I've been using Bazzite for about a month, and while it works well, its heavy reliance on Flatpak means some applications I need aren't available. I'm considering switching to Linux Mint or Ubuntu. When installing the new system, will I have to format my existing drives or partitions, or can I preserve the data already on them?
3 Answers
A separate home or data partition can make future distro changes easier. During installation, assign it to /home or another mount point but make sure the format option is disabled. Always back up important files first, since an installation mistake or an incompatible setup can still cause data loss.
It depends on the exact partition layout and installer. Switching between Bazzite, Fedora-based systems, and Ubuntu or Mint is possible, but reusing the old root partition without formatting may leave behind configuration files that cause conflicts. The safest approach is to back up your files, format only the system partition, and preserve separate data or home partitions if you have them.
You generally only need to format the partition where the new system's root directory (/) will be installed. Other drives and data partitions can usually be left untouched, as long as you select the partitions carefully during manual setup.
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