LMDE 3 to 4 in 2022 [SOLVED]

[Mildavis]

Hi.

I'm trying to get a laptop running Linux Mint LMDE 3 up to date, by upgrading first to LMDE 4 and then to LMDE 5.

I have followed the instructions on https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2475, and at "D2. Check the upgrade" I ran `mintupgrade check` several times (four actually). Every times I get stuck on the status message "0% [Working]" for step 26 and nothing happens (I waited for 30 minutes or so):

Code: Select all

  + Setting up the repositories for LMDE 4 'Debbie'...
Get:1 http://security.debian.org buster/updates InRelease [65.4 kB]
Ign:2 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie InRelease                                   
Get:3 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie Release [22.2 kB]
Get:4 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/main i386 Packages [334 kB]
Get:5 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie Release.gpg [833 B]
Get:6 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/main amd64 Packages [336 kB]
Get:7 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/main Translation-en [183 kB]       
Get:8 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/main amd64 Packages [12.2 kB]        
Get:9 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/non-free amd64 Packages [556 B] 
Get:10 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/non-free i386 Packages [552 B]
Get:11 http://security.debian.org buster/updates/non-free Translation-en [344 B]
Get:12 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/main i386 Packages [12.2 kB]        
Get:13 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/main i386 Contents (deb) [532 kB]
Get:14 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/main amd64 Contents (deb) [532 kB]       
Get:15 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/upstream i386 Packages [32.0 kB]         
Get:16 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/upstream amd64 Packages [31.6 kB]
Get:17 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/upstream i386 Contents (deb) [25.9 kB]
Get:18 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/upstream amd64 Contents (deb) [25.9 kB]
Get:19 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/import amd64 Packages [31.2 kB]
Get:20 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/import i386 Packages [22.6 kB]      
Get:21 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/import i386 Contents (deb) [57.8 kB]
Get:22 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/import amd64 Contents (deb) [62.4 kB]
Get:23 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/backport amd64 Packages [40.8 kB]
Get:24 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/backport i386 Packages [40.8 kB]
Get:25 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/backport i386 Contents (deb) [56.6 kB]                                                                                      
Get:26 http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie/backport amd64 Contents (deb) [56.6 kB]                                                                                     
0% [Working] 

I tried (with no luck/no visible changes):
- rebooting
- getting unused packages out of the way using `apt autoremove`

Here is the output of `inxi -Sr` if it is of any help:

Code: Select all

System:    Host: acer Kernel: 4.9.0-14-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.2.4 Distro: LMDE 3 Cindy 
Repos:     No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
           1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com cindy main upstream import backport
           2: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ stretch main contrib non-free
           3: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ stretch-updates main contrib non-free
           4: deb http://security.debian.org/ stretch/updates main contrib non-free

And the output during `mintupgrade check`:

Code: Select all

System:
  Host: acer Kernel: 4.9.0-14-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.2.4 
  Distro: LMDE 3 Cindy 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com debbie main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
  2: deb https://deb.debian.org/debian buster main contrib non-free
  3: deb https://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates main contrib non-free
  4: deb http://security.debian.org buster/updates main contrib non-free
  5: deb https://deb.debian.org/debian buster-backports main contrib non-free

Is it possible to upgrade this way at this time?
Maybe a clean install is the way to go?

Thanks for your help.

[antikythera]

I believe a clean install is necessary but go with LMDE5 if you can. I tried LMDE4 again in VM recently and 'debbie' sources all returned an error

[AwesomeOpossum74]

+1 clean install. Otherwise you're chancing for errors to slip in.

My take: Minor upgrades=upgrade. Major upgrades=fresh install.

[Mildavis]

Ok then, I'll go with a clean install.
Thanks for your time.