Any fellow Linux users on here?

[Outdated]

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...

 

[Outdated]

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.

 

[Outdated]

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!

 

[Angular Chap]

We already know this, but they ran the numbers and did the maths. Games really do perform better on Linux, even when going through an extra layer such as Wine or Proton.

Games run faster on SteamOS than Windows 11, Ars testing finds

 

[Princess Viola]

linux is so good y'all the kernel update linux mint gave me last night makes it so my keyboard stops working as soon as i log-in unless i log out and then log back in

anyways at least the kernel update now means i have this again

i mean i can't change it but why would i want to change perfection

 

[Judge]

linux is so good y'all the kernel update linux mint gave me last night makes it so my keyboard stops working as soon as i log-in unless i log out and then log back in

anyways at least the kernel update now means i have this again
View attachment 143884

i mean i can't change it but why would i want to change perfection

Actually you can change it. Occasionally newest kernel updates can wreak havoc on some systems. - "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt".

Though you should only roll them back until you can wait it out for the next kernel update. (It's potentially risky from a security perspective to indefinitely roll back a kernel update.)

1) You can access the update manager and select "view" and then "linux kernels" to either update a kernel or roll it back to earlier versions.

2) If you're running Timeshift, simply select an earlier "snapshot" and then click "restore".

 

[Princess Viola]

Actually you can change it. Occasionally newest kernel updates can wreak havoc on some systems. - "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt".

Though you should only roll them back until you can wait it out for the next kernel update. (It's potentially risky from a security perspective to indefinitely roll back a kernel update.)

1) You can access the update manager and select "view" and then "linux kernels" to either update a kernel or roll it back to earlier versions.

2) If you're running Timeshift, simply select an earlier "snapshot" and then click "restore".

i was not talking about changing the kernel i was talking about my keyboard backlight.

acer uses proprietary windows-only software to manage and customise the keyboard backlight colors that, last i tried, doesn't run in wine and openRGB doesn't work for it either so i can't change my keyboard backlight but i don t want to do that anyway

 

[Judge]

i was not talking about changing the kernel i was talking about my keyboard backlight.

linux is so good y'all the kernel update linux mint gave me last night makes it so my keyboard stops working as soon as i log-in unless i log out and then log back in

anyways at least the kernel update now means i have this again
View attachment 143884

If the kernel update was the proximate cause of this change involving your keyboard backlighting, wouldn't it be logical as a potential (temporary) solution to roll the kernel back ? You also have a third option. To simply reboot the system to get the GRUB menu (shift key) , and reboot temporarily with an earlier kernel installed. Just to test your system to see if the keyboard lighting is restored to your satisfaction.

Or are you just venting over Linux that presently comprises only five percent of the market and doesn't necessarily work with proprietary hardware made for Windows? An issue most any Linux user must face at some point. Particularly if they have Nvidia cards where driver issues can be pervasive.

Point taken though. If you migrate to Linux, leave your known proprietary Windows hardware at the door. Kernel updates in Linux can occasionally be problematic, though in time they can also be the solution. I'm reminded of these shutdown messages I occasionally see. Considered "kernel bugs". Irritating to see yet innocuous, but they eventually go away with the right kernel update.

 

[Princess Viola]

i don't want the backlight to be changed????

i was saying that if i wanted to change it i can't but i don't want to change it?????

 

[Judge]

i was saying that if i wanted to change it i can't but i don't want to change it?????

I'm just saying that if the kernel update (in fact) changed something involving the functionality of your keyboard in a way you don't like, why not roll the kernel back just to see if it returns to however you wanted it to work before whatever transpired happened "last night". Whether this is a bug on their end or deliberate programming I don't know. However this year I've noticed a lot of minor kernel bugs/glitches that get a certain amount of discussion online.

Not as any permanent fix per se, but at least to determine the source of the change was in fact a kernel update. And perhaps to investigate online if developers are working on it.

I did hear that a number of recent kernel updates this week involved some dire security issues with AMD processors. Not sure what implications they might have on existing hardware for those users with that processor. I know sometimes such updates can cause unrelated "collateral damage" as well, particularly when they are issued in a hurry.