Just to review what I have done, am I missing or skipping something obvious?
On Sid box to be downgraded I
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dpkg --get-selections > package.txt
I create a CloneZilla image and with rsync, back up my complete home/username/ directory on a USB drive.
Then I install a fresh copy of Testing on the former Sid box. Once the install is complete, I remove the display manager so I can boot to the CLI. I don't need to but I reboot and login to my daily user.
I initially forgot to add to this post, this step in my process of the downgrade, upon rebooting
I mount the USB drive that has the backup of /home/username/ and cd into the directory containing package.txt
Here if I
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sudo dpkg --set-selections < package.txt
I receive the dpkg database warnings, ie:
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dpkg: warning: package not in database at line 1: 2mandvd
So as previously suggested I enter the following:
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sudo apt-get install dselect
#configure repos
sudo dselect access
#update dselect database
sudo dselect update
No problems so far, so I continue with
Many packages are to be installed( I should have noted which or cut/paste into a file, but didn't).
From this I expected to have most or all the packages from my Sid box now installed on the new Testing box, however many are not. And if I try to set the selections with my Sid generated package list:
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sudo dpkg --set-selections < package.txt
I receive the dpkg database warnings still.
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dpkg: warning: package not in database at line 1: 2mandvd
It is installable with if I:
I have done this same proceedure by using only the first couple of steps, many times with similar forks, ie Sid to Sid, Testing to Testing and Stable to Stable boxes, but this is the first time with different forks. Am I running into problems because of the dissimaliar forks? From what I've found on the web, this is the suggested and better(?) way to downgrade from one fork to another.
So far, it appears my only option left is to change /etc/apt/sources.list from Sid to Testing and use preferences to pin to Testing.