Partition Migration Quicklist

Quicklist for migrating partitions:

  • Download Knoppix LiveCD
  • Burn and boot to said CD
  • umount any partitions that you will be moving
  • Use gParted to "Copy and Paste" partitions to intended destinations (yes, even across harddisks). Don't forget to create the swap fs!
  • Take notes where each partition is and what it contains. Map to expected /dev/sdxx devices so you know what's where
  • Shutdown and move around / disconnect harddisks if needed
  • mount filesystems for /boot and /etc (may be on one filesystem
  • edit /boot/grub/device.map file to reflect changed harddisk organisation (or whatever other hoops other boot managers make you jump through)
  • reinstall GRUB (or other boot manager). something like this
    • find /boot/grub/stage1
    • Use output for next command  root (hdx,x)
    • Setup grub with setup (hd?) where ? is whatever disk (for MBR install) or where ? is whatever partition (for partition install).
  • Edit /etc/fstab to point to correct partitions, delete obselete lines from the file.
  • Reboot and test. Also prepare to reinstall windows, if needed... :(