Score:10

Ubuntu

What options do I have to upgrade an unsupported i386 version of Ubuntu to an operating system with newer packages?

iirinak

1/3/23, 5:46 PM

I am trying to upgrade Ubuntu 18.04 to 21.04 (i386 architecture) on a Dell laptop in order to be able to install proton VPN.

Output message:

There will not be any further Ubuntu releases 
for this system's 'i386' architecture. Updates for 
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS will continue until April 2023.

Are there any options to upgrade perhaps to another newer Linux platform that would support a GTK version that would be compatible with Proton VPN or is my only option to upgrade my hard disk?

1397

2 + 15

upgrade

32-bit

guiverc

1/3/23, 9:24 PM

19.04 was fully-supported the life of release; though *disco* installation media was only generated into the *alpha* stage of the product. If you *release-upgraded* during the *eoan* cycle builds were still occurring until late *beta* stage, but turned off in the ~week+ before *eoan* actually became 19.10; meaning and i386 system was two kernel patches behind at release and fell further behind - as i386 builds were stopped. 19.04 was the last release with full package support for i386, 18.04 was the last supported being an LTS

Michael Hampton

1/4/23, 3:21 PM

Are you sure your laptop cannot run a 64-bit OS? `lscpu` can tell you whether your machine is 64-bit capable (look for `CPU op-mode(s):`).

iirinak

1/4/23, 4:37 PM

thank you Michael. yes, my machine can run both 32 and 64 and it is i686, not i386! hooray !! "me@me:~$ lscpu Architecture: i686 CPU op-mode(s): 32-bit, 64-bit' So does it mean I am able to upgrate to ubuntu 21.04?

Michael Hampton

1/4/23, 5:19 PM

You will have to do a fresh install, though. There is no way to upgrade in place from 32-bit to 64-bit.

pipe

1/4/23, 9:18 PM

@MichaelHampton Sounds like a challenge! But I agree that this is not something OP should try.

Michael Hampton

1/4/23, 9:40 PM

@pipe Eh? I see no problem with it, provided OP has a good backup of all his personal files.

guiverc

1/4/23, 10:24 PM

FYI: You don't have to *fresh* install; you can *upgrade via re-install* meaning apps will be replaced by *amd64* as they are noted; system directories erased; new system installed; then prior installed apps are re-installed (if available in Ubuntu repos) without touching any user file. It allows changing of architecture (key is don't format for this type of install to be triggered). The issue with this is the 3 years between 18.04 & 21.04, ie. expect warning, as python2/Qt4/etc are now gone so any installed packages using them will mean error that not all packages could be re-installed)

pipe

1/4/23, 11:01 PM

@MichaelHampton So you say "there's no way to upgrade in place" and then "I see no problem with it".

Michael Hampton

1/4/23, 11:08 PM

@pipe Yes, I see no problem with a fresh install, as I said.

Vikki

1/4/23, 11:46 PM

@MichaelHampton: Why doesn't Ubuntu let you upgrade in place from 32-bit to 64-bit?

guiverc

1/5/23, 1:30 AM

@Vikki you can *upgrade via re-install* which allows you to switch from an i386 system to an *amd64*, without touching any user file(s), and having it restore all additional packages you had installed yourself (where from Ubuntu repositories) as I mentioned in my prior comment. This install was *amd64*, but my other install (dual boot on this box) was an *i386* install long ago that was switched to *amd64*; the process is done via install though. The new desktop installer (available for testing; *canary*) will make this option easier to use, but it's been there for decade+ that I'm aware of.

