Clean install from Ubuntu 10.04 to LUbuntu 10.10 without losing data?

Question

I have the same situation with this one. Upgrade from Kubuntu 9.10 to Ubuntu 10.04.

But I am planning to install LUbuntu 10.10 via USB on my netbook after the release. I have only one partition (and don't have any plans yet to create another partition). Is it possible to keep the /home folder while installing aside from backing it up to an external drive and do a clean install?

Solution

It's entirely possible to do just that. Simply run the installer, and when you get to the partitioning options, go for manual partitioning, and mark your single partition as root (/) BUT DO NOT FORMAT IT.

Proceed from here as normal and the installer will simply overwrite the existing system files, and anything else that isn't a system file (such as the contents of your home directory) will be ignored. I've done it myself, though I was reinstalling my Ubuntu 10.04 installation, rather than moving to a separate distro, but I can't see there being any problem with that.

Good luck.

Comments

[Strapakowsky]

Any risk of problems with ecryptfs-encrypted $HOME during this procedure? Or not, because all the files ecryptfs need are in my $HOME?

[Admin]

If you keep all your credentials the same i.e. username, password and hostname, since those are the three variables used to encrypt/decrypt your home directory, then it should be fine.