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ellen

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the man who installed my ubuntu 12.10 died and noone else around here knows how to work it. i cannot update the without being able to sign in to ubuntu. when i try to sign in i am told that that email address is already in use, when i try to change the password i am told that the email is not recognized. i can't afford to have any more things installed on this computer. thank you for your attention. ellen
 


Hi ellen, and welcome to the forum!

You will not be able to update your version of Ubuntu (12.10). It has been discontinued for 3 years now, since May 2014. But it would be a very good idea to switch to a newer version.

You should still be able to log in to the computer and use it, but if you do not remember the username and/or password, you may have trouble there too. It is common to log in to websites with an email address, but very unusual to use an email address to log into a computer.

Your description sounds more like you are trying to log into a website somewhere... because you are reaching a screen that attempts to let you change a password, but you aren't giving the email address that it expects.

We need a little more description from you about what you are trying to do. If you are trying to log into a website, we really can't help you with that. If you want to replace your expired version of Ubuntu with a new version, we may can help with that.
 
Hi ellen, and welcome to the forum!

You will not be able to update your version of Ubuntu (12.10). It has been discontinued for 3 years now, since May 2014. But it would be a very good idea to switch to a newer version.

You should still be able to log in to the computer and use it, but if you do not remember the username and/or password, you may have trouble there too. It is common to log in to websites with an email address, but very unusual to use an email address to log into a computer.

Your description sounds more like you are trying to log into a website somewhere... because you are reaching a screen that attempts to let you change a password, but you aren't giving the email address that it expects.

We need a little more description from you about what you are trying to do. If you are trying to log into a website, we really can't help you with that. If you want to replace your expired version of Ubuntu with a new version, we may can help with that.
 
thank you so much for answering. the place i am going to has an orange sign that says welcome to ubuntu one sign me in to my existing account which i have always been unable to do. i would switch to a newer version if it didn't cost a lot of money. i had to pay 175 dollars for this, but i was getting a lot of bugs on my old windows 7. i am not great at this stuff but my husband and his friend might be able to follow the directions. if not, that's okay. i can still use this computer. ellen
 
thank you so much for answering. the place i am going to has an orange sign that says welcome to ubuntu one sign me in to my existing account which i have always been unable to do. i would switch to a newer version if it didn't cost a lot of money. i had to pay 175 dollars for this, but i was getting a lot of bugs on my old windows 7. i am not great at this stuff but my husband and his friend might be able to follow the directions. if not, that's okay. i can still use this computer. ellen

Ah, I get it now. Ubuntu One was a "cloud storage service" that Ubuntu offered for free, but it has been discontinued for a long time too. It was still active when your computer version of Ubuntu Linux was installed.

Linux is (almost always) free, so I guess when you paid $175 that you got the computer for that. There are MANY different versions of Linux available for free, and Ubuntu is a popular one. If you want to replace your old Ubuntu with a new one, we can try to guide you through that process. It isn't too hard, but it can be confusing for new users sometimes.

And sometimes installing a new operating system like Linux can run into troubles, and its helpful to have another computer or smartphone to get help with (like to come back to this site). If you decide you want to get a new version, you should save anything on the computer that is important to you because I would recommend a "clean install" which would totally erase everything you have on there right now. Its a pretty big step for some folks, and you may not want to do that after all... especially if your computer is working well otherwise.
 
Ah, I get it now. Ubuntu One was a "cloud storage service" that Ubuntu offered for free, but it has been discontinued for a long time too. It was still active when your computer version of Ubuntu Linux was installed.

Linux is (almost always) free, so I guess when you paid $175 that you got the computer for that. There are MANY different versions of Linux available for free, and Ubuntu is a popular one. If you want to replace your old Ubuntu with a new one, we can try to guide you through that process. It isn't too hard, but it can be confusing for new users sometimes.

And sometimes installing a new operating system like Linux can run into troubles, and its helpful to have another computer or smartphone to get help with (like to come back to this site). If you decide you want to get a new version, you should save anything on the computer that is important to you because I would recommend a "clean install" which would totally erase everything you have on there right now. Its a pretty big step for some folks, and you may not want to do that after all... especially if your computer is working well otherwise.
 
well, you are really helpful. the only problem i am having with this ubuntu is that i can't update my browser. i do the download thing that they have on the website for google chrome and it shows up on my download list but nothing happens. yeah you can see how dim i am but i am old too, so it doesn't matter so much. thank you. ellen
 
No, not dim! You just have experience in other things! :D

When you buy a computer, it doesn't matter much whether Windows, Mac, or Linux... you always have to learn your way around a little to get on the Internet and email. That part isn't too bad usually.

But installing a new operating system gets a little more nitty gritty. Yet still, with Linux, it isn't too bad if you don't need to do special things. Once you download and prepare a DVD or USB stick, the actual installing of Linux usually takes less than a half hour.

So, up to you. If you want to give it a go, I'll point you to a download site and hopefully find some well written instructions. But we will be here to help you along too, if needed. Right now I'm working 12-hr shifts at my job though, so replies may be a little slow from me, but others may jump in and help too.

Cheers!
 
well thank you. i would like to update my browser, if that is possible with this operating system. all i do is go on emails, facebook, youtube, a few places to learn new things. i don't think i need a new operating system unless that is necessary to update the browser. ellen
 
well thank you. i would like to update my browser, if that is possible with this operating system. all i do is go on emails, facebook, youtube, a few places to learn new things. i don't think i need a new operating system unless that is necessary to update the browser. ellen

Well, I am finding it difficult to find an update to Google Chrome browser that will work. Chrome is sometimes tricky even if you were using a current Ubuntu.

