One Suggestion by ... Calhariz

This article is an experiment in progress, please recheck, while I am updating with the new information.

I have a very old installation of Debian, possibly since v2, dot not remember, that I have upgraded since then both in software and hardware. Now the hardware is 64bits, runs a kernel of 64bits but the run-time is still 32bits. For 99% of tasks this is very good. Now that I have made many simulations I may have found a solution to do a crossgrade of my desktop. I write here the tentative procedure and I will update with more ideias on the problems that I may found.

First you need to install a 64bits kernel and boot with it. See my previous post on how to do it.

Second you need to do a bootstrap of crossgrading and the instalation of all the libs as amd64:

 apt-get update
 apt-get upgrade
 apt-get clean
 dpkg --list > original.dpkg
 apt-get --download-only install dpkg:amd64 tar:amd64 apt:amd64 bash:amd64 dash:amd64 init:amd64 mawk:amd64
 cd /var/cache/apt/archives/
 dpkg --install dpkg_*amd64.deb tar_*amd64.deb apt_*amd64.deb bash_*amd64.deb dash_*amd64.deb *.deb
 dpkg --configure --pending
 dpkg -i --skip-same-version dpkg_*_amd64.deb apt_*_amd64.deb bash_*_amd64.deb dash_*_amd64.deb mawk_*_amd64.deb *.deb
 
 for pack32 in $(grep i386 original.dpkg  | egrep "^ii " | awk '{print $2}' ) ; do 
   echo $pack32 ; 
   if dpkg --status $pack32 | grep -q "Multi-Arch: same" ; then 
     apt-get --download-only install -y --allow-remove-essential ${pack32%:i386}:amd64 ; 
   fi ; 
 done

 dpkg --install /var/cache/apt/archives/*_amd64.deb
 dpkg --install /var/cache/apt/archives/*_amd64.deb
 dpkg --print-architecture
 dpkg --print-foreign-architectures

But this procedure does not prevent the "apt-get install" to have broken dependencies.

So trying to install the core packages and the libraries using "dpkg -i".

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get autoremove
apt-get clean
dpkg --list > original.dpkg
apt-get --download-only install dpkg:amd64 tar:amd64 apt:amd64 bash:amd64 dash:amd64 init:amd64 mawk:amd64
for pack32 in $(grep i386 original.dpkg | egrep "^ii " | awk '{print $2}' ) ; do 
  echo $pack32 ; 
  if dpkg --status $pack32 | grep -q "Multi-Arch: same" ; then 
    apt-get --download-only install -y --allow-remove-essential ${pack32%:i386}:amd64 ; 
  fi ; 
done
cd /var/cache/apt/archives/
dpkg --install dpkg_*amd64.deb tar_*amd64.deb apt_*amd64.deb bash_*amd64.deb dash_*amd64.deb *.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg --install --skip-same-version dpkg_*_amd64.deb apt_*_amd64.deb bash_*_amd64.deb dash_*_amd64.deb mawk_*_amd64.deb *.deb

dpkg --remove libcurl4-openssl-dev
dpkg -i libcurl4-openssl-dev_*_amd64.deb

Remove packages until all there is no brokens packages

dpkg --print-architecture
dpkg --print-foreign-architectures
apt-get --fix-broken --allow-remove-essential install

Still broken, because apt-get removed dpkg

So instead of only installing the libs with dpkg -i, I am going to try to install all the packages with dpkg -i:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get autoremove
apt-get clean
dpkg --list > original.dpkg
apt-get --download-only install dpkg:amd64 tar:amd64 apt:amd64 bash:amd64 dash:amd64 init:amd64 mawk:amd64
for pack32 in $(grep i386 original.dpkg | egrep "^ii " | awk '{print $2}' ) ; do 
  echo $pack32 ; 
  apt-get --download-only install -y --allow-remove-essential ${pack32%:i386}:amd64 ; 
done
cd /var/cache/apt/archives/
dpkg --install dpkg_*amd64.deb tar_*amd64.deb apt_*amd64.deb bash_*amd64.deb dash_*amd64.deb *.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg --install --skip-same-version dpkg_*_amd64.deb apt_*_amd64.deb bash_*_amd64.deb dash_*_amd64.deb mawk_*_amd64.deb *.deb
dpkg --configure --pending

Remove packages and reinstall selected packages until you fix all off them. Follow the trial for my machine:

dpkg --remove rkhunter
dpkg --remove libmarco-private1:i386 marco mate-control-center mate-desktop-environment-core mate-desktop-environment-core  mate-desktop-environment mate-desktop-environment-core mate-desktop-environment-extras
dpkg --remove libmate-menu2:i386 libmate-window-settings1:i386 mate-panel mate-screensaver python-mate-menu libmate-slab0:i386 mozo mate-menus
dpkg --remove libmate-menu2:i386 mate-panel python-mate-menu mate-applets mate-menus
dpkg -i libmate-menu2_1.16.0-2_amd64.deb
dpkg --remove  gir1.2-ibus-1.0:i386 gnome-shell gnome-shell-extensions gdm3 gnome-session
dpkg --remove  gir1.2-ibus-1.0:i386
dpkg --remove libmateweather1:i386
dpkg -i libmateweather1_1.16.1-2_amd64.deb

apt-get --fix-broken --download-only install
dpkg --skip-same-version --install dpkg_*amd64.deb tar_*amd64.deb apt_*amd64.deb bash_*amd64.deb dash_*amd64.deb *.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg -i python_2.7.13-2_amd64.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg -i perl_5.24.1-3+deb9u1_amd64.deb perl-base_5.24.1-3+deb9u1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i exim4-daemon-light_4.89-2+deb9u1_amd64.deb exim4-base_4.89-2+deb9u1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i libuuid-perl_0.27-1_amd64.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg --install gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad_1.10.4-1_amd64.deb libmpeg2encpp-2.1-0_1%3a2.1.0+debian-5_amd64.deb libmplex2-2.1-0_1%3a2.1.0+debian-5_amd64.deb
dpkg --configure --pending
dpkg --audit

Now fixing broken dependencies on apt-get. Found no other way than removing all the broken packages.

dpkg --remove $(apt-get --fix-broken install | cut -f 2 -d ' ' )
apt-get install $(grep -v ":i386" ~/original.dpkg | egrep "^ii" | grep -v "aiccu" | grep -v "acroread" | grep -v "flash-player-properties" | grep -v "flashplayer-mozilla" | egrep -v "tp-flash-marillat" | awk '{print $2}')