====== LMDE Update Pack 7 ====== As is stated on the Linux Mint blog:\\ > LMDE ISOs will be updated with Update Pack 8 after the Mint 16 release to feature MATE 1.8, Cinnamon 2.0 and all the improvements planned for the upcoming version of Linux Mint. This means that, until the UP8 ISO is released, we still need to install from the UP6 ISO (201303) and then apply the UP7 upgrade. Linux Mint 16 has been released on Nov, 30 2013 but, as of this writing, LMDE UP8 is not yet available, so we will be patient... ;-) ===== Before You Launch the UP7 Upgrade ===== Make sure that you are using a mirror that points to UP7. A list of those is available at: [[http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2455]], note that the comments on the page also states that http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr just stepped into UP7... That's the one I use! ==== Select the Best Mirror for Your Location ==== <wrap info>This operation is optional but can save you a lot of time downloading the upgrade packages</wrap>\\ To select the best mirror for your location, open a Terminal window and type: <code> mint-choose-debian-mirror </code> You'll be asked for your admin password and offered a selection of mirror sites. Select the one that is in the UP7 list and that has the fastest connection. ==== Check Your APT Sources ==== Open the Update Manager by clicking on the shield button at the bottom right of the screen (in the panel). When it has finished reading the available package updates, click on the "Update Pack Info" button in the top icon bar. Then check that the "Your system configuration:" line has a green icon.\\ If you see a warning or an error, follow the instructions given and repeat the process until they're gone. ==== Read the Update Pack Info ==== In the main area of the opened window, read the information about the Update Pack you are going to install. Some of it might be irrelevant to you, but it will only take you a minute and it might save you hours. ===== Start the Upgrade ===== When all is ready, close the information window and press the "Install Updates" button... During the update you’ll be asked a few things. One is quite important: the new kernel will ask you where to install Grub. Answer with the location of your current Grub menu (which on most systems is "/dev/sda").\\ In my case it was /dev/sdb as I'm installing to an external USB disk. Be patient as this process can take a **very long time**, as it needs to download and install 1355 packages 8-o ===== Rebooting Your System ===== What I experimented is that, at the end of the upgrade process, the Update Manager windows suddenly closed. Then, a few seconds later, a dialog window appeared, asking me if I wanted to restart the computer in order to use the newly upgraded system. I chose to restart... ==== Frozen System (crash) ==== At that stage, the restart process didn't went smoothly, it got stuck. The screen turned to command line indicating: "The system is going down for reboot NOW", and the machine got stuck there. I waited a few minutes to make sure it wasn't silently in the process of shutting down, but nothing happened. If you encounter this kind of trouble, reading the [[tricks:forced-restart|Forced Restart]] article of this wiki might be of interest... ===== Need Some Fixes? ===== During the upgrade process you might have received some warnings like the one here below: <WRAP center box 85%>This system is currently running Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 and you are installing Linux 3.10-2-amd64. In the new version some of the drivers used on this system may require additional firmware files: b43: b43/ucode9.fw, b43/ucode5.fw, b43/ucode16_mimo.fw, b43/ucode15.fw, b43/ucode14.fw, b43/ucode13.fw, b43/ucode11.fw Most firmware files are not included in the system because they do not conform to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. You may need to reconfigure the package manager to include the contrib and non-free sections of the package archive before you can install these firmware files.</WRAP> Also, if you followed the command line output during the upgrade process you might have noticed some warnings or errors like these ones: <WRAP center box 85%>Not starting fancontrol; run pwmconfig first. ...</WRAP> Or even something like: <WRAP center box 85%>Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-droid-sans-fonts.conf", line 103: Having multiple values in <test> isn't supported and may not work as expected</WRAP> If that is the case, you might be interested in consulting the [[install:fixes:start|Base Fixes]] section of this wiki. ===== Time for a Backup! ===== Well, you now have a shiny new install of your LMDE system. Polished, clean and shiny! You're up to the next step on the path: installing applications and creating documents... But, thinking of all the distance you've already traveled, what if you were to make a mistake, or lightning strikes... well that doesn't happen, OK... But coffee spills, right?\\ Would you spend all this time resuming to the point you've already reached?\\ **NO!**\\ It is time to think about a backup. Of course this is totally optional, and won't hinder your experience in case you don't do it. But trust me, one day or the other, you'll be happy you did choose to regularly backup your system. If you're interested in knowing how to preserve your data integrity, check out the [[applications:backup|Backups]] section of this wiki. ===== Additions ===== Even when your installation and upgrade went without a glitch, and although Linux Mint comes packed with most applications to satisfy your basic requirements, it is quite obvious that you'll need to add some packages and/or applications. To consult a list of the additions I installed shortly after having completed the installation process consult the [[install:additions|Base Additions]] section of this wiki.