Arch Linux

kasbah

Member

Registered: 2009-08-13

Posts: 30

Re-Installing: What config files to keep?

I am need to get a new HDD as the current one is failing. I am quite happy with my system but do always like a fresh start plus I am not sure how the old HDD will cope with trying to transferr everything.

So I just want to import my config files when I re-install Arch on the new HDD. I am not running any desktop environment or graphical login. Just straight xmonad that starts when I login.

Here is a list of dirs and files I have identified that I should probably try to to import:

/etc/X11/Xsession
/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/30-dbus
/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/40-libcanberra-gtk-module
/etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
/etc/hosts
/etc/rc.conf
~/.Xdefaults
~/.bashrc
~/.ctags
~/.terminfo/r/rxvt-unicode
~/.vim/
~/.vimrc
~/.xinitrc
~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs

I want to make sure that the system will boot Xmonad on login again with the same settings.

Do you think I am forgetting any config files? Is there some other flaw with this way of upgrading the system?

dyscoria

Member

Registered: 2008-01-10

Posts: 1,007

Re: Re-Installing: What config files to keep?

I usually keep a backup of entire /etc as that's only a few MB anyway. Apart from the ones listed, pacman.conf and rc.local{,.shutdown} are useful from /etc.

May want ~/.bash_profile ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and .xmobarrc (if you use it) as well from $HOME.

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Inxsible

Forum Fellow

From: Chicago

Registered: 2008-06-09

Posts: 9,183

Re: Re-Installing: What config files to keep?

this depends on what software you are already using....Eg. :  clyde.conf -- if you use it etc...

pacman.conf and mirrorlist are good candidates. xbindkeysrc is something that you better backup (again if you use it) It's a real pain in the ass to have to re-create the key bindings, because you have to use xev to find out the codes or the actual name of the key-- just tedious IMO.
Whenever, I re-install, I just mount the same /home making sure that I don't format it. So I generally don't copy over home, but if you are planning to change the partition sizes and/or the locations of the partitions within the drive, then backing it up is a good idea as well.

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SS4

Member

From: !Rochford, Essex

Registered: 2010-12-05

Posts: 699

Re: Re-Installing: What config files to keep?

/etc/fstab  
/etc/pacman.conf

Also any program config files that you've heavily edited such as ~/.mozilla and ~/.abcde.conf

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