What is the ideal way to install Mint so that major upgrades are "super easy"?

[MrT]

Background.
I have been running Linux Mint for almost 3 years now in dual booting. I think I can say that I have most of it under control.
But I am terrified, yes I really mean it, to do a fresh installation for when I did it in going from Mint 17 to Mint 18 I had huge issues and I could not even start the computer in Windows. Thankfully, somehow I managed to recover the situation. In that occasion, I deleted the entire partition I dedicated to Mint, but somehow Grub was not updated and, to make a long story short, it was an immense pain. Eventually I was able to recover Windows and install Mint 18.

From that day I have avoided doing that like my life depended on it. Thankfully with 19 it was no longer necessary. The transition from 18 to 19 was smooth like silk. Going from 19 to 20, less so. And, while on my own or with the advice by savvy members of the Linux community on this forum, I was able to rectify the biggest issues, there is still a lot of "garbage" like "unmounted disk" warnings, etc.greeting me any time I start Mint.

I am not sold anymore on dual booting. My next machine will have a 8 or 10 core CPU, plenty of resources and I think that it will be satisfactory to run everything in a Virtual machine. I would like Linux Mint to be my main OS and Windows to be on the Virtual Machine.

Question
How should I organize myself so that every time there is a major upgrade in Mint I do not need to restart everything and re-install all programs I am using?

I have read the guide and can install Mint properly, but is there a way that I should install it so that I do not need to re-install my programs at every major upgrade?
I understand that the HOME folder comes into play. Honestly, I feel very clumsy on this front. I have installed programs like R, Mathematica (only software that I always want with me everywhere I go and it is the original), Scilab, LaTeX, and a few more like Python and Julia.

I would appreciate any advice that could explain to me how to install Linux Mint on a new machine so that at any major upgrade I do not need to re-install the software or the data files that I use the most. I get the creating the bootable usb, installing the first time, etc. But how can I make sure that in going from Linux MInt X to Mint X+1, the step is 100% trivial and pain free?

I would not mind to do a 100% new installation on my current machine in dual booting as well , but I am just terrified. I can accept to re-install the software one more time, but the terror of getting stuck like 2 years ago is holding me back. Only thinking about doing it sends my heart rate and blood pressure through the roof.

Thank you very much.
MrT

[spamegg]

Major upgrades (from 18 to 19, from 19 to 20 etc.) will never be "super easy".
It doesn't really have much to do with how you install it in the first place. It's kind of out of your hands.
My recommendation would be: keep track of all software you install, and the commands/instructions needed to install them, all your preferred settings, preferences etc. in a text file.
Then backup any important files, skip the major upgrade, do a CLEAN INSTALL of the new major version and start from scratch with a fresh OS.
Then you can follow your text file to reinstall your software and change settings, it should take a few hours.
Just spending a few hours every few years is a tiny price to pay, to get a fresh OS, and to avoid major upgrade pains.

[Pjotr]

Major upgrades (from 18 to 19, from 19 to 20 etc.) will never be "super easy".
It doesn't really have much to do with how you install it in the first place. It's kind of out of your hands.
My recommendation would be: keep track of all software you install, and the commands/instructions needed to install them, all your preferred settings, preferences etc. in a text file.
Then backup any important files, skip the major upgrade, do a CLEAN INSTALL of the new major version and start from scratch with a fresh OS.
Then you can follow your text file to reinstall your software and change settings, it should take a few hours.
Just spending a few hours every few years is a tiny price to pay, to get a fresh OS, and to avoid major upgrade pains.

Exactly.

In 2008 I started my how-to website for this very reason, so initially primarily for myself:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

@Mrt: so if you consider doing what spamegg advised, I recommend to put your instructions-to-self on a free website like Blogspot. Makes it easy to find them in times of need, also when you're not at home etc.

[spamegg]

so if you consider doing what spamegg advised, I recommend to put your instructions-to-self on a free website like Blogspot. Makes it easy to find them in times of need, also when you're not at home etc.

Very good idea! I keep a few copies around on USB drives etc. Just be careful you don't leak any personal info if you put it on a website.

[MrT]

Thank you for your inputs. That confirms something I suspected all along.

Could you allow me to re-phrase my question:

Say that I want to re-install Linux Mint 20 or whenever I will need to install Mint 21 in the near future, again in dual booting.
What are the sequence of steps I should follow?

1) Can I just leave things as they are and just ask the installer to install on top of the current Linux partition?
2) Will that make sure that Grub will be properly updated, etc?
3) What is the role for the HOME folder? Is it the place where I should put my personal data? But, if I do a new installation wouldn't I lose that too.

Somewhat it amazes me that I managed to learn how to install and upgrade problems and kernels on my own, but I feel completely lost and confused when it
comes to installing Linux, even considering that 99% of the work is done for me by the installer itself.

Thank you.

[zcot]

Open the "Backup Tool" and check the Software Selection option. This will be a good tool in allowing a transition to a new install. Save the info you want to bring to the new install, then when it's done you have to go get that file (~/Documents/Backups) and bring it to the new system so you can import it("restore"), so use a usb stick, some other general data partition, email it to yourself, whatever, to get it into the fresh system.

