Upgrading to Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex
Since it’s only a few days since the release of Ubuntu’s Intrepid Ibex, I though I might do a quick note on how to upgrade from the Long Term Stable (LTS), Hardy Heron (if you are a Windows user and you just want to try out the new version, you can use the Wubi Installer and treat it just like any other Windows application). It is worth noting that a new install will often be a far quicker process and provide you with a clean slate. You can also save almost all of your personal settings and files if you installed / (known as the root directory) and /home in separate partitions first time around, allowing you to just install the new OS in /
In this post though we shall assume that you just with to upgrade an existing install and as such save all your setting, files, etc, with the minimum of fuss.
Normally when a new release comes around your update manager will tell you that a new version is available. Yet from Hardy to Intrepid this will not happen because Hardy is an LTS. There is, as always, a way around this. It is as follows; System > Administration > Software Sources, then the Updates tab. At the bottom it will say Release Upgrade. You’ll then want to change that from “Long term support releases only” to “Normal”. After that head back to System > Administration > Update Manager and you will be offered the choice to upgrade to the latest release. Click that button and follow the prompts.
As you run through the upgrade you will be prompted with questions as to whether you want to keep/merge/replace certain configuration files, normally ones you have changed. There is one that you must replace (or merge if you know what you are doing) and it is called menu.list. This file selects things like what kernel to boot from and you should use the latest that comes with Intrepid. Good luck.