Upgrading to Linux Mint 17.x 

It is now possible to upgrade the Cinnamon and MATE editions of Linux Mint 17 and Linux Mint 17.1 to version 17.2.  If you’ve been waiting for this I’d like to thank you, your wait is over.

Reasons…

To Upgrade:-

Remember the golden rule “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

You might want to upgrade to 17.2 due to some bug issues that might not play well with your system, and causes you a great annoyance, or because there are some new features that you may require.

Either way think carefully about your reasons to upgrade. In any case, make sure you know why you’re upgrading.

Not Upgrade:-

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. If everything works well dont bother, stay where you are.

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As excited as we an get about the notion of a newer version of software updates, Linux Mint 17.2 is no different. Upgrading blindly for the sake of running the latest version does not make much sense, especially if you’re already happy and everything is working perfectly.

Make sure to read the release notes and to known the new features so you have all the information you need before deciding whether you want to upgrade.

Be selective with updates

Upgrading to 17.2 will upgrade to Rafaela of course, but also apply all level 1 updates for you.

You do not need to apply level 2, 3, 4 or 5 updates to upgrade to the new version of Linux Mint, and doing so won’t apply these for you.

Level 4 and 5 updates are not recommended unless they bring solutions to issues you’re facing. Level 3 updates should be applied selectively and with precautions.

Have Fun.

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Upgrading to 17.2 is relatively easy:

In the Update Manager, click on the Refresh button to check for any new version of mintupdate and mint-upgrade-info. If there are updates for these packages, apply them.

Launch the System Upgrade by clicking on “Edit->Upgrade to Linux Mint 17.2 Rafaela”.  

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Once the upgrade is finished, reboot your computer.

Additional info

• The same upgrade path will be available for the Xfce and KDE editions, after they are released as stable 17.2.
• Although Linux Mint 17.2 features a newer kernel, this upgrade does not change the kernel on your behalf. This is a decision only you should take. Should you decide to upgrade to 17.2’s recommended kernel you can do so by applying the “linux-kernel-generic” update, post-upgrade.
• Your grub menu won’t be automatically updated on your behalf. After you rebooted the computer, you can trigger that update with the following command: “sudo update-grub”.

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Adapted from Linux Mint Blog, for this blog listing purely for the simplicity of a single reference point.

Written by Clem (upgrade guide), on Friday, July 3rd, 2015 @ 1:09 pm