clean install*****************************
I've just messed up grub, so I'm going to take this chance to clean house!
NOTE: I have three partitions on my computer: one for /, one for /home(do not format this!!!) and one for swap. This is a great "default" setup, you may want or need more partitions, go nuts.

First back up the following, if not more...
-mysql (localhost, back up each table individually...)
-fonts (any you may have added)
-xorg.conf file (if you have a customized setup, which I do)

pop in your live cd and boot up...
- install 6.06 (do not format the /home dir)

Once your done installing, boot into your fresh OS...
- restore xorg.conf from old working one (if you need to)
- run software update
- restart (for update and for xorg displays)

- update kernel (source: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=85917 pentium m for me...)
#sudo apt-get install linux-686
- restart
- install wine (all my old windows appz are still in the menu, they just don't work anymore...)(source: http://www.winehq.org/site/download-deb)
#sudo wgethttp://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/sources.list.d/dapper.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list
-> add/remove appz-> search=wine->check->apply->done
- install bluefish
-> add/remove appz-> search=bluefish->check->apply->done
- install a good movie file player
#sudo apt-get install vlc
- install k3b (cd writing app)
#sudo apt-get install k3b-i18n
- install thunderbird (email app)
#sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird
- #sudo apt-get update
- install gparted
#sudo apt-get install gparted
- install/configure apache/php/mysql (source: http://www.visiomode.com/forums/installing_netdoc/ubuntu_install_process...)
#sudo apt-get install apache2 php4 mysql-server-4.1 php4-mysql
#sudo gedit /etc/apache2/sites-available/default (edit this file, i have my /www in my home directory...)
#sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
#sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin
#sudo gedit /etc/apache2/apache2.conf (add the following "Include /etc/phpmyadmin/apache.conf")
#sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
#sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin
- upgrade firefox (source: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FirefoxNewVersion http://ubuntuzilla.wiki.sourceforge.net/)
#sudo dpkg -i /path/to/ubuntuzilla*.deb
#sudo apt-get install -f
#ubuntuzilla.py -a install -p firefox
- #sudo apt-get update
- install all my old fonts (source: http://penguinfonts.com/howto/ubuntu.php)
#sudo mkdir /usr/share/fonts/truetype/myfonts
#sudo cp [fonts] /usr/share/fonts/truetype/myfonts
#sudo fc-cache -f -v
- add ms fonts I found this also at http://penguinfonts.com/howto/ubuntu.php, however, does not work for me...

- import mysql localhost backup- PhpMyAdmin does not like my "localhost.sql" file, thankfully, I have my most important database tables backed up individually. I can now create those tables in PhpMyAdmin, then fill them with the backups...

- install ftp
add/remove apps->search "gftp"->check->apply

-add ntfs support :http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=217009

More to follow...