Well,after getting no replies, I checked the Ubuntu documentation web
page (my recommendation to all other new Ubuntu users :-) ) after
getting a hit from a Google search for "Upgrading Ubuntu". There were
detailed instructions there for upgrading from 9.10 to 10.04 LTS - it
worked perfectly.

I guess when all else fails, RTFM. (or maybe "search for the FM, then
RTFM").

you can't expect instant service. [smile] I get the daily digest
every morning, and respond when I can.

One can upgrade using the "alternate" CD, but not from the Live CD.

The disk is fixed and you would have to upgrade packages afterwards anyway.
Upgrading via the internet will give you the latest packages without needing
to upgrade. If bandwidth is an issue then the disk method will save
bandwidth since a post installation upgrade will not replace everything. If
you have a fast connection and no bandwidth caps there should be little
difference in time because disks are slow. Another issue is that you cannot
upgrade via CD previous to 11.04. You can only do a fresh installation, I
believe (I have never tried it anyway). I am not an advocate of upgrades and
always choose a fresh installation. That means using the CD and starting
from scratch. However, I have a separate home partition and it never changes
which means that I preserve data and settings when I upgrade. I also save a
list of installed packages and a backup of my sources list. Then after I
re-install Synaptic puts everything back in order for me. I have used this
method for the past six years and done a re-installation at least 30 times
without a hitch.

I started using a separate home partition a while back. And though I was
able to connect to it in the past, my install of 11.04 on my netbook
would not connect to it with the method I had been using. My Toshiba
was not a problem with this issue however. Because of this little
problem I have gone back to moving the home dir on the netbook.

Anyhow I second Roy's feelings on this. Although I have used the upgrade
option in the past. I don't like headaches so do fresh installs now.
Fresh installs are the least likely to cause problems, but not without
problems. I rotate my versions on 3 partitions installing a new version
replacing the oldest version, without removing the latest working
version. This gives me time to prove the new before moving over to it.

I would like to say I have got the synaptics to do my work for me, but
as of yet fail to get my head around it. I have my list and do it the
hard way. The advantage of doing it the hard way is I am always seeing
applications to substitute for the one I was using, and give it a try.
The results are mixed but I have found some great apts that I would not
have found had I not been working on the system.