How do I return to the kernel that came with Mint 17.2? The one I am using isn't working correctly
 

Hello,

Firstly I have a similar post in the Mint forum, but since the topic has changed to another problem I am posting here, with my apologies if that's wrong! This is not meant as a criticism of the member who was helping me! I will gladly take any help offered, I am not a Linux guru by any stretch!!

How do I get the old kernel to be used every time I boot up?

There is no 'advanced options' choice in Grub, there is one called' Previous Linux Versions' that's where I found the old kernel 3.13.0-24 hiding out. If I choose it, it boots using that kernel but then on reboot it's back to showing the 4.4.0-91 and programs don't behave normally using that one.

When using version 4.4.0 I can see the previous kernel listed in Update Manager, there is no option to install that one. Plus it has warnings attached to it "The system can be made to crash or run programs as administrator"

There is a version 3.13.0-39 that has NO warnings with it....


http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2204-1/ http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename...=CVE-2014-0196

Is it possible to remove the 4.4 version and go back to the original one and then try the 3.13.0-39 (that has no concerns listed?)

Please understand I have NO experience fooling with kernels so I am in scary territory here!


Thanks,

"If"

My understanding is you need to edit /etc/default/grub and change
to the kernel you want to boot as default then re-run
Counting should start at 0 so if you have 4 kernel's listed and you want the 3rd one to be default then the above DEFAULT would need to be changed to'2'

I have no list of the 4 kernels that should be there..
 

Hi lazydog,

Thanks for the reply! Yes I see that file to set the default, but there is no list per se of the kernels that I can see. I have to be root to edit the file?

I can't choose 0,1,2.3 etc. without knowing what the numbers represent to me or the system. Clear as mud eh?

I know that on boot up when the Grub screen appears, I get to see 2 instances of either of the two kernels that are installed NOT a list of 4. One says 'RECOVER' after it, at least in the first version 3.13.0-24. I always choose the top one of the two shown, NOT the 'recover' one.

EX: If I boot up now I get version 4.4.0-90 as default in Grub, there is another version of that showing directly under the first one. If I choose "Other versions of Linux" I can then choose the original kernel 3.13.0-24, that one has another instance of it listed but is followed by "RECOVER". So no matter which of the 2 installed kernels I use, I see a duplicate version under it. There are only 2 kernels installed in total, regardless of what I see in Grub's on screen menu. I don't know if that is normal or not. <sigh>

Is there a terminal command that would show them in numerical order?

Thank you and sorry if I am over thinking the whole thing :D

"If"

The list will be in your grub.cfg file some where under boot. Just count the entries until you get to the one you want to default boot. And start counting at "0"

You'll need to know what number points to which kernel to ensure you're booting the correct one.

You should boot the one that doesn't say 'RECOVER' on it. I think that the 'RECOVER' one is a dumb down version of the fully installed kernel.

Right, so if my memory serves me correctly your like in default would be something like
Meaning submenu second kernel listed.

Might be just as easy to count the lines of the kernels when showing the submenu and then editing the default to point to that.

All part of the learning curve. ;)

... and the kernel image files should be in /boot.

Of course you have to be root! :)

But first, you should be able to interrupt the boot process before it makes the default selection for you, and choose another kernel version from the Grub menu.

I found the file but there is no list of the two kernels
 

lazydog and sundialssvc,

Attached is a grab of the screen in the file I think you want me to be in, but there is no list of kernels in that file.

The grub.cfg says " DO NOT EDIT " this file is automatically created ---blah blah.

So again I am stuck, As you can see the file says: GRUB DEFAULT=0 So if that is really '1' do I want to change it to GRUB DEFAULT=2 ???

Right now 4.4.0 is the default, since I get that if I don't touch anything and let it boot.

@sundialsvc Yes I can choose the older kernel on boot up by using the "previous Versions of Linux' in Grub, all well and good and it boots to the 3.13.0 >>>>>>>> but it won't stay there, it defaults back to the newer version. I can see why, since that's called out as the default.

Maybe I am being too literal, I expected to see the kernels listed like: 0= 4.4.0 | 1= 3.13.0 etc.

Thank you all,,

"If"

Attachment 25708

Look under '/boot/grub[2]' for the grub file that contains a list of installed kernels. There you can count the menu items and choose which one you want to be default.

Kernel restored! But not the way I had planned!
 

lazydog and everyone,

I have the system back to using just the original kernel IE:3.13.0-24. Sorry to report that all your help was in vain for me, I never did find the /boot/grub[2] file you specified. The restoration was done using an Acronis backup image I had made 2 weeks ago BEFORE I made the error of installing the much newer 4.40-91. The system is back to the way it was 2 weeks ago, the image made last weekend had the new kernel in it, no point installing that one. I thank all of you for your patience with my ineptness in getting it sorted a lot sooner than I did. I only realized that backup was there accidentally or I'd have done it w/o bothering you guys! Many thanks!!

