[ubuntu-uk] Pasting home directory into new and version upgrade installs?

[Josh Holland]

On Sat, 2010-09-18 at 02:00 +0100, Liam Proven wrote:
> Get them onto the LTS release *now* and then you can safely leave 'em
> there 'til 2012. *Don't* put them onto 9.10, it's already obsolescent.
> 
> Me, personally, I'd say wipe & reload. It's easier than doing 9.04 ->
> 9.10 followed by 9.10 -> 10.04.
> 

Certainly is. I even vaguely remember certain issues that arose trying
to upgrade unsupported releases, so a clean install is much easier.

> Just move /home into a separate filesystem, if it isn't already, make
> a note of any apps and config you need, then reformat / and install
> 10.04 into it. Let the install procedure pick up the existing
> /home/$username folder - it should sort things out for you. If
> possible, avoid replacing it later; have it there, /in situ/, first.

To clarify: other than the scheme of regular backups I'm sure you keep
all your important files backed up with (which you should definitely
have in place), you need not worry about "moving /home into a separate
filesystem" as such. As long as you have backups of all important files,
putting a 10.04 disk in, and using the option to use an existing home is
sufficient.

To do this, run through the install until you get to the "partitioning"
stage. At this point, choose "Advanced" partitioning. Select the option
to use your whole main partition as "/" and make sure the "Format"
checkbox is UNTICKED (v. important). Repeating for emphasis, DO NOT
FORMAT THE DISK, but mark it to be used as the root filesystem "/". You
should already have a swap partition, and that should be marked to be
used by default. I'm typing this guide from memory, so it's probably a
good idea to wait for someone who has done a 10.04 install more recently
to confirm this.

Hope this helps,

Josh