I have used 10.10 as long as i have used ubuntu and I have not upgraded yet. I have tons of files and applications on this computer and I really don't want to have to reinstall them and copy them. Will all of my applications and settings be saved by and upgrade and will all of my files be saved and carry over to the new version? Also is it really worth it to upgrade or should I really just wipe clean with a fresh installation. Even if you think I should wipe clean I would like too know whether or not I my files would be saved and my applications and settings would be saved. Thank you.
Ubuntu – Saved when you upgrade and should you upgrade or wipe clean the disk
10.1011.04installationupgrade
Related Solutions
How do you save the configuration files of certain application like
for instance Thunderbird, Firefox?
To backup your apps data, you need to look in your Personal Folder for the .
(hidden, press CONTROL + H
to see them) folders. For example, Firefox (and other Mozilla apps) saves your personal data in a folder named .mozilla
. Thunderbird does it using a folder named .thunderbird
.
Others, Google Chrome/Chromium for example, use the .config
folder, having a sub-folder there. (ex, .config/google-chrome
)
To backup this settings, just copy the desired folders, just remember where they were before pasting them back.
When you copy an app folder, you copy ALL its preferences, history, databases, etc, so your bookmarks, extensions and other personal data are saved.
I have some applications like MATLAB and Maple (Based on JAVA) installed.
When I migrate, can I just copy the entire installation folder to the
new version of Ubuntu?
Yes, you can do that, but only with applications that were fully installed in that directory. Some apps install the main app in your home directory, but some libraries, or multimedia files (such as icons) in other folders. Be careful with this, the best is to reinstall, but you can use them.
*you should also check the compatibility, but they should work file
When doing a backup which folders should be backed up?
The most important folder is /etc
, mostly because you may have modified a few files, like the Samba configuration, the SSH server configuration, the hosts file, and some other configuration that you may also have changed without knowing and would be better to keep rather than go back to the defaults ones (like the updates preferences, etc)
Other folders depends on what you have installed and/or modified (eg, XAMPP is installed on the /opt
directory, and the configuration files reside in its own folder)
I have BURG installed. How can I do a backup of it?
I'm not exactly sure, i guess you can just backup the installed themes (if any). Reinstall in the new Ubuntu installation and restore. But again, it depends on what you have modified.
When I perform the clean install of ubuntu, would GRUB (bootloader)
be removed and in anyway jeopardize my windows installation?
No, GRUB is never removed, it may be upgraded, but this wont affect at all you Windows installation. Besides, remember you have BURG, which modifies GRUB's behavior
How do I make a backup of all my PPA and would they be compatible to the newer
version of ubuntu when I restore them?
The only way I know to do this is to manually backup all your .list
located at /etc/apt
You should copy the sources.list
and all the files located at /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
I hope to have answered all your questions. ;)
If your hardware is not too exotic ALL hardware drivers will be included. It is best to test Ubuntu from a live disc (instructions on how to make a live CD/DVD or Live USB can be found here) to make sure everything works. When installing you can simply select "erase everything and install ubuntu" and the disc will be formatted before installing, however formatting using other methods first should not affect installation
The BIOS is on a chip on your motherboard. Wiping the hard drive will have no effect on the BIOS. For additional information have a look this guide on my website for details and a video on accessing and using BIOS. (if it helps let me know so I can post the details here)
With only 512mb Ram you would be best off using Lubuntu 12.04 since it is less hardware hungry.
You don't need to worry at all. Just read all the Installation Instructions carefully, and you'll be all right. However, there are several problems that people encounter mostly because they don't follow the instructions correctly. If you encounter any problem, search the web. Most of the problems are already answered.
Best Answer
All your data, settings and all applications still present in the 11.04 repository (so probably all of them, seeing as you started out with 10.10) will carry over with an upgrade.
Answers to the question of upgrading or installing from scratch: Is it better to upgrade through the Update Manager or re-install from scratch?