aims team mailing list archive

[Bruno Nova <1265192@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've made a few tests with the ubiquity installer in trusty-proposed in
Virtualbox (EFI mode not enabled).

* First I installed Windows 8 and left around 30 GB free.
* Then I installed Ubuntu to the free space using the automatic partitioning. All good! Windows was still there.
* Then I reinstalled Ubuntu. All good!
* After reboot, I ran the installer again to see what the "erase entire disk" option would do. The confirmation dialog reported that partitions 1 and 5 would be formatted, as expected (I didn't proceed).
* Then I went back and used manual partitioning to reinstall Ubuntu again. When making the first change, a message informed me that "the changes must be written to disk before continuing". That message is a bit alarming, but the installation worked correctly.
* Then I booted a Kubuntu live session to test the KDE frontend. This frontend didn't offer an option to replace Ubuntu with Kubuntu. It only had options to resize the Windows partition and install there, and to use the whole disk. So I used the manual partitioning. The confirmation dialog was displayed in this frontend too.
ubiquity-frontend-kde is in the "universe" repository, so it's not officially supported by Canonical, but I wanted to test it too.
* Finally, I formatted the Windows partitions with GParted and added a few files to them, then ran the installer to replace Kubuntu with Ubuntu (automatic partitioning). Everything worked as intended.
There was also an option to install Ubuntu alongside Kubuntu (by resizing one of the formatted Windows partitions). I tried it later: the confirmation dialog didn't mention those partitions being formatted. Then, during the installation I mounted those partitions (using "mount") and, as expected, they weren't formatted (I didn't have the time to finish the installation). So it seems to have worked correctly.

The confirmation dialog was always displayed (including after the manual
partitioning).

Every time before running the installer, I enabled trusty-proposed and upgraded 3 packages: ubiquity, ubiquity-frontend-gtk, ubiquity-ubuntu-artwork (I wrote these names from memory).
I also wanted to see if ubiquity would detect an hibernated Windows 8 partition, but I couldn't find the option to enable it in Windows 8 (maybe it's not supported inside Virtualbox).

ubiquity 2.18.8.3 seems to be working correctly from these not very
extensive tests in Virtualbox.

However, I haven't added the verification-done tag yet.
It would be great if someone else also tested this. Better yet if the tests could be done on a real UEFI testing machine.
But note that, according to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/ReleaseSchedule, 14.04.2 will be released on February 5th. The new version of ubiquity should be tested and "approved" before then.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of AIMS,
which is subscribed to the bug report.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1265192

Title:
  Install/reinstall wipes out all/other partitions

Status in elementary OS:
  Fix Released
Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in ubiquity source package in Trusty:
  Fix Committed

Bug description:
  [Impact]

  Serious data loss due to misleading UI in a variety of cases where the
  installer fails to accurately assess or describe the current
  partitioning layout.  This set of proposed changes fix the problem
  both narrowly (by fixing a specific detection failure) and broadly (by
  being more consistent and conservative about how automatic
  partitioning methods are described, and by always displaying a
  confirmation dialog; "are you sure?" dialogs are generally dubious,
  but in this case it supplies more specific information which is a
  justifiable last resort for an operation as potentially destructive as
  partitioning).  I have taken care to ensure that it has no impact on
  translations.

  [Test Case]

  Validating this ideally requires exploratory testing, but simple tests
  include setting up partitioning layouts that include deliberately-
  unrecognisable partitions and making sure that the installation
  process only removes those in response to options that explicitly
  state that they will erase the disk rather than merely erasing a
  single OS, and that a confirmation dialog is always displayed.

  [Regression Potential]

  This involves partitioning logic, so be careful.  I've tried to keep
  the changes as isolated as possible to the automatic partitioning
  page, although the confirmation dialog change also affects the manual
  partitioner.  It's worth checking that back/forward paths still work
  correctly, as this took me several goes to get right.

  Original report follows:

  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

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/elementaryos/+bug/1265192/+subscriptions