look at the
>> permissions suggests this is because the owner is root. What now?
>> (feeling out of my depth a bit)

>The owner of what - data_partition?