Upgrade from 19.04?

Support & Help Requests
#1

Hello: after MANY attempts to make Linux Lite run successfully on my old but venerable HP 505B Desktop I decided to abandon Lite (problem apparently was the unsupported Nvidia VGA card that was not compatible with latest OS versions). Mate 19.04 is now installed and appears to work as advertised (so far) but apparently is no longer "current". Also 19.04 apparently cannot be easily upgraded online. So:

(1) shd 19.04 be left running since there have been no glitches ?
(2) if not, is there an EZ way to upgrade to 20.04 without burning a DVD ?

Bewildered newbie Bob

#2

Hi Bob,

Since 19.04 does not receive security updates anymore, it would be wise to update.
Make sure you have the latest updates for your version ( you probably have if you updated regularly ) and after that you can update from the commandline with:

sudo do-release-upgrade

If that doesn't work, you could boot from USB if your computer is able to boot from an USB device anyway (your computer is a bit old, but i guess not that old, so I think it would be able to do so). In that case you could write the ubuntu-mate iso image to a USB thumbdrive and boot/install from that,

But if your computer is not able to boot from USB it will be DVD-burning time (unless you can clone the drive from another computer that runs a newer version of mate and you are not afraid to handle a screwdriver :wink: )

EDIT:
Oh I almost forgot another way with a reasonable chance of succes, (and ofcourse also chance of partially fail) but it will take some steps:
Be warned that this potentially can break your system
But on the other hand, you wanted a new install anyway.
Backup your homefolder (including hidden files/folders) just in case you screw up.
In 'software' disable all your PPA's so you end up with only the standard repositories

in /etc/apt/sources.list change all occurences of disco to focal.
this is most easily done from the commandline:

sudo sed -i "s|disco|focal|g" /etc/apt/sources.list 
sudo sed -i "s|disco|focal|g" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.list
sudo sed -i "s|old-releases|archive|g" /etc/apt/sources.list  
sudo sed -i "s|old-releases|archive|g" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.list

Then take a deep breath and type:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade

Don't be alarmed if there are some errormessages.
I would be highly surprised if there weren't any :slight_smile:
If it bails out during one of these steps: Try to fix it, work around it (try to be inventive) or give up anyway and boot from USB or DVD for a fresh install.

If all goes well , the system will probably ask you to reboot.
If it comes up and runs: congratulations, you have been upgraded to 20.04
You can enable your disabled PPA's now (if they support 20.04)

If it doesn't come up: try linux bootrepair

Be warned that, on your venerable system, ubuntu 20.04 could be a tad slower than 19.04 depending on the processor you have (according to the specs, your processor could be anything from an AMD Sempron 145 to an AMD Phenom II X2 550) but not by much.
You will however discover a big slowdown if you have less than 2GB, so make sure you have enough RAM.

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How to get updated NVIDIA driver for Ubuntu Mate 20.04 LTS?
#3

Thanx for the quick reply. I may not have fully explained my concerns abt upgrading from 19.04 _> 20.04:

(1) MUCHO MANY distros have been installed trying to bypass the "freeze up" that results from the Nvidia VGA card (using Nouveau driver apparently) without success until Mate 19.04 was installed recently (so far so good). So "if it ain't broke don't fix it" - right ?? But of course no updates are still avail for 19.04.

(2) I am a recovering Windows user and still have a LOT to learn abt Ubuntu terminal cmds so your suggestion for a single "do-release-upgrade" cmd looks VERY APPEALING. Are there any "gotchas" that I shd know abt before running it ??

still bewildered newbie Bob

#4

Hi Bob,

Yes, there are some gotchas:

  1. Once you go that route, you can't go back.
    If you want to go back you'll have to freshly reinstall 19.04
    (but I guess you already knew that)

  2. Backup all your valuable data before you begin.
    You probably won't need it but better safe than sorry.
    (yeah, again, you probably knew that)

Although the chance is very high that your nvidia card will work flawlessly in 20.04 just like in 19.04, it is not guaranteed that it will do so.
Your card is old, and therfore probably none of the developers have that model, let alone test it with a new kernel.
If it is running now with nouveau drivers, it will almost certainly keep on running in the new version (notice the word almost)

That is about it. If you can live with the 'risk' i posed here there is nothing to stop you from upgrading. :slight_smile:

A thing to contemplate as a 'recovering' windows user is this:
On Windows, Nvidia is king and AMD has a bit of a spotty track record.

On Linux it is the other way around:

AMD GPUs are fully and well supported in the Linux kernel (so you won't even notice that they exist). The only time I had an issue with a very very ancient chipset, AMD reached out to me to help me fix it.

Nvidia, however, is closed source (binary only and thus out of tree), overly secretive and therefore often cumbersome when updating and sometimes hell on wheels to get going.

Nouveau is ofcourse the open source initiative to get nvidia cards going which takes away a lot of the troubles, but nvidia is actively frustrating the nouveau developers (introducing GPU hardware that only will work on nvidia signed drivers and flipping the bird towards nouveau on any questions about it ) and denying them any useful info.
(The nouveau driver is fully reverse engineered, which i consider an incredible stunning feat).

The nouveau driver still leaves a lot to be desired although it suddenly started to work a lot better since Gabe Newell of Valve/Steam got very angry at nvidia and told them off for their rotten attitude towards the nouveau project. I think it made some impact. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#5

On an old system you have to ask what do you use it for? If you are doing web-searches and following links, clicking links in Emails or from social media, doing on-line banking, etc. then security updates are essential and you need to stay current with security updates. Eventually this will require a computer upgrade.

On the other hand, if you are only visiting trusted sites, not doing on-line banking, and don't have anything on that computer that you can't afford to lose, then "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" may apply.

#6

Thanx to all well-meaning responders. Would you believe that a DVD with 20.04 was created and booted in "live" mode but for some unknown reason FAILS to work as advertised only on the HP with a Nvidia VGA card. The same DVD runs properly in "live" mode on my Dell (Windows) PC.. The installed 19.04 continues to work well on the HP so until a solution is found for Nvidia equipment with Noveau driver is found, no change will be made. "IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT".

still bewildered Bob

#7

I had a lot of issues with installing 20.04 on my ASUS notebook (I used a bootable USB stick) The "liveCD" wouldn't run. I had to install in "safe graphics" or whatever they call it (basically text mode) and then struggle in text mode to get the Nvidia drivers installed. I have not been impressed with 20.04 at all. I've had much better results with 22.04, but I can't fully switch until some 3rd party stuff gets ported to it.

#8

Thanx. You have confirmed it - IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T UPGRADE !!!

BB

ps: what is different in 20.04 from 19.04 that causes this DRASTIC DIFFERENCE in performance even when running 20.04 from the "live" disk ??