I am currently running Ubuntu 15.10 and I am considering upgrading to 16.04LTS when it is released. I have lots of stuff on 15.10 that I don't want to lose, so I would prefer not to do a clean install of 16.04. If I upgraded to 16.04 (when it is released), would there any issues (such as stability)? Thanks guys and sorry for the noobie question.
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Possible duplicate of Should I upgrade to ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn?– cmksApr 17, 2016 at 11:51
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5 Answers
With an upgrade, there is always risk. You could upgrade and have your computer blow up, or be left with an unbootable installation. Your desktop environment may not work, your files may be gone, graphics may be broken, programs may not open, etc.
With that said, the chance of something like the above going wrong is rather low, if 15.10 was a fresh install, and you haven't modified any system files. With every upgrade and every modified system file, the risk that comes with an update increases. However, unless you've been upgrading since Ubuntu 12.04, you should be fine.
It's always better to back up and do a fresh install. You should be fine doing an upgrade, but definitely back up your data beforehand.
answered Apr 17, 2016 at 11:06
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-1 not a quite an answer, one who could manage to
have your computer blow up (not really), or be left with an unbootable installation.considered retarded in computer realm and probably should upgrade his/her computer by its own!– dariushAug 9, 2016 at 12:26 -
1@dariush read the last sentence. I think that's a pretty clear answer. The first parts are mostly an explanation of what my answer is. Aug 9, 2016 at 12:58
The official documentation states highly recommended to upgrade when 15:10 reaches end of life - by July 2016.
From http://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life:
Ubuntu release end of life
When an Ubuntu release reaches its “end of life” it receives no further maintenance updates, including critical security upgrades. We highly recommend that you upgrade to a recent version of Ubuntu at this point.
Since you are not running an LTS release, I would say yes to 16.04 if that was your only choice. However, Ubuntu is notorious for having problems for a bit of time after a new "stable" upgrade release. If you are doing a clean install, I would recommend 14.04.3. 16.04 is probably going to have a few problems within a few weeks/months after its release. If you can, downgrade to 14.04.3. Also, if you are using a certain ATI graphics card, 16.04 will be dropping support for it. (also, keep in mind that non-LTS releases have a very brief support period, so sticking with LTS releases would be good. 12.04 is an LTS release, and is still supported, while 15.04 is not an LTS release, and support was dropped for it a while back.)http://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life <-- this is a recommended read.
answered Apr 17, 2016 at 18:31
It depends on your hardware If your hardware is too old and not supported by the device vendor anymore than please don't upgrade
The word is not "should" instead is MUST since the support of 15.10 ends with the new release, so you must upgrade.
Remember to always backup everything, if you have the patience is always better to do a clean install, but the guys at Canonical Ltd worked very hard to make sure you can do a release upgrade without affecting your current system, so anyway you should be fine. Worth to mention, if you are using whole disk encryption be EXTRA careful!
