Any fellow Linux users on here?

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Lesson to be learned: Don't transfer so many main components from one mother board to another unless you have to.

That used to work great back in the 90s but we live in a very different world now.

I always buy matched sets of MoBo CPU and Ram. If one component dies I buy another matched set. You can swap peripheral cards around until the cows come home and never have an issue but the core components must be able to communicate with each other effectively.

 

[Judge]

I always buy matched sets of MoBo CPU and Ram. If one component dies I buy another matched set. You can swap peripheral cards around until the cows come home and never have an issue but the core components must be able to communicate with each other effectively.

Perhaps I should clarify. I moved components of one computer and transplanted them into a different case that had a brand new, never used motherboard. Not a case of mixing RAM, hard drives, CPU or chipset per se. It primarily just a slightly different format (mATX) but a brand new B760 motherboard, with a newer BIOS. In essence there was nothing to "match" per se.

In retrospect apart from installing the OS from scratch, I should have renamed the OS. Otherwise for all I know Mint identified it precisely as my other motherboard when it prompted me to install new updates. Had I simply chosen to reinstall the OS even on the same SSD on the newer motherboard from scratch with a different name, I'm certain it would have been fine.

The only thing is, as this involves DDR4 memory and a preference for 12th gen Intel CPUs, I don't think I can sit on this very long, as such components could get hard to find new. In the meantime I found the idle and moderate usage temperatures not to be any different from my small mATX PC, to my "Sleeper" PC. Same CPUs, but very different CPU coolers. -Interesting.

Truth is, I'd like to have at least one computer in a case with components relatively comparable to the present- not the distant past. Though I do have an odd affinity for that little case...lol. But I'd like one with a minimum of two (140mm) frontal fans and one (120mm) exhaust fan.

 

[Judge]

One big advantage with Linux Mint has always been it's "update manager" program. Which is designed to be quite informative about whatever it is to be downloaded at your approval. Not only the update's title, but a short explanation of what it may be about. I really like that.

With Pop!OS22.04, you just get an "update" button to click or not to click. No comparable details about what it is that is actually being uploaded other than very brief descriptions one may or may not even recognize.

Ironically while Pop!OS can keep users in the dark about what is updated, I must say overall it has been less problematic than Mint, particularly when it comes to Nvidia issues. Go figure. But the next version of Pop!OS Cosmic is looking quite promising. Maybe this will include a more informative update process as well. We shall see...

 

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I like Synaptic for doing updates, it tells you exactly what it's doing all the way through.

 

[Judge]

It's looking like my occasional freezes in Linux Mint 22.0/22.1 were much more likely to be a memory matter rather than one centered around Nvidia drivers or Linux Mint itself.

Sadly the first time around when I used Memtest86+ to test my memory, I didn't hang around for all ten of the total tests it does. Had I let the program run its course, it would have shown me that I had a memory failure on test #6.

At that point, the real question was whether or not I needed to replace one or both memory sticks. So the first and most logical thing was to remove both sticks and reseat them in their A2 and B2 banks (slots).

Rebooting the system, I then defaulted to using my Mint ISO flash drive, which conveniently has Memtest86+ in the boot menu. In running the program a second time after reseating my memory sticks, voila! - All ten tests passed. For the first time with months of troubleshooting, I finally had something conclusive about what was happening all this time. It does seem to run a bit faster, and without problems whether booting or shutting down, and no freezes since then. Stay tuned....

Yet it seemed too simple! But then had I researched the issue in much greater detail, I would have been able to understand how this simple solution was likely the most plausible one:

Reboot Your System: Why Reseating RAM is Crucial for Optimal Performance - SoftHandTech

So now in as much as I routinely clean the guts of my computer (mostly to get rid of any dust), I will also be taking out my memory sticks and gently re-inserting them, making sure they are clean and sitting solidly inside both channels A2 and B2 to optimize my dual-layer memory.

My biggest uptake: I realize now that even buying top grade memory is no guarantee it may fail at some point, without a need to replace it. I just had no idea how fundamental an issue this really is.

 

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I'm glad you found an answer, but I think I said that last time you'd "found the answer" too.

When I was living in the bush I looked after a lot of people's computers and they all always started playing up at the end of every wet season. It's usually just ram, but I'd pull all of their peripheral cards out and wipe the edge connectors on my grubby beer stained singlet to remove dust before putting them back in again. It was the same problem every year.

 

[Judge]

I'm glad you found an answer, but I think I said that last time you'd "found the answer" too.

When I was living in the bush I looked after a lot of people's computers and they all always started playing up at the end of every wet season. It's usually just ram, but I'd pull all of their peripheral cards out and wipe the edge connectors on my grubby beer stained singlet to remove dust before putting them back in again. It was the same problem every year.

And I live in a physical environment that reflects such exposure to my computer. Better known as the desert. Endless dust that intrudes into my home regardless of keeping doors and windows closed as much as possible.

Makes sense to not only properly reseat the memory sticks, but examine their "teeth" and make sure they are clear of any debris.

Personal computers really do require more routine maintenance than most people are probably aware of.

 

[Judge]

Yay! Found a Cinnamon extension for Linux Mint that allows more customized shadows on windows.

Me and my OCD can't stand sloppy shadows behind windows. This little extension even allows me to eliminate them entirely for a much cleaner appearance. I live for this stuff. I know, I need to get a life!