{"id":898,"date":"2018-10-19T00:35:26","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T00:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/?p=898"},"modified":"2018-10-22T22:25:58","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T22:25:58","slug":"how-to-replace-one-linux-distro-with-another-in-dual-boot-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/2018\/10\/19\/how-to-replace-one-linux-distro-with-another-in-dual-boot-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Replace one Linux Distro With Another in Dual Boot [Guide]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>If you have a Linux distribution installed, you can replace it with another distribution in the dual boot. You can also keep your personal documents while switching the distribution.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Replace-Linux-Distro-from-dual-boot.png\" alt=\"How to Replace One Linux Distribution With Another From Dual Boot\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Suppose you managed to <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/install-ubuntu-1404-dual-boot-mode-windows-8-81-uefi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">successfully dual boot Ubuntu and Windows<\/a>. But after reading the <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/linux-mint-vs-ubuntu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linux Mint versus Ubuntu discussion<\/a>, you realized that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxmint.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linux Mint<\/a> is more suited for your needs. What would you do now? How would you <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/uninstall-ubuntu-linux-windows-dual-boot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remove Ubuntu<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/guide-install-linux-mint-16-dual-boot-windows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">install Mint in dual boot<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>You might think that you need to uninstall <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ubuntu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ubuntu<\/a> from dual boot first and then repeat the dual booting steps with Linux Mint. Let me tell you something. You don\u2019t need to do all of that.<\/p>\n<p>If you already have a Linux distribution installed in dual boot, you can easily replace it with another. You don\u2019t have to uninstall the existing Linux distribution. You simply delete its partition and install the new distribution on the disk space vacated by the previous distribution.<\/p>\n<p>Another good news is that you <em>may<\/em> be able to keep your Home directory with all your documents and pictures while switching the Linux distributions.<\/p>\n<p>Let me show you how to switch Linux distributions.<\/p>\n<h2>Replace one Linux with another from dual boot<\/h2>\n<p>Let me describe the scenario I am going to use here. I have Linux Mint 19 installed on my system in dual boot mode with Windows 10. I am going to replace it with elementary OS 5. I\u2019ll also keep my personal files (music, pictures, videos, documents from my home directory) while switching distributions.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s first take a look at the requirements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A system with Linux and Windows dual boot<\/li>\n<li>Live USB of Linux you want to install<\/li>\n<li>Backup of your important files in Windows and in Linux on an external disk (optional yet recommended)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Things to keep in mind for keeping your home directory while changing Linux distribution<\/h3>\n<p>If you want to keep your files from existing Linux install as it is, you must have a separate root and home directory. You might have noticed that in my <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/guide-install-elementary-os-luna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dual boot tutorials<\/a>, I always go for \u2018Something Else\u2019 option and then manually create root and home partitions instead of choosing \u2018Install alongside Windows\u2019 option. This is where all the troubles in manually creating separate home partition pay off.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping Home on a separate partition is helpful in situations when you want to replace your existing Linux install with another without losing your files.<\/p>\n<p>Note: You must remember the exact username and password of your existing Linux install in order to use the same home directory as it is in the new distribution.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have a separate Home partition, you may create it later as well BUT I won\u2019t recommend that. That process is slightly complicated and I don\u2019t want you to mess up your system.<\/p>\n<p>With that much background information, it\u2019s time to see how to replace a Linux distribution with another.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 1: Create a live USB of the new Linux distribution<\/h3>\n<p>Alright! I already mentioned it in the requirements but I still included it in the main steps to avoid confusion.<\/p>\n<p>You can create a live USB using a start up disk creator like <a href=\"https:\/\/etcher.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Etcher<\/a> in Windows or Linux. The process is simple so I am not going to list the steps here.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Boot into live USB and proceed to installing Linux<\/h3>\n<p>Since you have already dual booted before, you probably know the drill. Plugin the live USB, restart your system and at the boot time, press F10 or F12 repeatedly to enter BIOS settings.<\/p>\n<p>In here, choose to boot from the USB. And then you\u2019ll see the option to try the live environment or installing it immediately.<\/p>\n<p>You should start the installation procedure. When you reach the \u2018Installation type\u2019 screen, choose the \u2018Something else\u2019 option.