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Questions about upgrading my Linux distro

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wreckedcarzz:
Hey all,

Background info:
SpoilerI run Xubuntu on a secondary partition (one drive for all my uses) and it has been acting up lately (I need to boot into the recovery console, then "continue" into the GUI for a boot). I am a total Linux idiot, so repairing it was more trouble than it is worth. Conveniently, Xubuntu presented me with an array of updates, along with an Upgrade.

I installed all the updates first, just like I do for Windows Service Packs, but since I am running a specialized version of Ubuntu, should I update through the Update Panel (not sure of the correct name) or burn a new ISO and do a different (manual) method? I don't have any data I couldn't lose on the partition (install ~10 apps and bring my songs and configuration files back, a 2 hour job) so I am just not sure what to do? Can someone guide me in the right direction?

-Brandon

Edvard:
I assume you are running 7.10? and you want to upgrade to 8.04?

8.04 is nice in that it tries to make the upgrade process go smoothly. I don't have experience with the upgrade panel, but I can say the CD upgrade works well. When you put the CD in, it will tell you that a new version of Xubuntu is available to install and would you like to do so (how nice of it...).It will even ask if you want to import your home directories if you install on another disk (nicer still...).
Aside from that, I have heard there are some bugs still alive that are varying grades of serious, so do an update SOON after you install. I haven't noticed any so far, but I'm still in the process of building up my new install.

I upgraded from Xubuntu 7.04 to 7.10 and it went well, but I found that upgrading like that tends to leave a lot of cruft, so this install I chose to simply pull a new installation to start fresh with 8.04. I noted all the programs I was going to need and backed up my home directory to a shared folder on my home network (a CD would do as well, if all the stuff could fit). It took installing twice to get it up, I don't know exactly why.

yotta:
upgrading xubuntu through the update panel should work fine, but if your system has been acting up then its probably worth doing a full install anyway, to fix the problems.

now seems to be a good time to do that, with 8.04 being an lts release, and should have less bugs than other versions - i certainly havnt had any problems

wreckedcarzz:
Yea, I'm going to 8.04 from 7.10 - I started the update but then got kinda weary, so I am glad for the input. I think I'll bite the bullet and download an ISO of 8.04 and do it through the disk. That way if I have a HD crash I don't have to install and then upgrade and all that.

zridling:
This year will see an effort to provide easier distro/kernel upgrades. Fedora, Ubuntu, and Mandriva are on board. Nice tip on the home folder, Edvard.

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