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To upgrade to a new version, the eclipse FAQ suggests to add a new repository and then install available updates. Upgrading to Neon, the corresponding repository is http://download.eclipse.org/releases/neon/.

On this page, it says:

NOTE: Due to structural changes you cannot update from a Mars (or prior) all-in-one package to a Neon version. If interested in the technical details, see bug 332989 and bug 490515.

I still tried to above procedure, but no updates were found. What is the best way to upgrade from Mars to Neon? A complete new installation? How do I preserve my settings?

Notlikethat
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  • http://stackoverflow.com/q/4701544/1169798 – Sirko Jun 23 '16 at 07:58
  • I just had to do a fresh install, trying to upgrade from Mars to Neon. The oomph installer was trumpeted as the great way to insatll/update but when it comes down to actually upgrading, it doesn't ***** work! Fortunately I don't have too much to add but it's no better than the old way of updating. – NickT Jun 23 '16 at 10:07
  • Using the PDT version, I unpacked the new version and started it, It recognised the old workspace as being from a previous version and prompted to proceed. It prompted to upgrade some of the plugins. – crafter Jun 28 '16 at 21:29

3 Answers3

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The note on the repository page is right. Thanks to your report, I edited the FAQ to make it clear that upgrading packages from Mars to Neon is not supported.

Instead you need to to a fresh install for Neon (or later).

Paŭlo Ebermann
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Mickael
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    So does this mean that it's not possible to upgrade from mars to neon? Many people come to this page so it would be really helpful if you can briefly explain what is the best way to upgrade? Right now it seems we have to do a fresh install, is that right? – apadana Jun 20 '17 at 05:11
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    Yes, you're right. It's what's described in initial link: https://wiki.eclipse.org/FAQ_How_do_I_upgrade_Eclipse%3F#Upgrading_Existing_Eclipse_Features – Mickael Jun 20 '17 at 09:06
  • Will a fresh install preserve settings? Should one un-install Mars first? – Edgar H Feb 20 '18 at 10:28
  • Almost all settings (preferences) are stored in workspace. So if you do a fresh install but open the same workspace with the new version, then it should preserve and use settings from the previous version. Only plugins would need to be re-installed. – Mickael Feb 20 '18 at 13:53
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I tried to upgrade in the recommended way, by adding the repository links and doing an update, but then I got a lot of conflict messages. I foolishly tried to remove the conflicting software components, until it told me that Eclipse itself was the conflict! I posted my problem to the Eclipse Forums, and was told by a regular with tens of thousands of posts that Neon was so different that I should not even try to upgrade, just create a new installation. When I tried to do that however, I got lots of warnings "That the artifact download is progressing very slowly from ..."

tharpa
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1

It is not possible to upgrade from Mars (or earlier versions), so a new install is needed.

This can be in parallel with the old install. From the FAQ:

Fresh install

If you prefer not performing an update (for example because some 3rd-party content isn't ready for the current release of Eclipse IDE so the update reports conflicts), you can still download a fresh install of the Eclipse IDE and install it in another location on your filesystem, and use it together with the previous version.

To do so, download a new build from the Eclipse download Web site (https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/eclipse-packages/) and run the installer or unzip the archive in a new directory. We strongly recommend against installing/unzipping over your existing version of Eclipse IDE as it may corrupt your installation.

When you start a new version of Eclipse IDE, you can use the same existing workspace folder that you were using with older version. The workspace will be migrated to newer version and Eclipse IDE will to reuse all configuration. The workspace is forward compatible

Edgar H
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