Upgrade 32-bit installation to 64-bit

[hdleng]

When I installed Linux Mint 18.2, I used a 32-bit installation disk from another PC. The new PC, which has a 64-bit processor, happily accepted the installation. When I update to 18.3, I'd like to install the 64-bit system. Can this be done without wiping out my currently installed applications and settings?

While searching for an answer to this, I found that on Linux Mint 17 and earlier, a clean install of the 64-bit system and reinstall of applications is needed. Is this still the case with 18?

[Neil Edmond]

A 32-bit OS cannot be upgraded to 64-bit. A fresh installation is necessary. Back-up the contents of your data and restore after the new installation.

[Moem]

You will need to reinstall. That means losing your currently installed applications, but you can back those up with Aptik; you can certainly try copying your entire home directory over to another medium, and paste it back in place after reinstallation. That will retain your settings. The settings for your applications will then be in place after you reinstall the applications.

So, yes, it's a new installation. But no, that does not mean losing everything.

I would advise making this a two-step process: first, install 18.2 64-bits and get all your applications back up and running. Then, upgrade to 18.3 through the Update Manager.

[hdleng]

I suspected that a new installation would be needed, but I wanted to check first. Thanks for the replies. I will mark this solved.