A similar type of idea can be done with the personal files in your /home if you are not using that as a separated partition already(in which case you wouldn't need to do this). For me, the more useful part of that tool would be to include the hidden folders/files related to configs, but you have to dig a little deeper in using that tool to make all that happen. But if it's just simple "personal files" that's an easy step. I personally never separate /home, although plenty of users do it and probably more than 99% of the time it works perfectly. I end up using the technique mentioned here mainly for the hidden configs(see comment below).

Another easy idea is to keep a general data partition separate from the system, so it can be used across one or more installs or transitions to newly installed systems. Check here, the idea is to have your personal files end up off the system partition in the first place: viewtopic.php?p=1630656#p1630656 (read the whole thread so you get the whole idea, and some caveat, but it makes transitions very easy)

Using the separated /home, or the concept mentioned above prevents the need to be copying 400GB of personal data back/forth during a reinstall.

The idea should be that you can do a quick new install, maybe that's about 15 minutes, and then once on the new system you spend another 15 or so and you are a long way to getting the system back to a very comfortable place, -replace the programs, set the personal data.

[all41]

The thing to remember is LTS.
Each Mint release is supported and updated for 5 years.

Within this time period we usually see 3 or 4 in place upgrades,
you will see those paths offered in Update Manager.

Changing for example: 19.x to 20.x
I recommend a fresh install as opposed to an inplace upgrade

Every five years is not difficult--
Technology evolves exponentially,
Five years from now we will be computing very differently anyway
.

[AndyMH]

How should I organize myself so that every time there is a major upgrade in Mint I do not need to restart everything and re-install all programs I am using?

Having a separate home partition helps (I've always had one). It means that you can do a fresh install retaining all your configs and data files. You should still do a backup before you start. You still have to reinstall any software installed, but once installed you don't have to set them up. Same is true for any tweaks you've made to customise your desktop - they are retained.

I've never used it, but aptik is supposed to be able to backup all your installed applications and restore them. Others here swear by it. It is no longer free. Hopefully an aptik user can comment.

I got burnt when I moved from LM17 to LM18 - couldn't remember what I'd installed or how I did it. Since then I've maintained a simple text file with a launcher on the desktop - every time I make a change I make a timestamped note of it. If I installed software - how - from sw manager, ppa, deb or what.

The mint backup tool can help if you take a 'system' backup, but it will only restore stuff that is in the repos. If like me you have a lot of software installed via additional repositories, deb, ppa, etc. it is of limited value. There is also software in the repos for LM19 that is not in the repos for LM20 (depending on what it is, it can usually be fixed).

Before you start on any major change make sure you have a full image backup of your system drive. That way, screw up, you can get back to where you started. I recommend foxclone (but I would, I developed it), there are alternatives.

1) Can I just leave things as they are and just ask the installer to install on top of the current Linux partition?

With a separate home partition you use the 'something else' option during install and tell the installer to reuse your existing / partition and reformat it, you tell the installer to reuse your existing /home partition and NOT reformat it. If you don't have a separate /home partition you need to copy off the contents and then copy it back after the fresh install - can be lots of GB.

2) Will that make sure that Grub will be properly updated, etc?

It happens automatically, no need to worry. In the 'something else' install you can check that grub will be installed to the correct drive.

3) What is the role for the HOME folder? Is it the place where I should put my personal data? But, if I do a new installation wouldn't I lose that too.

Yes, this is where your data files and all the config files (all the hidden folders/files) live. As just a folder, it doesn't help. Where it lives in a separate partition, it makes life easier doing a major change, e.g. LM20 to LM21.

[all41]

yes-just to add--performance will be capped
by the parameters of the drive containing the custom partitions

[cliffcoggin]

1) Can I just leave things as they are and just ask the installer to install on top of the current Linux partition?

Yes you can. If you are content with your current partitioning etc. that is all you need do.

[DisturbedDragon]

I always suggest keeping / and /home separate. Doing so makes a reinstall or recovery easy if needed. You install the new system to / and just mount /home without formatting during the install. This way you keep all your data and program settings.

New versions also do not mean you must install anew. I have four computers that started with Mint 17 and are now on Mint 20.1. Each time I went the upgrade path. None have had a clean install since initial Mint 17 install. All run with zero issues before or after each upgrade. These systems have also gone through various new motherboards and processors, even upgrades in drives from HDD to SSD to NVMe through drive cloning.

The upgrade process is pretty painless. Before running the actual upgrade you can even (and I highly suggest you do) simulate the upgrade which will generate errors for any issues it comes across. Reading these errors, if any, will let you know what may be an issue beforehand so you will be prepared for any to come.

[Moem]

Having a separate home partition helps (I've always had one). It means that you can do a fresh install retaining all your configs and data files. You should still do a backup before you start. You still have to reinstall any software installed, but once installed you don't have to set them up. Same is true for any tweaks you've made to customise your desktop - they are retained.

This is my method, too. For a major upgrade, I've always reinstalled but kept my /home intact.

