
Hello and welcome.
I always keep my media on a different set of drives. That way if you do a complete, full nuke and pave re-install, all your media remains in tact.
I know Ubuntu can usually be upgraded but I have seen with this project that sometimes it is easier and faster to do a complete re-install.
So your media stays safe, and your OS can change at will.
Just my 2 cents.
Regards,
Seth