Vikki

1/5/23, 1:43 AM

@guiverc: Yes, but why do you have to reinstall Ubuntu in order to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit?

guiverc

1/5/23, 2:03 AM

@Vikki because it's an architecture change which is a *huge* deal, it ensures no ABI breakage (kernel panic, segfault) etc. Only system directories are wiped & re-created; nothing user related gets touched/changed so the *upgrade via re-install* looks the same to the user; same wallpaper, any user configs are unchanged (*if same release is used*) so user doesn't even notice change; but it's a new architecture underneath & thus new system.

iirinak

1/5/23, 3:55 PM

Ok guys. How do I re-install Ubuntu 21.04? From download or from creating USB? Because I try from download and it cannot read my iso files , even though they are there. this is what i get "me@me:~/Downloads/ubundu 21.04$ echo "fa95fb748b34d470a7cfa5e3c1c8fa1163e2dc340cd5a60f7ece9dc963ecdf88 *ubuntu-21.04-desktop-amd64.iso" | shasum -a 256 --check shasum: ubuntu-21.04-desktop-amd64.iso: ubuntu-21.04-desktop-amd64.iso: FAILED open or read shasum: WARNING: 1 listed file could not be read"

Archisman Panigrahi

1/5/23, 4:02 PM

@iirinak You can follow this answer to verify the iso. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1361591/unable-to-verify-ubuntu-21-04-iso Then write it to an USB and boot with it to reinstall.

Score:14

Ubuntu

Archisman Panigrahi

1/3/23, 7:41 PM

First check if your CPU is really 32 bit. You may be running a 32 bit version of Ubuntu in a 64 bit CPU, and then you can install a 64 bit version of Ubuntu on this.

Run the command lscpu and look for CPU op-mode(s):. If the output is 32 bit, 64 bit, you can fresh install a recent, 64 bit version of Ubuntu/Xubuntu/Lubuntu on this computer (the last two need less resources). If it is 32 bit, head on to the next part of the answer.

Ubuntu does not support i386 architecture (which is 32 bit) beyond version 19.04. If you want to continue using a recent operating system with updated packages, you will have to migrate to a different operating system. You have several options.

Debian i386 -- Debian is very similar to Ubuntu. You can install the LXDE or XFCE desktop environments, which are lightweight.
Q4OS -- Debian based OS, optimized for older computers. The Trinity desktop environment (actively maintained fork of KDE 3.5) requires only 128 MB RAM, and is super fast.
MX Linux -- Debian based distro tailored for old computers.
Arch Linux 32 -- Hard to install, but can be made extremely lightweight, and it hosts the latest version of packages in its repositories.
Tiny Core -- Extremely light weight operating system, which works on systems with 48 MB RAM or greater.

Note: None of these operating systems are supported on this site.

0 + 1

Organic Marble

1/3/23, 9:25 PM

I've been testing 32bit Debian 11 on my old netbook and it looks like it will fit the bill.

Score:1

Ubuntu

Nmath

2/19/23, 5:39 PM

You will need to sign up for ESM in order to install a 32-bit Ubuntu release with a x86 CPU since all 32-bit versions are now outside of community support.

Unfortunately, ESM releases do not receive community support, including here on Ask Ubuntu. For this device, you might want to look for another Linux distribution outside of Ubuntu if you want community support and/or don't want to use ESM.

As 32-bit only hardware is quite old now, fewer and fewer operating systems are supporting it, including Ubuntu. Debian still has 32-bit releases and is similar to Ubuntu, since Ubuntu is actually based on Debian.

0 + 0

Score:0

Ubuntu

Carol McAnulty

1/6/23, 8:07 PM

emmabuntus is an interesting ubuntu like system that still has a 32 bit version. it seems easier for beginners than debian an has a nice list of installed apps .enter link description here

0 + 0

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: What options do I have to upgrade an unsupported i386 version of Ubuntu to an operating system with newer packages?

TH: ฉันมีตัวเลือกอะไรบ้างในการอัปเกรด Ubuntu รุ่น i386 ที่ไม่รองรับเป็นระบบปฏิบัติการที่มีแพ็คเกจใหม่กว่า

RO: Ce opțiuni am pentru a face upgrade la o versiune i386 neacceptată de Ubuntu la un sistem de operare cu pachete mai noi?

RU: Какие варианты у меня есть для обновления неподдерживаемой версии Ubuntu для i386 до операционной системы с более новыми пакетами?

VI: Tôi có những tùy chọn nào để nâng cấp phiên bản i386 không được hỗ trợ của Ubuntu lên hệ điều hành với các gói mới hơn?

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.