Ubuntu Dapper to Edgy Upgrade with apt-get

Upgrading Ubuntu: A Command-Line Approach

Important Consideration: As outlined in the official Ubuntu Help documentation:

Please be aware – this upgrade method is inherently less dependable. Should you choose this route, you must be fully prepared to address potential issues manually, including unexpected package removals. Utilizing the Update Manager is generally a more stable and recommended option.

Before You Begin

Prior to proceeding with this guide, it's advisable to evaluate the possibility of upgrading through the graphical user interface (GUI) using the Update Manager. This method is typically more straightforward for standard users.

However, if you possess advanced technical skills, the following instructions will guide you through a command-line upgrade process.

Installing Ubuntu Desktop

First, ensure that the ubuntu-desktop package is installed. This is a prerequisite to avoid dependency conflicts during the upgrade.

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

Modifying the Sources List

The next step involves altering the sources.list file. This file contains references to the repositories from which your system obtains updates and packages. Think of it as the location your system checks for available software, similar to Windows Update.

The following command replaces all instances of "dapper" with "edgy" within the sources.list file:

sudo sed -e 's/\sdapper/ edgy/g' -i /etc/apt/sources.list

If you are a Windows user, it is strongly recommended to use the Update Manager utility instead.

Performing the Upgrade

Now, initiate the upgrade process with these commands:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

The && operator ensures that the dist-upgrade command only executes if the apt-get update command completes successfully.

Finalizing the Upgrade

Complete the upgrade with the following commands:

sudo apt-get -f install

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Please note that --configure consists of two hyphens. Some platforms may render this as a single hyphen.

Rebooting Your System

After completing these steps, reboot your computer to apply the changes.

Known Issues

It has been reported that this upgrade method may encounter difficulties when Ubuntu is running as a guest operating system within VMWare, particularly with VMWare Tools installed. Testing has confirmed this observation, and a solution is currently unavailable.

Troubleshooting: "failed to load module GLcore" Error

If you encounter the error message "failed to load module GLcore" during the upgrade, execute the following commands. This solution was contributed by Biogeek in the comments section.

apt-get install xfs

apt-get install --reinstall xfonts-base