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-1.jpg\" alt=\"Replacing one Linux with another from dual boot\" \/>Select \u2018Something else\u2019 here<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Prepare the partition<\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ll see the partitioning screen now. Look closely and you\u2019ll see your Linux installation with Ext4 file system type.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-2.jpg\" alt=\"Identifying Linux partition in dual boot\" \/>Identify where your Linux is installed<\/p>\n<p>In the above picture, the Ext4 partition labeled as Linux Mint 19 is the root partition. The second Ext4 partition of 82691 MB is the Home partition. I <a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/swap-size\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">haven\u2019t used any swap space<\/a> here.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you have just one Ext4 partition, that means that your home directory is on the same partition as root. In this case, you won\u2019t be able to keep your Home directory. I suggest that you copy the important files to an external disk else you\u2019ll lose them forever.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time to delete the root partition. Select the root partition and click the \u2013 sign. This will create some free space.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-3.jpg\" alt=\"Delete root partition of your existing Linux install\" \/>Delete root partition<\/p>\n<p>When you have the free space, click on + sign.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-4.jpg\" alt=\"Create root partition for the new Linux\" \/>Create a new root partition<\/p>\n<p>Now you should create a new partition out of this free space. If you had just one root partition in your previous Linux install, you should create root and home partitions here. You can also create the swap partition if you want to.<\/p>\n<p>If you had root and home partition separately, just create a root partition from the deleted root partition.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-5.jpg\" alt=\"Create root partition for the new Linux\" \/>Creating root partition<\/p>\n<p>You may ask why did I use delete and add instead of using the \u2018change\u2019 option. It\u2019s because a few years ago, using change didn\u2019t work for me. So I prefer to do a \u2013 and +. Is it superstition? Maybe.<\/p>\n<p>One important thing to do here is to mark the newly created partition for format. f you don\u2019t change the size of the partition, it won\u2019t be formatted unless you explicitly ask it to format. And if the partition is not formatted, you\u2019ll have issues.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>It\u2019s important to format the root partition<\/p>\n<p>Now if you already had a separate Home partition on your existing Linux install, you should select it and click on change.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-7.jpg\" alt=\"Recreate home partition\" \/>Retouch the already existing home partition (if any)<\/p>\n<p>You just have to specify that you are mounting it as home partition.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-8.jpg\" alt=\"Specify the home mount point\" \/>Specify the home mount point<\/p>\n<p>If you had a swap partition, you can repeat the same steps as the home partition. This time specify that you want to use the space as swap.<\/p>\n<p>At this stage, you should have a root partition (with format option selected) and a home partition (and a swap if you want to). Hit the install now button to start the installation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-9.jpg\" alt=\"Verify partitions while replacing one Linux with another\" \/>Verify the partitions<\/p>\n<p>The next few screens would be familiar to you. What matters is the screen where you are asked to create user and password.<\/p>\n<p>If you had a separate home partition previously and you want to use the same home directory, you MUST use the same username and password that you had before. Computer name doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-10.jpg\" alt=\"To keep the home partition intact, use the previous user and password\" \/>To keep the home partition intact, use the previous user and password<\/p>\n<p>Your struggle is almost over. You don\u2019t have to do anything else other than waiting for the installation to finish.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/replace-linux-with-another-11.jpg\" alt=\"Wait for installation to finish\" \/>Wait for installation to finish<\/p>\n<p>Once the installation is over, restart your system. You\u2019ll have a new Linux distribution or version.<\/p>\n<p>In my case, I had the entire home directory of Linux Mint 19 as it is in the elementary OS. All the videos, pictures I had remained as it is. Isn\u2019t that nice?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/20749c268f5d3e4d2c785499eb6a17c0?s=70&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" alt=\"\" width=\"70\" height=\"70\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>About Abhishek Prakash<\/h4>\n<p>I am a professional software developer, and founder of It&#8217;s FOSS. I am an avid Linux lover and Open Source enthusiast. I use Ubuntu and believe in sharing knowledge. Apart from Linux, I love classic detective mysteries. I&#8217;m a huge fan of Agatha Christie&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/itsfoss.com\/replace-linux-from-dual-boot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have a Linux distribution installed, you can replace it with another distribution in the dual boot. You can also keep your personal documents while switching the distribution. Suppose you managed to successfully dual boot Ubuntu and Windows. But after reading the Linux Mint versus Ubuntu discussion, you realized that Linux Mint is more &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/2018\/10\/19\/how-to-replace-one-linux-distro-with-another-in-dual-boot-guide\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to Replace one Linux Distro With Another in Dual Boot [Guide]&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-linux"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1181,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions\/1181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appservgrid.com\/paw92\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}