How do I update from 9.10 to the newest verson?

Question

I am stuck on version 9.10 Karmic Koala and need to update. I am not very good with computers so any simple and easy instructions would be awesome!

Do you want to update some packages, or upgrade to a new ubuntu version? Also try giving your question a descriptive title next time... — MrHug, Feb 25 '13 at 06:32
Sorry about that, I'm trying to update to a new version. 9.10 is the system I'm using now. Computers are not my thing. — Lurch52181, Feb 25 '13 at 06:35
Not quite sure how to work this thing with the questions either. — Lurch52181, Feb 25 '13 at 06:40
Your question is pretty much a duplicate of How do I upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 to 12.10 on my Acer Aspire 3000? & How to upgrade Ubuntu 9.10 to 12.10 via terminal? , however if you really want to take the long road and upgrade, here's a detailed guide - How do I upgrade from 10.04 or 11.10 to 12.04? — Nitin Venkatesh, Feb 25 '13 at 07:10
I apologise if I asked the same questions as others have. I'm new to this area and I'm learning as I go. — Lurch52181, Feb 25 '13 at 07:49
@Lurch52181 Can you give us your hardware specifications (especially processor and memory)? All hardware will work with 12.04, but not all hardware will provide a nice user experience. — don.joey, Feb 25 '13 at 08:01

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 25 '13 at 06:57

0

If you are looking to update to at least 12.04 from 9.10 you are looking at 3 system updates, I really don't recommend doing this. What I do suggest is download yourself a copy of the latest ISO and make a bootable ISO. From there you will have to boot into the USB or DVD so you will need to go into your BIOS and enable USB booting or Change the boot device priority if it doesn't work right away.

If you need help making a bootable Ubuntu USB Drive.. here.

If you need help installing Ubuntu.. here

If you really must upgrade through the terminal then you need to follow these steps

 1. vi /etc/apt/sources.list
 2. Replace each maverick universe with precise universe
 3. aptitude update
 4. aptitude full-upgrade

But seriously this is probably going to break the installation but I really suggest making a bootable USB or DVD, it will be much faster and safer.

answered Feb 25 '13 at 06:57

CMDann

322

Thank you for the info but most of that to me looks like its written in Alien. I need idiot terms explained to me. – Lurch52181 Feb 25 '13 at 07:03
I suggest you follow the links I supplied to making a bootable USB and installing Ubuntu, I can't make it much simpler than that I'm sorry. – CMDann Feb 25 '13 at 07:04
It is a start and it looks like I have my work cut out for me. Thank you so much for your help. – Lurch52181 Feb 25 '13 at 07:07
1

Canonical no more supports upgrading from 10.04 and previous versions online. You have to download a copy of the latest version and install it offline. You can download and find detailed instructions here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop and a video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xaMDsMheXc – jobin Feb 25 '13 at 07:17

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 25 '13 at 07:14

The latest version is 12.10 and there is no way to upgrade directly from 9.10 to 12.10. You would need to step through some versions in between.

First you would need to upgrade 9.10 to 10.04 as described here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EOLUpgrades/Karmic

Then from 10.04 to 12.04 as described here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PreciseUpgrades

Then from 12.04 to 12.10 as described here:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/upgrade

Each upgrade would be around 800 MB on average, that's a total of around 2.5 GB (or more) of downloads. If you have the bandwidth for that kind of download and your installation has critical setup that you would want to retain, then above is the upgrade path.

Otherwise, the best (and simplest) option for you is to take backup of your files and documents stored in /home/username folder and any other folders you created, make a list of applications installed by you. Then do a fresh install of the new/latest version 12.10. Then install the other applications that you may have had earlier.

Before doing a fresh install, do check it on your computer with a Live CD/DVD, so you can ensure that your hardware is compatible.

See also: http://askubuntu.com/questions/220835/upgrade-9-10-to-10-04 — david6, Feb 25 '13 at 07:19

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

Ubuntu 9.10 (Koala) is no longer supported, and so upgrading from 9.10 to 10.04 LTS is also not supported.

This rules out upgrading (via multiple steps) to 12.04 or 12.10.

(adapted from: AskUbuntu > Upgrade 9.10 to 10.04 )

Once you have your data and settings backed-up, you should do a fresh install of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on your PC. There will likely be initial issues with drivers, but this should mostly be resolved by doing an update.

Once you have 12.04 LTS working, then try out (but do not immediately install) Ubuntu 12.10 (or later 13.04). This may also work on your PC, but with older hardware you are better sticking with the LTS release.

I have successfully run 12.04 LTS on an HP Mini netbook (Atom processor, 1GB RAM) or ex-corporate desktops (P4 2.8GHz, 1GB RAM).

Thanks for your help. I've been tinkering with it some. I know nothing about computers other then how to turn then on and screw them up! I need to learn how to make a backup disc and go from there. — Lurch52181, Feb 26 '13 at 05:13

How do I update from 9.10 to the newest verson?

3 Answers3