Pointing the Synaptic Package Manager (APT front-end) at the repositories of the newer release and performing a full upgrade. Compared to a backup and full reinstall this is slow, less reliable (depending upon changes from original state that have been made to the installed system), and may bring package conflicts and complex dependencies that must be resolved. The process is automatic; the end result is a system that looks and behaves as it did before. While backup is not required as part of the procedure, upgrading without backing up can cause loss of data in case of problems.[