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I have to install another Ubuntu OS version maybe 18.04 or any other long-term release. not able to work properly with the current version 19.10.

The problem is I have created some VMs which are very important and they are properly configured to carry out a project, so I don't want to lose those VMs plus the data on the host machine. What would be the better way to install another ubuntu LTS version in this case?

The main problem is wifi on the machine is not working and I'm not able to install any package, update or upgrade to debug the issue or follow the steps posted on help forums with the current version. The link to wireless info script output as suggested here: https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/k39gHmqXpR/

y_159
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    Does this answer your question? How do you back up your Virtual Machine – karel Jan 15 '21 at 15:29
  • I don't have sufficient space on the host or don't have any other device to store the backups. – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 15:31
  • Alternatively, if you've been thinking about upgrading your storage recently, you could just replace your SSD/HDD, do a fresh install, then read all your data back from the existing storage device. –  Jan 15 '21 at 15:32
  • @y_159 So what happens when you try to connect to the wifi? Why can't you connect? According to your pastebin, your wifi adapter is working and it has detected an AP called "sky" at channel 11. Is that yours? – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 15:57
  • @SasukeUchiha yes, it's in my home but the wifi is always scanning , It's been months now.
    usr@usr-HP-Pavilion-Notebook:~$ sudo nmcli dev wifi rescan [sudo] password for usr: Error: Scanning not allowed while unavailable or activating.     – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 15:58
  • try stopping and restarting the network manager. systemctl stop network-manager systemctl start network-manager – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 16:00
  • @SasukeUchiha Did. still Doesn't show any visible networks. On clicking Wi-Fi settings wifi is still scanning under Visible Networks section. – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 16:06
  • Maybe you should try reinstalling the driver from iso. See https://itsfoss.com/fix-no-wireless-network-ubuntu/ – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 16:19
  • @SasukeUchiha thanks, but still didn't helped. One method was for mounting an iso image which I have one of 18.04 but my current version is 19.10, for this method i'm worried it doesn't do something to the stored data, second was for Broadcom, whereas on the current machine its Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168NGW [Stone Peak] and on checking in software setting under additional drivers section it says this device is not working. – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 16:40
  • I there no way for you to download a new iso. You can upgrade to 20.04.1 LTS from iso. Check which driver you need. (lspci -nnk | grep 0280 -A3) – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 16:44
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    Seems like it's time for you to open your wallet and expand your capacity so you can backup your VMs and/or spin up new VMs for migration. Locking yourself into a single low-resource path and hoping you encounter no problems isn't good risk management. Mucking about with Broadcom Wi-Fi and drivers should not happen while VMs are active - if your kernel crashes, you don't want your VMs corrupted. A wired connection may be a reasonable, cheap, temporary workaround in many situations. – user535733 Jan 15 '21 at 16:54
  • I have to agree with @user535733 but let's try to find an alternative first for now. However, you should get some backup media ASAP. – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 16:56
  • If wifi isn't working, why don't you just use ethernet? Your paste indicates it's presence. I too have limited local space, but I backup my systems to network storage, which is also where most of files are found anyway due to space. Ubuntu 19.10 is EOL & off-topic except when you're trying to move to a supported release. If a desktop you can upgrade via re-install however you should always backup first (mistake are easy to make!) so backup of data is your first priority as I see it. – guiverc Jan 15 '21 at 23:25

1 Answers1

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Reinstall the driver. Since you have an iwlwifi device,

sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi
sudo modprobe iwlwifi

If you just want to upgrade to LTS 20.04.1,

  1. Download the new ISO file from https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop.
  2. Copy the ISO to your home directory via a USB drive.
  3. Make a directory to mount the ISO. sudo mkdir /mnt/cdrom
  4. Mount the ISO. sudo mount -t iso9660 -o loop ~/ubuntu-20.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso /mnt/cdrom (Use the actual name of the iso.)
  5. Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add deb file:///mnt kali main contrib non-free and comment out all other sources.
  6. update the system. sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  7. Unmount the iso.
VidathD
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  • PS: Be careful about what you post online. That Pastebin contains your public ipv6 address and an attacker can use it against you... – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 17:29
  • which line does show this info? i'll remove it. – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 17:42
  • The steps you showed to upgrade to LTS 20.04.1 will not lose data and any VM currently running? – y_159 Jan 15 '21 at 17:48
  • @y_159 Looks like you removed it already. It shouldn't remove your files. It should be just like a normal upgrade. But it is always best to back up the important stuff so buy a hard drive and back it up. – VidathD Jan 15 '21 at 23:12