Cleanup without fresh install
I am currently using Ubuntu for my work laptop ( lucky me, company lets me use Linux :).
However due how things goes I have installed stuff to test out, left it there and thrashed my home with random files and things I don't really care about.
In my machine I would just do a fresh install, load my dotfiles and back to clean state.
But in this machine I would like to take a different approach cause.
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The machine came preconfigured with an IT account and prob other stuff.
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I don't really wanna go to IT just for a some little ick of mine to have a clean puter, and also don't wanna fresh install without telling them.
What would you guys do in this situation?
5 replies
Move the content of your home folder to a new subfolder, pick the bits you need and delete the subfolder?
yeah but leftover packages are a mess... but that's a way to deal with the home stuff you are right.
There might be some installation logs that show what you manually installed.
Yeah I think it will have to come to that, I am usually my own IT guy and did not want to bother our DevOps/IT guy which is loaded with other more important stuff.
But it will have to come to that once it becomes somewhat unbearable.
Will ask him for a backup policy though now that you point that out.
I my personal machine I got a btrfs volume just for that I could replicate that.
I hope to get corrected but is using a fresh user home directory as a base and reinstalling all the software you need a bad idea ? or even just use a new user completely?