I switched from Ubuntu Desktop to Ubuntu Server. How do I switch back?

Question

I accidentally switched from Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 to Ubuntu Server 22.04. Typing one command without realizing understanding it, I tried to switch to Ubuntu desktop by installing tasksel, but I couldn't update apt.

Ubuntu server image:

The error that i face installing tasksel:

This is my terminal history after my laptop screen became red.

The command: history may help you recall the command that you issued that is the start of the problem. — chili555, Jan 19 '23 at 21:03
Does this answer your question? How do I enable the "Universe" repository? — karel, Jan 20 '23 at 01:23
Does this answer your question? Should I use tasksel, tasks in APT or install regular metapackages? — karel, Jan 20 '23 at 01:27
Finally ifoind out that I have a released life repository... rm.old.releases.ubuntu.com could not be resolved ... for now I have no I idea where this is going — Licht, Jan 20 '23 at 01:42
Your output in the pictures shows that the question is misleading. You didn't "accidentally switch" to a different flavor of Ubuntu. You purposefully ran several very-unwise commands that uninstalled your desktop environment. The "purge python*" command is particularly troubling -- that's a guaranteed system-killer, and any such instructions are highly suspicious. — user535733, Jan 20 '23 at 07:49

Archisman Panigrahi · Answer 1 · 2023-01-19T22:11:20.463

2

Assuming you want to get back to ubuntu desktop, enter the following command and reboot.

sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop^

edited Jan 19 '23 at 22:11

answered Jan 19 '23 at 21:19

Archisman Panigrahi

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What does the ^ caret at the end mean? To use the most recent compatible version? Is that not implied anyways? Or is it something like autocomplete, adapting itself for the Ubuntu-flavor's corresponding desktop environment? – Levente Jan 19 '23 at 21:34
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@Levente https://askubuntu.com/questions/211912/whats-the-caret-mean-in-apt-get – Organic Marble Jan 19 '23 at 21:57
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@OrganicMarble ah, it means: do a bunch of things. ubuntu-desktop^ is, in truth, a bunch of things. Thank you. Update: it's detailed at the bottom of this other answer: https://askubuntu.com/a/257172/1157519 – Levente Jan 19 '23 at 22:01
+1: For the problem presented, this is a simple, safe, understandable, and highly effective solution. – user535733 Jan 20 '23 at 07:51

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 20 '23 at 15:52

To switch from Ubuntu Server to Ubuntu Desktop I had to install the ubuntu-desktop package.

That was not acceptable from my repositories.

This was the repositories problem. I added some released life repositories to:

/etc/apt/sources.list

All the links were like:

http://mr.old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu

This resulted in the error :

mr.old-releases.ubuntu.com could not be resolved

I changed mr.old-releases to archive so that the link became like this:

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu

Then I updated apt:

sudo apt update

Then I installed the ubuntu-desktop package:

sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop

this is my first time using the platform, thanks for the advice i will try to make it better next time — Licht, Jan 20 '23 at 15:36

I switched from Ubuntu Desktop to Ubuntu Server. How do I switch back?

2 Answers2