Upgrading from Ubuntu 8.04 to 10.04

CDaniels · 04-19-2011, 10:54 PM

What risks, if any, do I have to my files by upgrading from Ubuntu 8.04 to 10.04?
My fear is that popping in the CD will destroy everything I've stored for the past
few years.

k3lt01 · 04-19-2011, 11:07 PM

There is always a risk that you could lose files that is why you should keep a regular backup. If you haven't kept a backup I would hope you previously set 8.04 up with a separate /home partition that way you don't have to format it. If you didn't then a clean install is totally out of the question and your next and only other option, apart from backing everything up and doing a clean install, is to do an upgrade either over the net or from the 10.04 disk.

fsainsbu · 04-19-2011, 11:07 PM

A backup clone of your disk to another before you start, clonezilla or knoppix boot and dd are possible ways to do this. Backup is alway necessary if you want to keep your files.

Sjonnie48 · 04-20-2011, 01:07 AM

You can also choose to install Ubuntu 10.04 freshly. In my experience that works better than upgrading.
During the pre-install phase you can determine which partitions must be formatted or not, and where they will be mounted. Only the partitions that you mark for formatting will be formatted.
Choose for partitioning (expert mode) when you've reached that point in the install procedure.
Nevertheless it is strongly recommended to keep a backup of your home partition.