I have done this 12684612684 times plus 1:
Boot both puters with Linux CDs.
On the destination puter:
Create partitions for data and swap.
mke2fs -j (my data partition)
mkswap (my swap partition)
Mount data partition to /mnt
Start an SSH server
On source puter:
Mount data partition to /mnt
run:
rsync -avHX --super --checksum -e ssh /mnt/ root@<my-new-puter>:/mnt
On the destination puter:
Adjust /boot/grub/menu.lst and /etc/fstab.
run grub and install a new MBR.
Boot and enjoy... :)
Issues you may have to deal with:
If the E2fsprogs you use to create your filesystem is significantly newer
than the one you have installed, fsck will puke.
If the partitions in your old puter are creative and/or use UUIDs in
/etc/fstab and/or /boot/grub/menu.lst, you will have to either replicate the
UUIDs in the new partitions or adjust your /etc/fstab and/or
/boot/grub/menu.lst to work without them.
Other options:
If you are running a Debian derivative I would:
dpkg --list|grep ii > ~/my-packages and
install a new system from scratch, rsync my home directory to the new puter,
save /etc somewhere in case there is some creative configuration lying
around and save whatever directory may have server and/or database stuff.
Or just save the whole enchilada and delete months later what you didn't
need... :)
If you need more detailed assistance I can walk you over the phone or
(better) I can login to both puters and do it for you.
ET
betty writes:
> This is the last forum for my research on this project, everyone's
> advice here has always been most helpful. Although i haven't needed too
> much advice lately (since linux is sooo stable !)
>
> I have an old pentium 3 with ide hdd that i have been using for many
> years. It is a little slow (to say the least) especially running
> multiple apps.
> I was just given a dell optiplex mini form factor w/pentium 4 and sata
> drive connectors. (*no hdd*).
> It looks like there are two options here;
>
> i can get ide to sata connectors and use my old drive so nothing really
> changes and it seems easy, however the hdd is old (maybe 10 years) so i
> risk eventual hardware failure.
> or
> i can get a sata drive and copy everything to it. seems best way to me.
> not that much more expensive. will last longer etc.
>
> question: if i go for option two, is there a way to copy (like mirror)
> my old drive stuff to the new one so it works and looks the same to
> me???, if so how do i do that? (the old computer does not have a working
> cdrw)
> or do i need to do a new install and copy my files over :(
>
> thanks for your patience and help in advance.
>
> --
> betty i.
> www.webcanine.com
> information for people
> who care for dogs.
>
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