Failure to reinslall Ubuntu 18.04

Do you want to change the partitioning scheme during the reinstallation?
Do you want to keep data that are already there, or are you accepting to lose everything what currently is there on the disks?

Hi Manfred
Partitioning is here because the tchnical paper I was following asks for full width partitions on both disks as part of configuring a two disk setup, one SSP for root and one HDD for programs and data. Existing disks have several patitions, not just the one I was looking to have.
A more pressing problem is the loss of @. I've tried all th keys and can'find it. This means I can't log in to anything that needs an email address.

On Monday 04/03/2019 at 08:03:36, Manfred Hampl wrote:
> Your question #678913 on ubiquity in Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/678913
>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> Manfred Hampl requested more information:
> Do you want to change the partitioning scheme during the
> reinstallation?
> Do you want to keep data that are already there, or are you accepting
> to lose everything what currently is there on the disks?
>
> --
> To answer this request for more information, you can either reply to
> this email or enter your reply at the following page:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/678913
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the
> question.
Hi Manfred
I am having to use an old computer because @ has disappeared from my
everyday keyboard so I don't know if anything else will happen. It
just failed to show up when I started the computer.

In an attempt to improve performance I was adding a second hard disk
so as to have an ssp for boot and a Hdd for everything else. The
article I was following called for a single partition s on each disk
but the installation wizard stopped me going any further.

Lack of @ is number one problem,

Peter Ratcliffe

If you cannot find the "@" key, then you perhaps have selected a wrong keyboard layout.

(temporary workaround: copy/paste the @ character from somewhere else)

What is the output of the command
cat -n /etc/default/keyboard

The @ key has come back on it's own - it was there when I switched on

The output of your command is "no such file or directory"

You asked about keeping data. Not a problem as all the information I want to keep is on memory sticks so should be safe.

Peter Ratcliffe, looking forward to hearing fro you

What is your target partition scheme?
What do you want on which disk?
if you are following a guideline, which one?

I was following a maketecheasier article called How to Install Ubuntu with Separate Root and Home Hard Drives with 120GB ssd for Root and 1 TR hhd for data, apps & everything else. The article calls for both to be a single partition across each disk. I hope this is enough for you to identify where I am trying to get. Partitions are new to me.

Regards, Peter Ratcliffe

I assume you are referring to https://www.maketecheasier.com/install-ubuntu-with-different-root-home-hard-drives/

At the step after selecting "something else" - what do you see in the next screen in the leftmost column?
Which problem do you have when you try following these instructions?

Your assumption is correct

The screen after something else shows the following but I can't find a way to reproduce the screen content; hope theses are what you need.
Under heading installation type,
device type mount point size
/dev/sda
/dev/sda1 swap 510MB
/dev/sda6 fat32 536MB
/dev/sda7 ext4 24455MB
/dev /sda5 ext4 94520MB
/dev/sdb5 ext4 1000203MB

Device for boot loader installation
/dev/sda ATA KINGsTON 120 GB

Hope that is what you need.

I have problems when either the next step is not there or goes off in a different direction, which happens a lot. I don't recall a specific when following installation, but I could not move mount points. With apologies if I've missed anything - my 80 year old brain is easily confused!

Regards, Peter Ratcliffe

Quote from the document:
"Select the hard drive that you plan to use for the root file system. If there is already a partition table on it, the editor will show partitions. Delete all of them, using the tool."

If you do not need the data currently on the disks any more, then just select one partition after the other and select "delete" (I assume shown as a "-" button).
Partitions are those entries that have a number at the end (/dev/sda1, /dev/sda6, etc.)

After the deletion of all partitions action should see something like
/dev/sda
 free space 120000 MB
/dev/sdb
 free space 1000000 MB

Now create a new partition on each of the hard disks, by following the instructions "Now that both drives have partition tables ..."

Sorry Manfred - I'm stuck again on delete all 0f them using the tool. What is "the tool"? I did select 120MB as root file system and I deleted some partitions but not all. At one point a message came on to say "no root file system is defined". I seem to have progressed as far screen at #9 but no further. HELP !

Peter Ratcliffe

"The tool" is the program for manipulation disks and partition that is running at that step of the installation process.

If you want to follow the instructions of maketecheasier, then you have to delete _all_ partitions.

Intermediate results have to be like this:
/dev/sda
 free space 120000 MB
/dev/sdb
 free space 1000000 MB

Afterwards you have to convert the two "free space" lines into partitions again (as described my maketecheasier).

oops, typo
... as described by maketecheasier).

Got to the end, I think, two disks identified and list themselves as;

/dev/sda
free space 120034MB
/dev/sdb
/dev/sdb1 ext4 /home

Can't see a mount point / for boot disk

When I press install now I get a message "no root file system 1is defined
                                                                            Please correct this from the partition men"
 stumped again, Peter

Thanks Manfred Hampl, that solved my question.