aims team mailing list archive

[Chris Bainbridge <chris.bainbridge@xxxxxxxxx>]

There are several options in ubiquity that will wipe the whole disk but
this is not mentioned in the option description.  The patch I'm
attaching changes the descriptions for the *_format actions to better
reflect that those options wipe the whole disk, including other
partitions and operating systems.

The generic text is:

 _Description: Erase whole disk and install ${DISTRO}
 <span foreground="darkred">Warning:</span> This will delete everything on the disk, including other partitions, other operating systems, all your programs, documents, photos, music, and any other files.

I would prefer to get rid of the duplicate messages and just display a
simple "your whole drive is going to be erased, everything will be gone,
all of your data will be deleted". imho ubiquity is trying too hard to
display a custom message, and instead opening the possibility of fault
and misinterpretation, by trying to identify what the user has installed
and only reporting that (eg. trying to detect a Windows partition, then
telling the user Windows will be replaced). There is a possibility of
confusion if ubiquity fails to identify a drive or partition (eg. does
ubiquity identify encrypted partitions from other operating systems?
Does it identify Windows Dynamic Disks? Has anyone ever tested this?)
and then simply says "Update Ubuntu" or "Replace Windows", when what it
is actually going to do is erase every partition on the drive.

The bottom line is that, if the whole disk is going to be erased, then
ubiquity should say so. The old simple message "Erase disk and install
Ubuntu" was at least clear that the disk was going to be erased, but now
different messages get shown depending no what ubiquity detects on the
hard drive, and then the whole drive is wiped without the user being
told that was going to happen.

** Patch added: "ubiquity-better-desc.patch"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1265192/+attachment/4190239/+files/ubiquity-better-desc.patch

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1265192

Title:
  Install/reinstall wipes out all/other partitions

Status in elementary OS:
  New
Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in “ubuntu-livecd-image” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in “ubiquity” source package in Trusty:
  Triaged
Status in “ubuntu-livecd-image” source package in Trusty:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Brand new Samsung laptop with UEFI. I had installed 13.04 Ubuntu but on reboot I never saw the 'grub' style menu. It just kept going into Windows 8.1.  So I got the 13.10 version (64 bit) and choose "Reinstall Ubuntu" (That may not be the exact text)
  It removed all the partiions including the recovery partitions. I do have a backup for the windows install, but I was very surprised that this happened.
  On a positive note I now have Ububtu up and running on my machine. 
  This is not my first time with Ubuntu. I have installed Ubuntu alongside WinXp, Vista and Windows 7. I've used Ubuntu desktop for over 6 years.
  If you would like me to try something to replicate this. .. I could shrink my existing partion make another one - reinstall and see if it whacks that one. I can do this now .. I'm still moving into this laptop so starting over is not so bad.

  Steve Devine

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