From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jul 30 15:31:17 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 759AF16A419 for ; Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:31:17 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bv@bilver.wjv.com) Received: from wjv.com (fl-65-40-24-38.sta.embarqhsd.net [65.40.24.38]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D03F513C468 for ; Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:31:16 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bv@bilver.wjv.com) Received: from bilver.wjv.com (localhost.wjv.com [127.0.0.1]) by wjv.com (8.14.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id l6UEw5ZH027127; Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:58:06 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from bv@bilver.wjv.com) Received: (from bv@localhost) by bilver.wjv.com (8.14.1/8.13.1/Submit) id l6UEw0Wu027126; Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:58:00 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from bv) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:58:00 -0400 From: Bill Vermillion To: Ross Penner Message-ID: <20070730145800.GF26241@wjv.com> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Organization: W.J.Vermillion / Orlando - Winter Park ReplyTo: bv@wjv.com X-Spam-Status: No, score=-4.3 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, SPF_HELO_PASS,SPF_PASS autolearn=ham version=3.1.7 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.7 (2006-10-05) on bilver.wjv.com Cc: User questions Subject: Re: Downgrading from current X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: bv@wjv.com List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:31:17 -0000 At Sun, Jul 29, 2007 at 19:42 , our malformed and occasionally flatulent friend Ross Penner spewed forth this fount of brain juice: > I recently upgraded my system from stable to current to try and take > advantage of some of wireless features offered. Unfortunetly, things > didn't work out as well as I'd like to and I want to downgrade. > Reading online, it seems that downgrading isn't supported and it's > probably best to just reinstall the system. This seems reasonable enough > to me but I have a couple problems I need to address first. > I have a lot of data on my /usr partition that I would rather not have to > backup and then readd to the system. is there a way I can reinstall and > leave parts of the file system intact? I assume that I can use the same > partitions but I'm worried that reinstalling will clean the partitions. One of the good things about the design of FreeBSD >>IF<< you install with separate file-systems, is that the OS fully resides in /, and /usr is for all non-OS default programs. You should be able to change the OS by only installing the / system, and do NOT make a new filesystem on /usr Too many seem to advocate the idea of using the whole disk and not using separate filesystems, and if that is what you have done you have to backup all your /usr and then redo the install. So many who advocate only one filesystem seem to come from the Linux and/or MS world. Bill -- Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com