It is now possible to upgrade the Cinnamon and MATE editions of Linux Mint 17 to version 17.1.
If you’ve been waiting for this I’d like to thank you for your patience.
Upgrade for a reason
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
You might want to upgrade to 17.1 because some bug that annoys you is fixed or because you want to get some of the new features. In any case, you should know why you’re upgrading.
As excited as we are about 17.1, upgrading blindly for the sake of running the latest version does not make much sense, especially if you’re already happy with 17 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 from 17 to 17.1 will upgrade from Qiana to Rebecca 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.
Enjoy
Upgrading to 17.1 is relatively easy:
In the Update Manager, click on the Refresh button to check for any new version of mintupdate. If there is one, apply it and wait for the Update Manager to restart itself.
Launch the System Upgrade by clicking on “Edit->Upgrade to Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca”.
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 17.1 at the end of the month.
- Although Linux Mint 17.1 features a newer kernel than the one used in the 17 release, this upgrade does not change the kernel on your behalf. This is a decision only you should take. Should you decide to upgrade to 17.1’s recommended kernel you can do so by applying the “linux-kernel-generic” update, post-upgrade.
- Although they are featured in the 17.1 release, this upgrade doesn’t automatically include “retro” backgrounds and backgrounds for Maya, Nadia, Olivia and Petra. They represent a significant amount to download so the choice to do so was left to you. These backgrounds are provided via packages which name start with “mint-backgrounds”.
