This all started because I could not get KXdocker to function properly. I did an uninstall of some packages followed by a series of half-finished updates (half-finished meaning they would not complete due to errors). Now my sister's install of Mandriva Linux is completely hosed.

It's almost a fresh install. The only thing I need to backup is her KMail. The thing is, there's no export option in KMail. How/Why is there no export function?!

I am VERY angry right now.

For backing up the kmail folder in /home/username:



If you also want to export the adressbook, attach



to it. After reinstalling, before kmail is launched, run



Other way. Create a separate /home partition in the future. Then you do not need to back up everything everytime.

Final note: The only one who should be angry is your sister right now as you trashed the system and no one else.

I'd recommend creating a separate /home partition. Just remember not to format it when you do a reinstall.

Thank you for those instructions, artic!

Well, as I am a Linux newbie, the home partition suggestion makes no sense to me. Are you saying create a duplicate partition that I could go back in case the current partition becomes corrupted?

My sister is already angry that it's taken me 5+ months to finally get around to working on her laptop. Procrastination is bad.

Separate home partition:
Linux has a different approach to partitions and drives than say Windows. One hand it allows you to combine multiple physical drives & partitions into one file-system, but on the other hand it allows you to split its filesystem over as many partitions as you want. The reasons for this are historical (when harddisk space was scarce) and come from the time Linux was used for (in those times) big multi-user setups. They are mostly not so relevant for standard desktop usage, but if you want some background read here (better articles exist, but I cannot find something quickly).
What is recommended even for desktop use by one user is to put all user data (/home and directories below) on a separate partition. In this way, you can reinstall your base-linux system (if all fails) without touching all personal data (personal settings as well as documents). Thus you will keep your email etc.

One way of checking whether this may or may not be the case is to open a terminal and type the command 'df' (without quotes). This should give something like:

This shows that I have 3 filesystems, of which the first two live on different partitions (hda1 and hda6 respectively).

It is possible to restructure your system to accomplish this, but it is much easier to backup keyfiles (or everything under /home/sister) and re-install.