need help upgrading from 19.4 by fresh install

[DukeComposed]

Here is my QSI

Based on the QSI you should download and run the default MX-23 x64 ISO. Install the ISO to a USB and boot it and make sure all your hardware work in the USB live session. When you're confident that your system hardware functions the way you expect it to work in the MX-23 live session, you should be able to install MX-23 over MX-19 in accordance with the MX Linux Migration page. As I understand it, that means that you do not """upgrade""" MX Linux, but that you install MX 23 over the same system and choose to preserve the /home directory during install.

Personally I've never done this and I don't recommend it, but devs on this forum insist that the MX installer can differentiate any /home partition and preserve it when the option is set. Caveat emptor.

Your QSI shows that you do *not* have a separate /home partition. I have read that this shouldn't matter and that the MX installer will still protect this data when you set the preserve home option during install. I don't know for sure. I don't recommend it.

So your homework is to read, thoroughly, every thread on this forum you can find about upgrading MX while preserving /home. There have been some recent examples. If you're so inclined, you can install 19.4 on a VM and test an upgrade to 23 to see what it's like before you do it on a live system.

The important thing to understand is that you're taking an independent risk trying to update an MX system. Upgrades, as most people understand the term to mean, aren't a thing that is supported. You can overwrite the old install with something new and hope for the best, or you can just pave everything and reinstall from scratch.

[Eadwine Rose]

Considering QSI was not even known by the user, and firefox went wonky: do not migrate. I can guarantee you get to keep the pieces.

Backup every important thing, let the installer of MX23 format everything (don't keep /home, as software is upgraded, a lot might not work with that big of a step from 19 to 23), just treat it like you installed a new hard drive.

When all is done you can put your saved .docs and such back in. Yeah you need to reconfig everything, but that is a minor issue compared to the alternative I mentioned above.

[Seeker]

tnx dukecomposed and eadwine rose: First of all, tnx for your speedy responses!
(1) I did not and do not now intend to update my old MX19.4. My intention is to do a clean install of MX23 (the version recommended to me in this thread).
(2) As you both note, I have a default install, I did not set up my Home or Data in a separate partition. Data is just a folder that I created after my first clean install of MX19. Right now, looking in File Manager, I have this setup: /home/[name I chose]/
(3) Everything I back up is in two folders under that, Data and Desktop. I do not keep stuff in the folders provided by the MX default install. When I download things and they go to the Downloads folder, I move all that stuff, after reviewing it, either to Desktop or to a relevant folder in the big Data folder.
(4) My concerns are for all my inbox and sent mail folders in Thunderbird. How do I back them up and how do I put them into the new Thunderbird that, I assume, comes with the new MX version?
(5) What will I have to reconfigure if the clean install of MX23 does not preserve Home?
Is there anything else I should pay attention to (besides first backing up!) when I do the MX23 clean install? I always get nervous and ready to freak out whenever I do this kind of thing.
thanks!

[Gabriel_M]

My suggestion is: copy your entire /home to an external device.

Then make a backup of the list of installed applications on the computer, by running:

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sudo dpkg --get-selections | grep -v deinstall > installed_packages

This will generate the list of installed packages, put it away.

Burn the iso to a USB and boot and make sure all your hardware works in the Live session, open a terminal and run:

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sudo apt update
sudo apt install --reinstall gparted
gparted

From Gparted, select the SDD, unmount the partitions from the last one to the first one, create a new mbr partition, and in the unpartitioned space create:

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An 80gb ext4 system partition
A 4gb swap system partition
A remaining ext4 system partition

Apply the changes.

Close Gparted.

Close the terminal.

Start the installation and when you get to partitioning, choose manual.

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Mount the 80gb ext4 partition in /
The default 4gb partition is swap
Mount the ext4 partition of the rest of the gigas in /home
The default Grub in the MBR of the SDD

Once the installation is finished and the system is started, you can restore by copying the files from your old /home, which will include the Firefox and Thunderbird configurations.

After updating the system with

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sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade

Next, run the installed_packages file in the directory where it should be copied

Now we type in the directory where we have the file with the list of packages

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sudo dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages
sudo dselect install

The applications existing in the previous installation can be installed, as long as they are available in the new version.

[MXRobo]

You may want to consider changing to GPT and UEFI in Gparted.
UEFI may need to be enabled/selected in your bios too.

Also, if you have a few thumb drives, you may want to create an MX-Snapshot 19 just in case.
Obviously, backup data and probably home, at least .thunderbird.

Websearch some of this.

Regarding:
2 Possibly consider creating a separate DATA partition with Gparted before installation, obviously select something else, customize, manual, or whatever the MX says that is similar when installing.
(If installing with GPT/UEFI, set ESP/UEFI boot flags to esp and boot.)

3 With symbolic links (linking to your DATA partition directories) in your home folder, you won't need them later as the symbolic links will ONLY point to the DATA directories that you created with mkdir whateverstuff.

4 It might be /home/USER/.thunderbird/

5 Probably everything, but that might not be an actual "Clean Install" then.

Install "User Installed Packages", create that list of most of your installed packages, save it, and then use it on the new installation, obviously with UIP installed.

