Warnings

  • Update Packs are for LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) users only.
  • If you are using a regular edition of Linux Mint, do not follow the instructions below and ignore this post.

Introduction

Update Pack 8 was released as the “latest” update pack today. 

How to upgrade

1. Perform a system backup (otherwise you won’t be able to go back)

When things go wrong and you have a backup, the only thing you lose is time.

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Make a backup of your system. We recommend the following tool: http://redobackup.org/

2. Switch to the official repositories (otherwise things will break)

Point to the official repositories to make sure everything is up to date:

  • Run “gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list” or “gksu pluma /etc/apt/sources.list” in a terminal to edit your APT sources.
  • Replace the content of the file with the lines below and save the file:

deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest testing main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/security testing/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/multimedia testing main non-free

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3. Switch to an UP8 mirror (otherwise it will take forever)

As everyone downloads the UP, the official repositories will be extremely busy. You can safely point to a mirror as long as it is up to date with UP8.

Here is the current status of the LMDE mirrors:

  • UP8 (safe):
    • http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/
    • http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/linuxmint-debian/latest/
    • http://mirror.oss.maxcdn.com/linuxmint/debian/latest/
    • http://linuxmint-apt.killerhorse.eu/debian/latest/
    • http://mirrors.ircam.fr/pub/linuxmint-debian/latest/
    •  http://lmde-mirror.gwendallebihan.net/latest/
    •  http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/debian/latest/
    • http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/debian.linuxmint.com/debian/latest/
    • http://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/Linux/linuxmint/debian/latest/
    • http://mintlinux.mirror.triple-it.nl/debian/latest/
    • http://mirror.komsys.org/pub/linuxmint/debian/latest/
    • http://ucmirror.canterbury.ac.nz/linux/mint/debian/latest/
    • http://mirrors.serverhost.ro/mint/debian/latest/
    • http://debian.lth.se/lmde/latest/
    • http://tux.rainside.sk/mint/debian/latest/
    • http://mirror.metrocast.net/linuxmint-debian/latest/
    • http://mirrors.xmission.com/linuxmint-debian/latest/

To select a mirror:

  • Run “gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list” or “gksu pluma /etc/apt/sources.list” in a terminal to edit your APT sources.
  • Replace http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/ with the mirror of your choice.
  • Save the file.
  • Run “apt update” in a terminal.

4. Check your APT sources

  1. In the Update Manager, click on the “Update Pack Info” button
  2. Make sure “Your system configuration” shows up as green and doesn’t show any warnings or errors.
  3. If you see a warning or an error, follow the instructions given and repeat the process until they’re gone.

5. Read about the Update Pack (otherwise you’ll be asking things we already answered)

In the “Update Pack Info” window of the Update Manager, make sure to read all the information related to Update Pack 8. Some of it might be irrelevant to you, but it will only take you a minute and it might save you hours.

6. Upgrade the packages

When you’re ready and you know all that there is to know, press the “Install Updates” button.

7. Join us

You can chat with other LMDE users or with the dev. team while the system is upgrading. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you encounter issues.

From the menu you can launch “Xchat”, or join #linuxmint-debian on irc.spotchat.org with any IRC client.

FAQ

Will LMDE get new ISO images with Update Pack 8?

Yes.

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