Chrome also no longer supports older 32-bit computers and operating systems, and we have not checked your computer yet to know that. Even a new install of Ubuntu would not help Chrome if your computer CPU is 32-bit. We can find that out easily by opening a Terminal (in your apps) and typing:

Code:
lscpu | grep op-mode

That's LSCPU, but all lower case. The "|" character is SHIFT + \ (just above the Enter key). You can highlight and copy all of that, and use the middle mouse button to paste into the Terminal, if you have a middle button.

After you enter that command, let us know what result prints out.

I don't think you can update Chrome on your older Ubuntu, but you probably can on a new version if the command above shows 64-bit.

Or another option may be to switch browsers. Have you ever tried Firefox? I found a link that should work for you to install the newest version of that... but even that is not a guarantee because the older Ubuntu may still give trouble. It's worth a try though before replacing Ubuntu altogether.
 
i do the download thing that they have on the website for google chrome and it shows up on my download list but nothing happens.

Likely because those downloads are for Windows only. You'll know because they end is .exe.

To use the latest versions of web browsers you should upgrade. With Linux this is easy. Before doing so back-up any important data.

Type these into the terminal:

Hold down: Ctrl + Alt + T

Then in the black screen type:

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

This will upgrade you to the latest Ubuntu release. Check first whether your system is 32-bit prior to this.
 
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

This will upgrade you to the latest Ubuntu release.

Actually, no. It seems like dist-upgrade would mean "distribution upgrade," but that is not the case. The difference is that upgrade will never remove any installed packages, but dist-upgrade may remove packages to satisfy dependencies and resolve conflicts.

The full method to upgrade Ubuntu released versions is (in my opinion) too tedious for a new user, and too prone to failures. @ellen's Ubuntu 12.10 reached end-of-life 3 years ago... that is quite a stretch to try to bring it into a current release. If she is willing to upgrade, a fresh install is likely to be safer and quicker to guide her though. And installing a Long Term Support (LTS) version would give many years without facing this problem again.

Cheers!
 
That's the main reason I only use the LTS versions.
Perhaps a back-up and full reinstall would be the best option here. But given that system installation can be complex (even though more simplified) it would be easier if Ellen found someone locally or at work that knows a bit about Linux. Or, purchase a Chromebook which will meet all her needs.
 
You can type in terminal 'sudo do-release-upgrade' (without single quote) and follow instructions :)

I'ts the best way to upgrade your distro. Only available on Ubuntu distro
 
Last edited:
You can type in terminal 'sudo do-release-upgrade' (without single quote) and follow instructions :)

I'ts the best way to upgrade your distro. Only available on Ubuntu distro

Ultimately, yes, you're right. But if you follow the Ubuntu documentation I linked to above, you see that there is much more to it before you issue that final simple command to update an End-Of-Life release. The documentation also says this, "Reinstalling is usually easier and faster, especially if you would have to upgrade through several releases."
 
Ultimately, yes, you're right. But if you follow the Ubuntu documentation I linked to above, you see that there is much more to it before you issue that final simple command to update an End-Of-Life release. The documentation also says this, "Reinstalling is usually easier and faster, especially if you would have to upgrade through several releases."


Mmm, ok, i'm flown the thread and missed some informations... definitively not so simple for end of line releases
 
I didn't know either. Its nice on one hand that there is an upgrade path at all, but on the other hand its a shame to require so much copy/paste on the command line for newbies. :confused::eek:
 
No, not dim! You just have experience in other things! :D

When you buy a computer, it doesn't matter much whether Windows, Mac, or Linux... you always have to learn your way around a little to get on the Internet and email. That part isn't too bad usually.

But installing a new operating system gets a little more nitty gritty. Yet still, with Linux, it isn't too bad if you don't need to do special things. Once you download and prepare a DVD or USB stick, the actual installing of Linux usually takes less than a half hour.

So, up to you. If you want to give it a go, I'll point you to a download site and hopefully find some well written instructions. But we will be here to help you along too, if needed. Right now I'm working 12-hr shifts at my job though, so replies may be a little slow from me, but others may jump in and help too.

Cheers!
Exactly right!!!:D
 
Well, I am finding it difficult to find an update to Google Chrome browser that will work. Chrome is sometimes tricky even if you were using a current Ubuntu.

Chrome also no longer supports older 32-bit computers and operating systems, and we have not checked your computer yet to know that. Even a new install of Ubuntu would not help Chrome if your computer CPU is 32-bit. We can find that out easily by opening a Terminal (in your apps) and typing:

Code:
lscpu | grep op-mode

That's LSCPU, but all lower case. The "|" character is SHIFT + \ (just above the Enter key). You can highlight and copy all of that, and use the middle mouse button to paste into the Terminal, if you have a middle button.

After you enter that command, let us know what result prints out.

I don't think you can update Chrome on your older Ubuntu, but you probably can on a new version if the command above shows 64-bit.

Or another option may be to switch browsers. Have you ever tried Firefox? I found a link that should work for you to install the newest version of that... but even that is not a guarantee because the older Ubuntu may still give trouble. It's worth a try though before replacing Ubuntu altogether.
Also, the name of that | character is "pipe". On the key face it looks like it has a gap in it, but it prints as a solid line.:) Just my 2 cents worth. I use that character in programming credit card mag stripe data tracks.
 


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