If the 10.10 Live CD worked then the problem is with the update from
10.04 and in such a case it's not really a 'bug' in 10.10 but this
whole issue of updating OS versions. So the options are to wipe and
install 10.04LTS again then staying with it or going for a clean
install of 10.10 and crossing fingers every six months when the next
update appears.

As has been said, creating a separate /home partition means you can
clean install without losing data but there's still the necessity of
updating and installing the programs you use above the 'standard' mix
that's supplied.

I understand you can create a script file which has all your existing
software packages listed and that can be applied after a clean install
to input everything in one go so that's another angle to consider.

All depends how much time you are willing to devote to the 6 monthly
update cycle - if the answer is 'not much' then perhaps staying with
the 10.04LTS is the way ?