It's time to jump in and get your hands dirty!

If interested in a separate data partition:
viewtopic.php?p=737475#p737475
viewtopic.php?p=807229#p807229
viewtopic.php?p=709022#p709022
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=320932

Good Luck!

[DukeComposed]

(2) As you both note, I have a default install, I did not set up my Home or Data in a separate partition. Data is just a folder that I created after my first clean install of MX19. Right now, looking in File Manager, I have this setup: /home/[name I chose]/

In 1645 legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings, his magnum opus on life, martial arts, and philosophy. A statement he makes repeatedly throughout the book after making an important point is "You should investigate this thoroughly." It's a short, simple sentence, but it underlines that something significant has been said and it requires that a good deal of attention be paid to it.

Everyone has a /home. I think it's time for you to learn the difference between a disk partition and a directory. You should investigate this thoroughly.

Knowing how to partition a disk properly, and precisely how you want it, will be an important step in installing new operating systems.

(4) My concerns are for all my inbox and sent mail folders in Thunderbird. How do I back them up and how do I put them into the new Thunderbird that, I assume, comes with the new MX version?

Backing up data in any program is a matter of reading, understanding, and following the documentation of that program. In this case, there are probably a thousand different sites and pages that can walk you through migrating a Thunderbird profile. The most important skill you can develop here is testing your backups to ensure that you've made them correctly. This builds confidence in your backup strategy and lets you know you can restore data whenever you need to recover something. You should investigate this thoroughly.

(5) What will I have to reconfigure if the clean install of MX23 does not preserve Home?
Is there anything else I should pay attention to (besides first backing up!) when I do the MX23 clean install? I always get nervous and ready to freak out whenever I do this kind of thing.
thanks!

Imagine installing Linux on a totally different machine. What would you have to do in order to make that second machine look like the one you already have? You'd have to think about your files, sure. What about your wallpaper? Desktop shortcuts? All the tools you've installed? Bookmarks? Custom themes? Shells? It's time to make a comprehensive list of everything on your machine that makes it uniquely yours. Evaluate how to backup or export each of those things. Find steps for exporting your bookmarks. Test them. Make sure you know you can do it successfully. You should investigate this thoroughly.

Having a little bit of nerves before a major system modification is normal. They'll never go away entirely. Once you've gotten some experience backing up and restoring data you'll be better prepared, not just for handling new installs, but for any snafu that may occur down the road.

[asqwerth]

I agree the safest precaution before your fresh install is to backup the whole /home partition or directory somewhere else.

Then start learning about the hidden dot files that reside in /home as this is where app configs are stored.

Assuming there is no drastic change in an app, your. old dot file for that app can be pasted into the same place in your new install to import back your setup for that app.

However, no guarantees because mx19 versions of apps are way older than mx23's. And don't try with xfce dot files! Xfce has changed a fair bit. For thunderbird, which I don't use, please follow the advice in the posts abive mine.

For other apps, for any imported dot files, just try them out.

if the app is wonky, then just delete the dot file. Reopening the said app without the dot file will bring the app back to the clean default setup.

@Gabriel_M 's dpkg.... command in his post just above has been mx-toolified by User-installed-packages tool.

You can install this in mx19.

[Seeker]

wow, thank you everyone. just gave your new posts a first read. my head is spinning. if I do this like I did when I first installed MX, then I just went with all the defaults of the installation. of course, I did not then think of trying to preserve my browser history, email history from Windows 7. Just started de novo, and copied my backup data into the folders in MX and away I went. I am embarrassed to admit that I have a v hard time understanding all the advice above. got to think this over. meanwhile, I've found that my audio is not working since I updated to the 32 bit firefox 135. My system is 64bit but I screwed up in choosing the firefox version. Don't know where to post query about this.

[Seeker]

Hi all. I am hoping for further help here. Basically, I want to do a fresh install of MX 23, use the default of all (except swap?) on one partition. I do not have a fancy customized set up. Maybe I'm crazy but I'm willing to configure the new apps that come with the new MX version. The things that concern me are my thunderbird contacts, the in- and out-boxes; my FF history and the saved passwords (though I can put passwords in as I go to the websites where I need them). I am just willing to do this as simply as possible.

[CharlesV]

I would:
1) take a snapshot of your current system, and save that on a pocket drive.
2) Save your data: desktop, documents, pictures, music, videos etc to a removable drive
3) Save ~/.thunderbird and ~/mozilla folders (which may be large!) to a removable drive.
4) Export your thunderbird address to a removable drive.
5) Export your mozilla data to a removable drive .

If you want to be REALLY safe... then back up your entire ~/ home folder

Install MX23 onto your system, overwriting your current install. (Personally... I would just default everything - one partition.

Then once your back up and have installed what ever you want...

a) start thunderbird and exit, without doing anything else.
b) copy your saved thunderbird and mozilla folders that you did above in step #3 to your new home folder ~/

adjust your new install, but thunderbird and firefox should be all good to go.