root partition full

[Robert24]

Thanks for your reply claydoh . But if I use the automatic install option, what happens to my messy partitioning? Shouldn't I at least try to merge this backup partition into my root partition?

[claydoh]

Regarding this "swap file" is it something I woyld need to set up manually?

If you were to use one of the automatic install options, a swap file would be created automatically. If you do a manual partitioning, you would need to set this up yourself.

[Robert24]

Schwarzer Kater Thank you for your answer! It seems I didn't phrase well what I had in mind: when I wrote

could I not use my USB live key to simply extend the root partition with the space of the backup and swap partition

I meant that I don't need to wipe out my /home partition. Maybe I can keep it and simply make the / partition bigger by adding to it the space retrieved from the backup and swap partitions deleted. Would it be doable? Would I even need to format the root partition at all and re-install Kubuntu 22.04?
I guess that I would have to stick with this ext4 format then, but if I don't count this root partition too full, I didn't have complaints with this format so far.
I will read the resources that you are pointing me too once I'm at home.

oshunluvr Thank you for your answer. Indeed, simplicity would be the best. As I mention, I would be glad I I can avoid formating my home partition but I'm ready to do it if there is no other choice. For the snapshot and backup features that you mentioned, I don't know them but I will read about it. So far deja dub back up has been good enough for me. Are there some inconvenient in having this BTRFS? Regarding this "swap file" is it something I woyld need to set up manually? Or would it be set up automatically in absence of a swap partition?

[oshunluvr]

...I personally still prefer to have an additional swap partition as some kernel developers suggest…

Points to consider:

• Most users rarely if ever need swap any more. If they do, it need not follow the old formula for size.
• A swap file is easily adjusted in size or moved or removed.
• My reading says there's little or no performance difference between a swap file or partition.
• A swap partition is a permanent fixture that requires serious - and potentially dangerous - work to amend.

In this case, an inexperienced user just trying to get their system working - they are much better off without a swap partition. My recommendation here is to have a small swap file for those "just in case" moments and not a swap partition that will most likely go unused and just eat drive space for zero benefit. In my case and I suspect yours, we know whether or not swap will be needed and have the drive space to accommodate it. Our new friend Robert24 is a little short on drive space and not sure (which means likely not) if swap is needed or not. The only case that I recommend a swap partition anymore is someone who boots several distros and wants to share swap space across them. I too have a swap partition for this reason.


I think for Robert24: you should probably stay as simple as possible so you're not bogged down again trying to redo the install. My advice is to wipe the whole mess and re-install to a single partition. I also recommend BTRFS vs. EXT4 (any and every day). There are benefits including snapshot and backup features that are built into the file system rather than requiring external tools. No need to concern yourself with that now, just get your install up and running.

Since you're dual booting with windows you shouldn't need to add any other partitions as the EFI partition already exists.

[Schwarzer Kater]

I would strongly advise against using an USB stick permanently for any kind of system installation!
They are for example not designed for that purpose (e.g. they do not use S.M.A.R.T.), not durable enough concerning writes (unless you have perhaps an external "stick" case with an NVMe SSD…) and much slower than using an SATA SSD or an M.2 NVMe SSD mounted inside your computer.


There are many threads you can find in this forum about partitioning (mostly with ext4 - with btrfs you will at least need an additional EFI partition besides your root partition on your drive and there are certain things you have to be aware of with btrfs and swap files/subvolumes).
Here are just two examples - for btrfs-specific things best use the subforum mentioned above.

For a simple partitioning scheme (no extra /home or /swap) see: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...ual-partitions

For a little more complex one (extra /home) see: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...i-boot-working

I personally still prefer to have an additional swap partition as some kernel developers suggest…

[Robert24]

I read a bit about why it's good to have the root and home directory on different partitions and now I realize that there is maybe an option that I had not considered (sorry if that's absolutelt obvious 😅): could I not use my USB live key to simply extend the root partition with the space of the backup and swap partition? And reinstall Ubuntu 22.04 on this new root partition without wiping out my home partition? So my personal data would remain intact? I did a (manual) back up on an external hard drive, but maybe I don't need to copy back everything? I would prefer this because I'm a bit sorried that if I copy back my data frome the external HD to the newly formated /home partition, some repos github repo that I had cloned would not be well synced anymore (I won't go in the detail here but only part of my local repo is on GitHub).

[Robert24]

Thanks for your reply Schwarzer Kater. To be honest, all I want is not to have to think about partitions. This thing with the root directory being suddenly full to the point where I can't use deja dub backup is something that I would like to avoid in the future.
I'm not afraid of the terminal itself but I have no clue about the respective advantages of the different partitioning scheme. I don't even understand why the home and the root have to be on different partitions. But I will look at the link you shared and try to get an understanding of what is best for me.

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…] How do I create one which has this BTRFS format and "bypass that fixed partition nonsense"?

This is an easy thing to to say for some of the more computer-savvy users here, but I would not advise you to do that in *Ubuntu unless you e.g. are an advanced user and like to do some things in the terminal.

But if you want to use btrfs in the future, there is a whole sub-forum for this here: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...llaneous/btrfs

[Robert24]

Ok, I'm going to bed, it's past midnight here in Switzerland. Have a great day!

[Robert24]

Should I do the following:
1) delete the home partion
2) change the root partition and select "use as" = "btrfs journaling file system" and thick the box "Format the partition" and select "Mount point" = "/"?
I don't see the option to put the free space into this new root partition.

[Robert24]

Thanks a lot for your reply Schwarzer Kater. Yes, I'm a bit stuck here with an issue. I'm in the middle of tge installation process, at the "Disk setup" step after having chosen "Manual", and I'm not sure what I should keep, what I should throw away, and what I should change. I guess I can delete the partition for the swap and the one for the backup. How do I create one which has this BTRFS format and "bypass that fixed partition nonsense"?

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…]
I'm now writing from my old laptop. All I want now is to re-install kubuntu 22.04 and fix this partition problem. I already have the USB live key.

Do you need any further information or help to do so?

[Robert24]

Schwarzer Kater Thank you for your reply. I was referring to the instructions to install firefox that you had shared with me, but anyway, I made up my mind, and I will just re-install my system.

[Robert24]

GreyGeek Thank you for your suggestion! I will follow your advice and try my best.

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…]
I didn't forget other recommendations that you made in order to reclaim some space, but there were still some aspects which I didn't understand:
Schwarzer Kater First, thanks for your help. But I'm a bit confused by the explanation given in https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...partition-full . Am I correct that when there are two sub-bullet points, these are different options? Anyway, since I have Google Chrome that I can use as a temporary replacement, I still ran

sudo snap remove firefox

thinking that it would free some space but after that, I got a new warning notification telling me that now I have 0M free (so it looks like somehow I used the little space I had left). I guess that something was cached, but I have no idea.
[…]

Sorry, but I can't find what you are referring to by "… that when there are two sub-bullet points, these are different options?" - the link does not lead to a specific post…

As to sudo snap remove firefox:
Simply removing a Snap does indeed create a cache, I missed that!
You would have to sudo snap purge a Snap to avoid this behavior, but you would also loose settings etc. with purge - good if you don't need them anyway in the future, bad if you do…