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Idea #9042: Display volume labels in the Ubuntu installer

Written by Eldmannen the 24 May 08 at 17:27. Category: Installation. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
Many new users are confused by device names such as /dev/sda1, /dev/sdb5, /dev/hda2, /dev/hdc4, etc.

So I propose to show volume labels (partition names) in the installer, to make it easier for users who install Ubuntu to know which partition they are installing on.

Screenshots:
* Before
* After

This will make it clearer and easier to install Ubuntu without any mistakes being done which might result in that a new user accidentally looses valuable data.

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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #9042
Written by Eldmannen the 24 May 08 at 17:27.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #9042 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

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Primož Papič wrote on the 24 May 08 at 17:47
Totally agree sometimes I cant differ between my firs disk, my second disk and my usb. It would be nice if partitions would have names.
+1

FrankQuist wrote on the 24 May 08 at 18:32
I have been an Ubuntu user since Feisty now, but I've tried Ubuntu before. When I tried to install it to one of my many partitions, with clear names, I could not find these names in the installer. Eventually it meant I had to do a lot of hard work to find the right labels. I did not feel like that was worth my time just to try Ubuntu, and quit, until I found Wubi. This IS a hurdle.

mprince wrote on the 24 May 08 at 18:40
LOL +1

Eldmannen wrote on the 24 May 08 at 18:53
Yeah, I have recommended Ubuntu to people, and they've come back all confused and unable to install it because the disk partitioning and setup was so difficult.

And it is rather difficult to explain the concept of of hda vs sda, and and hda, hdb, hdc, hdd, etc, then disk partitions like hda1, hda2, hda3, hda4 if its logical partitions but hda1, hda2 then suddenly hda5 and hda6 if its extended partitions, etc.

Then even after you explained it to them, its not clear for them. You don't know how their disk partitions are setup so its difficult to explain to them, and often they are unsure themselves.

loonyphoenix wrote on the 24 May 08 at 23:33
+1

Heh, a porno partition? LOL.

Eldmannen wrote on the 25 May 08 at 01:07
loonyphoenix,
For sure. Most definitely.
Everyone has one, right?
It is just a GIMP edit, the real one is a terabyte RAID array.

LostOverThere wrote on the 25 May 08 at 01:42
You have 2GB of porno? Damn, you must be a happy chappy...

Anyway, +1 for Good idea

LC всадник cbet wrote on the 25 May 08 at 02:07
+1 for a good idea
+100 to porno partition LOL (good idea too, mount only when needed)

Eldmannen wrote on the 25 May 08 at 02:32
LostOverThere,
No, it is just a quick mockup and GIMP editing.
The real one is a terabyte RAID array.

DanRabbit wrote on the 25 May 08 at 05:00
+1 just for the label, lol

artir wrote on the 25 May 08 at 10:13
+1 For Porno partition by default :P (preloaded with some pr0n, of course)

evilcat wrote on the 25 May 08 at 13:28
I like your porno partition

seshomaru samma wrote on the 25 May 08 at 13:36
Many Windows users (which I assume this idea is directed at) do not name their partition, how would they installer know what to name them?
I suggest that a graphical image ( a gparted image for example) will probably be more useful.

FrankQuist wrote on the 25 May 08 at 13:56
Many don't, but some do.

Eldmannen wrote on the 25 May 08 at 14:27
seshomaru samma,
Many do. :)
For those who don't, well this will be the same as before.
For those who do, this will make it easier for them.

Madsrh wrote on the 29 May 08 at 18:41
It seems nothing less than silly that this is missing. Perhaps someone should report this as a bug???

parvo wrote on the 30 May 08 at 05:17
I dual boot and have 3 hds, one Vista (I'm a big time gamer), one Ubuntu and one I have labeled "Media Center". I know what my Vista drive looks like but the 2 other drives look exactly the same. sure enough i took a shot in the dark and installed Ubuntu on to the Media Center drive. Lesson learned, but it would have been nice to know before I hit the install button. Good idea.

melkore wrote on the 4 Jun 08 at 20:00
This most definately is not a bug. This is how Linux labels it's partitions and that's not going to change any time soon.

What would help would be the ability to create volume labels or have Ubuntu read existing volume labels by default.

So in Parvo's case his setup could have been sda1 (Windows Vista), sda2 (Media Center) and the blank drive sda3 (No Volume Name)

By masking the drives as this idea would point towards it would confuse people even more when trying to install to a different hard drive when it comes up /media/sda3.

By having a label with the linux drive name included it would help users understand where everything goes.

That would be like Windows hiding the drive letter and just having System or WD3045 for hard drive options.

TWO wrote on the 6 Jun 08 at 01:05
+1

Makes sense!

corq wrote on the 9 Jun 08 at 23:49
+1 I have roughly 4 partitions with OS-neutral data on them, plus the Partition I created as a separate /home partition.

Every 2nd major version update I usually choose to install "clean", however when using the live CD I have to "guess" what partition I want to use for the OS install. I've purposely created custom-sized partitions so I know which is which when re-installing Ubuntu, but boy, partition labels would make this a lot less scary.

Great Idea.

bogdan_5844 wrote on the 15 Jul 08 at 11:09
Well...
+1 for the "pr0n"
+1 for the idea ;-)

yussri wrote on the 20 Jul 08 at 09:13
I totally agree +1


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