[cliffcoggin]

Having a separate home partition helps (I've always had one). It means that you can do a fresh install retaining all your configs and data files. You should still do a backup before you start. You still have to reinstall any software installed, but once installed you don't have to set them up. Same is true for any tweaks you've made to customise your desktop - they are retained.

This is my method, too. For a major upgrade, I've always reinstalled but kept my /home intact.

Me too, however the OP is openly and understandably worried about the whole process, hence he is looking for the simplest option with the minimum of choices to be made.

MrT. When you decide to upgrade and have settled on what you want by way of partitions etc. present your plan here for approval before doing anything. Advice can then be very specific about the best way to achieve your aims.

[AndyMH]

MrT. When you decide to upgrade and have settled on what you want by way of partitions etc. present your plan here for approval before doing anything. Advice can then be very specific about the best way to achieve your aims.

Good advice.

[Aztaroth]

cliffcoggin wrote :

Me too, however the OP is openly and understandably worried about the whole process, hence he is looking for the simplest option with the minimum of choices to be made.

The header of the post can also be understood as : what's the ideal (event complex) way to install Mint so that major upgrades will become "super easy" ?
Of course, only Mr T. can precise the way to understand his needs.

As most of you, I've separated partitions for / and home on all my computers and only needed 2 hours a week ago (when my laptop badly woke up from a battery failure) to reinstall Mint the way AndyMH described (to be honest, I only use 3 apps non provided by the OS : VLC, Gimp and MkvToolNix) and found immediately all my settings, css, scripts, aliases, .... 'ready to rock'.

[bluecoat58]

If you wish super easy, go to a rolling release. Today they're just as stable, but the software is not out of date.
If you're staying with Linux Mint save your dot files before doing an upgrade to a new version. I just plug in a SSD and save my home directory to it. Or, have your home directory on a separate SSD. Hope that helps.

[rossdv8]

E D I T E D'
Ok, I have written this in way too much detail, but the idea was to put it almost step by step with explanations.
I shouldn't do this stuff when I'm tired - so I'll apologise in advance.

If you want a bulletproof method (assuming you don;t have a Hard Disk failure) and if you are comfortable partitioning your drive, the method I use is proven (over more than 10 years) and difficult to screw up.

These days Mint needs about 30GB to live in, so you need to set aside 60GB of hard drive for 'root' ( / )
The remainder of the drive will be where /home lives.

For simplicity I'll assume a 500GB drive (I prefer 1TB these days because they are cheap)

Install Mint and partition your drive so you have the partition:
40GB - 420GB - 40GB
or
30GB - 440GB - 30GB
It won't work out quite like that. The middle bit will be a bit smaller.


I'll work on an assumption that you are using Mint 19.3 and want to upgrade to Mint 20.1. That should be a fairly major upgrade.

Install your Mint 19.3 into either of the small partitions. For simplicity I would install it into the first.
I'd suggest when you get to the part where you have to Partition, choose 'Other' or whatever it says these days where you partition manually and do something like:

Ext4 Mint 19.3 mounted as / - Ext 4 mounted as /home - Ext4 - Unallocated

Copy all your /home from wherever you backed it up directly into /home and everything should be where you expected it to be/

Now, once all that is working as expected. .

Find your nice shiny new installation USB stick.

This time, when you get to the 'Partition your drive' part:

You can select the first partition as 'USE as Ext4' without any drama,
but LEAVE the FIRST partition UN Mounted and DO NOT FORMAT IT.
That is where your current Mint is living. If you format it - you kill it !!

With the second partition.
Use as Ext4, MOUNT it at /home and DO NOT FORMAT it - if you format it - you KILL it and LOSE all your
saved 'STUFF'

With the Third partition.
Mount it as / and format it as Ext4


It should look something like:
Ext4 NOT mounted NOT FORMATTED / - Ext 4 mounted as /home - Ext4 Mint 20.1 mounted as /

On each install you can tell GRUB to go into sda1. There will be some confusion initially when you choose the other operating system at boot, and there are tutorials on the forum that can help you change the Default choice.
Or you can post a question and someone will guide you. It is a simple edit of a file.



The advantage of this method should be pretty obvious. When a new release of Mint is available, or of you are tempted to use a beta release, you can simply install it into whichever of the 30GB (or 40GB) root partitions you are not using. These days because we are not using swap partitions so much, you might only have:
sda1 30GB Mint 19.3 /
sda2 440GB /home
sda3 30gb Mint 20.1 /

When you settle on a new Mint that is running happily, and after you have updated the new Mint with all the Apps you are used to you can make it the default in Grub.

Next time you want to try another Mint that is in the works, install that into the ROOT that you are NOT using.

HINT:
To make a wrong install less likely, I open my file manager as Root User, and I Create a New Folder in the Root Directory I am USING called something like:
0-Mint19-3

Then I open the other Root Directory (the one I am NOT using) and make a folder called something like:
0-Mint20-1

I avoid dots in file names.

That way you only have to look at the Roor of whatever Mint you are using at the moment to see which partition you are NOT using (to work out where to install a new version).

Again - sorry for the long waffling post.