On Thu, May 15, 2025 at 05:30:51PM -0400, Default User wrote: > Hi. > > I currently run Debian 12 Stable, amd64. > Unexceptional single-user SOHO setup on a relatively current > (2023) low-end Dell laptop. > Intel Core i3 processor. > 8Gb ram. > UEFI booting. > Internal nvme SSD, 256 Gb, for mass storage. > Partitions: > nvme0n1 259:0 0 238.5G 0 disk > ├─nvme0n1p1 259:1 0 512M 0 part /boot/efi > ├─nvme0n1p2 259:2 0 23.3G 0 part / > ├─nvme0n1p3 259:3 0 9.3G 0 part /var > ├─nvme0n1p4 259:4 0 977M 0 part [SWAP] > ├─nvme0n1p5 259:5 0 1.9G 0 part /tmp > └─nvme0n1p6 259:6 0 202.6G 0 part /home > > Note: 10 Gb for /var is barely adequate. I have to > periodically do surgery to cut out the built-up bloat there. > > Since Debian 13 should soon be released, what should I be doing > ahead of time to prepare for the upgrade? For me, upgrading is > always a major hassle, so I try to make it as easy as possible. > > OT rant (probably irrelevant): > The laptop does NOT support virtualization. The DOES, but the > BIOS does NOT! > > Apparently the tightwads at Dell are punishing me for being poor. > "Hey dude, you've got a Dell!" Sorry to hear that . . . > > (Grrr . . .) > > Advice? >
If you don't have anything vital on there and can back up personal data to something else - maybe reinstall with everything in one partition? Fixed partitioning is not great for the reasons others have outlined. The other option if you feel confident taking a laptop apart is to go and buy a 1TB NVME and an external case for an NVME. Take the laptop apart - substitute the 1TB NVME. Put the old 256M NVME in the external case. Install a fresh copy of Debian onto the laptop. Rsync or otherwise copy any data you need from the old drive. Reformat old drive and use for storage. Andy