You need to know why I changed the kernel: It was suggested that changing to a newer kernel might stop my machine from losing the audio when it's been on standby/sleep and awakened. I have to say I was puzzled when the newest kernel listed was suggested as a possible fix,,,,, sooooo,,, I jumped in and installed it. Almost immediately I used standby, came back to the keyboard and had NO audio and then installed programs started to misbehave, get me out of here!! LOL

Now the burning question is "could the kernel be responsible for the loss of sound after coming out of sleep?" If yes, what kernel would you suggest I use?

I DO see that the version in use now has security issues with it, I don't like that idea. The next one with no issues is 3.13.0-39 not nearly as big a jump as the last one. If I was choosing video drivers I'd go in small steps maybe that's best with a kernel change?

Since I have an image that works, I can fall back on that if I dare install 3.13.0-39 and it goes off the rails.

I am not even sure that the kernel would cause a loss of audio,btw it only occurs after being taken out of standby. I do not lose sound when the system is running.

I have to use

to get it back and even then it doesn't always work and I must reboot. When I have no audio and I look for 'alsamixer' its there it's not missing fwiw.

Your time and interest in my misery is truly appreciated.

Best wishes,

"If"

There are two versions of grub so some advice you have read may be for the wrong one. For grub2 you can just run the command:

where # is in the order of the list that you see when you boot. It can be either the number or the name of a kernel.

The name doesn't say 'Grub2' exactly
 

Hi smallpond,

well on bootup I see on the Grub menu version 2.02~beta 2-9 I understand that above 1.97 ( I think) its Grub2?. I don't know the command to check the version from the terminal. Again being too literal I am looking for what you specified 'Grub2' not version 2.02~beta.

Your command would have been great if I could have used it, but the system is back up and running now with only the original kernel. I am afraid to change to another one for fear of creating a mess like I just did!!! lol

"If"

This is how you learn. You should be able to go to the newer kernel and try things out. Idf it doesn't work you should know how to get your system back to the old kernel now. ;)

Mama said..
 

HI lazydog,

Well "mama said there'd be days like this..." but she never said there'd be so many of them!!

At my age I don't know how much I can retain, but it IS a journey isn't it?

I've been running a Live DVD of Mint17.3 to see how it would work for me, it seems alright so far. Do I get a new kernel in every upgrade that's released or no? The sound issue remains unsolved, I don't even know that the kernel could/would cause intermittent losses. I can avoid dealing with it by simply ignoring it or shutting the machine off entirely and cold boot it each time, I DO prefer standby however.

thanks again for all the help and patience.

Cheers,

"If"

Yes, Linux is a journey. And while all journeys it's going to ave it high and low points.

So if this is the system for you why have you not installed it already?

As to the question if you get a new kernel in every upgrade, I'm going to have to say it depends. If the kernel has been upgraded/updated then yes otherwise no.

As to sound I'm going to say I don't believe it is the kernel but more the driver at fault here. It might be that you installed the wrong driver.

I'll say it again, just in case I didn't before, I'm not a mint user. Looking on the side by my name you can see what I use.

Still loving the journey! :D
 

Hi lazydog,
Well I want to see if 17.3 is going to pitch a fit, before I actually install it, look at the mess I just had! If I made the choice in Software Updater to Mint 17.3 would it over write all the programs I have installed currently?
As far as the audio driver, I never installed a specific driver for the HDA soundcard, I simply made a / and a swap partition and installed Mint. Of course if it had been on W7 I'd have had to install a driver or drivers. Or if I had had NO sound anytime in Mint, I'd have been looking for a driver, but since it worked I thought it was OK, when in fact it may not be. Just like windows uses the VGA driver, until you get your real graphics card driver installed, Mint may be doing a similar thing.

You may have hit on something there when you say " installed wrong driver " when I type in

I can see 3 choices for a driver: one is DEFAULT, one is HD AUDIO <<<< NOT IN USE and the third one I can't recall. It's using the DEFAULT when I change it to HD AUDIO I have no sound, but maybe because there's no real driver for it! That bears some investigation. Can't look now as I am in W7.

You are miles ahead of me in your choices of OS's, I only have W7. Mint, Lubuntu and 2 Android cell phones, and a cheap Android tablet lurking around here. I never want to buy another MS OS, so I gravitated to Ubuntu, and used it for a while. I saw the GUI of Mint and liked it so in it went! I'd probably be all Linux if there was a way to use my VR program to compose emails etc. I don't know if Dragon would work under Wine, I've never tried it, but it works bloody well in W7. Plus I'd lose my Acronis back up as well. Other than those 2 things I really don't do much in W7 anymore I usually am in Mint. I tell anyone who will listen, the benefits of Linux, sad thing is most are unaware of it's existence.

I did see a Flash Drive for sale that had Ubuntu already on it. They were being sold as " A way to make your computer run faster, gain more memory,etc. Sure that's all true but nowhere did it say it would replace your Windows system." You had to read between the lines to figure out what it was <sigh>

Thanks again for all your help, you did really well for not being a Mint user :D

Cheers and all the best,

"If"

I found this on WINE site about Dragon.

Glad I could help you in some sort of way.
Believe it or not under the hood everything works more or less the same with a few tweaks for the different OSes.