Upgrade Ubuntu 9.04 to 9.10 then 10.04

You cannot skip versions between upgrades. The version between Jaunty and Lucid is Karmic. I suggest you do backup important data and do a complete reinstall as many things has changed, including the boot loader.

If you do not like a fresh install, you can upgrade using an Alternate CD.

Preparations:

• Backup the system (if possible a disk image)
• Backup your personal files (the home directory) so you can easily copy the files
• Remove all PPA's and non-standard repositories, including their packages
• Be prepared for failure, have a Live CD available so you can still boot even if the disk is dead

The upgrade using the alternate CD is described below:

1. Download ubuntu-9.10-alternate-i386.iso from http://releases.ubuntu.com/karmic/ to your home directory (replace i386 with amd64 if you've a 64-bit system and ubuntu with kubuntu for KDE)

2. Open a terminal and run:

   sudo mount -o loop ~/ubuntu-9.10-alternate-i386.iso /media/cdrom
   

3. Start the upgrade by executing:

   gksu "sh /media/cdrom/cdromupgrade"
   

   If you're using KDE (Kubuntu):

   kdesudo "sh /media/cdrom/cdromupgrade"
   

4. Reboot

After this upgrade from 9.04 to 9.10, proceed with the upgrade to 10.04 using:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d