upgrade from Mandrake 8.1 to 8.2

[ctguess]

Just wondering....when I upgrade, is it kind of a "patch" upgrade, in that all my PATH values, the software I've downloaded, my files, etc. will still be there when I'm done with the upgrade....or does the upgrade wipe everything clean and install a fresh new version as though I had never 8.1 at all (and thus, all my files will be gone)

[CrashTestDummy9]

Its my understanding (correct me if im wrong ) that anything in /home will be left in tact as long as you dont format the partition . Also if you did custom partitioning with a /usr/local it will also be left in tact . You get a new kernel and new versions of the software you previously installed when you upgrade . Im not absolutely sure because ive never upgraded . I always just burn copies of any files I dont want to lose and start again from scratch .

[dstammer]

I plan to upgrade from SuSE 7.2 to SuSE 8.1 when 8.1 is available. I would like to know if I perform an "upgrade" of the OS instead of a "new install" will all of the apps and files that I've installed and created remain after the upgrade? Or will the upgrade wipe out all of my stuff, like Opera that I just installed, and I have to re-install it? I better make backups just in case.

[Choozo]

"Upgrading" between major numbers (7.x -> 8.x) will usually never work, and its even pretty flaky between minors (8.1 -> 8.2) also.

Back up all personal files and any configuration files that you may need after you make a clean install. Leaving /home untouched may work OK, but you may run into problems with apps that store settings under e.g. ~/.kde/ and so on.