Can you install 12.04 with a /home already present?

[ScottyK]

Currently my computer is running 11.10 with a separate /home directory.

(Can't remember who it was here that suggested I separate the /home, but Kuddo's to you).

When I go to install 12.04 at the end of this month, will all of my programs still be there because it sees everything in /home (for example .kde)?

Or will I have to reinstall everything again?

Or does Kubuntu install programs somewhere else?

[JontheEchidna]

KDE does not store programs in .kde, only settings and similar stuff. KDE installs it's applications in / (/usr/bin, etc) like most other programs.

But, on that note, you will be able to re-use your home directory on your 12.04 install. You'll just have to use the manual paritioning feature of the installer to point to your existing /home position. That way all your settings will be saved, and all you'll have to do is re-install the applications that don't already come with Kubuntu by default.

[vw72]

I maintain a separate home partition and besides my actual home directory, there is another directory called common. In /home/common, I keep all of my documents, downloads, pictures, etc. (/home/common/Documents, etc.). Then in my actual home directory, I use symlinks to the directories /home/common.

I do this for two reasons. First, I do a lot of testing on my system, where I set up multiple distros (on different partitions, but a shared home), but I want to be able to access all of my files (hence the common moniker). That way, whether in Kubuntu, Fedora, Mint or whatever, I have access to all my stuff.

Second, when upgrading to a new version, I tend to do a clean install. The last thing I do in the previous version is to rename my old /home/myuserid to /home/myuserid-old. Then I reboot and and do the install with the manual partitioning as JontheEchidna mentioned. Then after rebooting and everything is working, I delete the documents and other directories from my user id and replace them with the symlinks to /home/common. I also move anything from myuserid-old that I still need/want to the new mysuserid.

That may sound like a lot of work, but this message took longer to type than the making of the symlinks and stuff.

[ScottyK]

Thanks for the info! I usually do a clean install, just for the experience of setting everything back up. I've read that people have already made the jump to 12.04 with very little problems. I'll go ahead and make the jump also, since my 11.10 install has been really stable!

[sithlord48]

scotty, i would try an upgrade from the terminal (just incase) and if that didn't work i would then do a reinstall. setting your /home partition as /home again then when you reinstall programs your settings will already be there.

also incase you are wondering the command to upgrade is (this won't work untill its offically out, add -d to the end for development versions )

sudo do-release-upgrade