Replace 32-bit F9 with 64-bit F9

[Tim]

On Thu, 2008-11-20 at 14:24 -0500, Chris Snook wrote:
> The long answer is that anaconda and yum have no logic to handle this,
> so the only way to do it is to tell the installer not to format the
> filesystems you're installing on.  This means your installation will
> have a whole lot of random crap, which expects other random crap
> you've overwritten to be there, and anything on the system which scans
> directories for configuration files and scripts will try to use that
> random crap.

The work around for that is, prior to the new install, you boot off
something else (e.g. a rescue disc, or the new install disc, but
interrupt the installing routine), and remove the files and directories
other than home.

e.g. rm -rfd /bin
     rm -rfd /etc
     rm -rfd /usr

And so on...

This does give you a clean slate, however, it also means that you have
to choose what to install.  You don't get to do a install 64 bit with
the same list of 32 bit packages that you used to have, unless you
prepare a list of packages, too.

The other aspect to this sort of thing is user configuration files may
not be compatible between different installations.  If anything includes
a path to a 64 bit thing that's now going to be done by a 32 bit thing
in a different location, that configuration will be broken.

When I've updated a computer, in the above fashion, I renamed the home
directories.  e.g. "/home/tim" became "/home/tim-old".  I booted up,
logged in, let configurations be built for Gnome and applications, then
moved back in the things from my old directory that I wanted.  Which
might be a bookmarks file from a web browser, and some personal data
sub-directories.

-- 
[tim at localhost ~]$ uname -r
2.6.27.5-41.fc9.i686

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