Upgrading from Mint 18

[dewdrop]

Thanks again, RollyShed. Just to clarify, I don't keep personal files on the computer needing an upgrade.

Yesterday I tried the initial steps (https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=288).
The sha256sum.txt yielded some alpha/numeric text.
The "gpg --keyserver hkp://[etc.]" command gave the following result:
gpg: requesting key A25BAE09 from hkp server.keyserver.ubuntu.com
gpg: key A25BAE09: "Linuxmint ISO Signing Key <root@linuxmint.com>" not changed
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: unchanged: 1
The Verify button didn't seem to do anything.

Right off the bat I am confused.

[djph]

Sounds like you already have the signing key on your keyring.

The "verify" button on the site you linked should open a new webpage with the instructions for verifying the sha2 checksum file's signature (via gpg), and then using that now verified sha256 checksum file to verify the ISO.

In case you can't get to the readthedocs.io page,

• gpg -v sha256sum.txt.gpg sha256sum.txt <-- this should return a few lines of text, one of which being something like "Good Signature [...]"
• sha256sum --ignore-missing -c sha256sum.txt <-- this should find the one (1) line in the file that matches the name of the *iso file you downloaded.

NB -- the above instructions assume all three files (linuxmint-whatever.iso, sha256sum.txt, and sha256sum.txt.gpg) are in the same directory.

[dewdrop]

djph,
Thanks for the commands --

"gpg -v sha256sum.txt.gpg sha256sum.txt" (which resulted in "usage: gpg [options] [filename]")

and

"sha256sum --ignore-missing -c sha256sum.txt" (which resulted in "sha256sum: sha256sum.txt: No such file or directory").

[dewdrop]

I forgot to ask a question in my last post, so here goes: Does anyone have an idea of what the results mean?

[djph]

Sounds like the files in question are not in the directory where you are running the commands.

You have to run the commands from the same directory wherein the files are saved.

[jsb]

Is this any help: viewtopic.php?f=90&t=359073

[dewdrop]

"Sounds like the files in question are not in the directory where you are running the commands. * * * You have to run the commands from the same directory wherein the files are saved."

I have no idea what directory the files were saved. How do I find this out?

[jsb]

I have no idea what directory the files were saved. How do I find this out?

Do a search or re-download and note the directory that you are saving them in.

[dewdrop]

I'm thinking that I will start over from the beginning and keep an eye for the directory. Will keep y'all posted.

[dewdrop]

Okay, I started at the beginning (https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=288).

I clicked on the "Download" which showed me the "Latest version LinuxMint 20.2" and pressed the green "Recommended" button. It doesn't appear that anything happened. (I was trying to put it on a thumb drive.)

I looked for it in my directories. BTW: on the home page it informs me that I have no Documents, Pictures, Videos, or Downloads subdirectories ("cannot not find"). The installation guide (https://linuxmint-installation-guide.re ... en/latest/) moves past this and next speaks of "ISO" images.

[jsb]

The "download" at the top of the page is just a menu/navigation item, that's not a download link.

You have to scroll down to the list of download mirrors and choose one to download from, click on the green text with the institution's name to download the iso.

[dewdrop]

Thanks, jsb. That should have been said in the instructions. I see the list of download mirrors now. Those were out of sight on my screen. (I guess I assumed I was looking at the whole page.) Are these mirror sites operated by LinuxMint? And (before I get going) is there one that you recommend more than the rest?

[jsb]

I assume the mirrors are operated by volunteers at the institution listed. I don't think it matters much where you download, the iso check step will verify that the iso is legitimate and not corrupted. I think I have usually just picked one of the universities that is not too far away.

Since I have been just doing upgrades rather that fresh installs, I have only used the downloads to test a new version in a "live session" and not installed from them. Because of that, I may have even skipped the verification steps for myself . I have only ever heard of one brief incident when there was a hack related to Mint ISO downloads (in 2016): https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/nl/sec ... a-backdoor

[dewdrop]

Well okay then. I will proceed from the beginning. Thanks.

[dewdrop]

jsb, I used your approach. I find it nterestingly that most of these mirror sites I went to came up with a notification about an insecure (and inaccessible) connection. But one university site (mintmirror.math.washington.edu) showed something -- i.e., four folders labeled debian, linuxmint.repo/, stable, and testing. I'm thinking the linuxmint.repo/ is the one I should right-click on. (Besides, it is the one most recently modified.)
Any thoughts?

[jsb]

No, you want to go to "stable" and then "20.2" where you can download the latest stable version. The file for cinnamon will be named:
linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso

Or here's a link directly to the directory that it is in there: http://mintmirror.math.washington.edu/stable/20.2/

I think you must have started from a different page than this one : https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=288
the links there just go directly to downloading, for example the U of Wash link goes to:
http://mintmirror.math.washington.edu/s ... -64bit.iso

But anyway, the end result is the same and you now have 3 ways of getting there

[dewdrop]

Ya know, I might well have been on the LinuxMint website and not the id=288 link that you gave me. (Going back and forth between computers doesn't help much.)

Good to know that the end result will be the same. I will start with your first link and look for the linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso file to result.

[jsb]

Ya know, I might well have been on the LinuxMint website and not the id=288 link that you gave me. (Going back and forth between computers doesn't help much.)

Yeah, I could not find what page it was again, but recall that one of the download links led to the full directories with all the old editions, etc.

[dewdrop]

So I just saved the linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso link, which created a 92.4MB folder called linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso.part. Right-clicking and opening this folder gave me “Unknown file type” message; “linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso.part has no known programs associated with it”, but suggests, if I feel trusting, that I “mark it executable and launch it”. Sound about right?

[jsb]

I'm not sure what happened, but none of that sounds right.

There's no folder downloaded, it should just be a file that gets downloaded and it's 2GB and there is no .part at the end.

To test, I went to: http://mintmirror.math.washington.edu/stable/20.2/

I clicked on linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso

a "save file" window pops up and I can can then click on "save" to download it. After downloading, it appears as a file in the directory that it was downloaded to as:
linuxmint-20.2-cinnamon-64bit.iso
Size is 2 GB and type is "raw CD image"

The downloaded file (iso image) can be opened with xfburn on my system.