Update from F20(32 bit) to F20(64 bit) without dataloss

asked 2014-08-01 01:54:08 -0600

VoidByte
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updated 2014-08-01 04:05:43 -0600

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Hello, i have a full customized F20 System, and it stores lots of personal data (from UGC up to expensive Programms). But the problem is, that it is the 32bit version of the OS, now i want to use the 64 bit version, that will fit more on my hardware.

Is there a chance to update all installed files to their 64 bit version without the risk that i have to format my harddisk(wich would be a calamaty) ?

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answered 2014-08-01 03:33:34 -0600

cobra

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You need to reinstall from scratch. But that's not as big a problem as you think, especially if you have a separate /home partition - reinstall and keep the /home partition untouched. If you don't have a separate partition, then carefully back-up your /home and store it - use tar or cp -a ... to ensure the permissions of all files remain unchanged when you restore.

You should also:

ensure you've kept a copy of your /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow and /etc/group files so the user details can be restored after the re-install
keep copies of any updated configuration files you might have in /etc/ or elsewhere - and don't just dump them on after the reinstall, use a diff tool to merge your configs with newer format or updated configuration files.
don't forget to back up any databases or websites you might be using
double check that you don't have any other data you might want to keep (DNS configs, web site configs, cron jobs, etc.) before you wipe your system for the reinstall

The data in your /home directory is used transparently between 32 and 64 bit systems. On my network the /home is autofs-mounted from a central server and is used on both 32 bit and 64 bit platforms with no issues.

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look @ comment on "toniocs" answer. Its also for you. And thanks for that help!

VoidByte ( 2014-08-01 08:42:48 -0600 )edit

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answered 2014-08-01 04:17:24 -0600

tonioc
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You will need to full install the OS to go to 64b version. However:

if your system contains critical data, I just can't imagine you have no backup for it. If this is actually the case, you need to address this first! (by any way starting from USB device to NAS or cloud storage).
if you have no actual need for 64b version (e.g. programms needing huge amounts of memory), you'll have low benefit on moving to 64b version.
depending on how your hdd is organized (free space possibly available), you may install the 64b version beside the 32b.

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thanks for the answer tonioc and cobra. And your right, i will stick to the 32 bit version. Its not about the bigger files like music, photos and books that makes me headakes. Its about configure Fedora.

I think fedora is a super user-unfriendly system. Especialy if you come from NeptuneOS or any of these Ubuntu-Distros. It was taking me hours to get MP3, Flash and Chromium to work, (and we wont talk about all the billion of other things, like "grub-customizer" f.e.) and i cannot efford this heavy amount of time again, just for almost no benefit.

But anyway, thank you both for your help

VoidByte ( 2014-08-01 08:42:06 -0600 )edit

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Update from F20(32 bit) to F20(64 bit) without dataloss

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