[SOLVED] COnsidering to restart a new KDE Neon Plasma install

alex4buba · 08-31-2021, 06:39 PM

I have been using this distro for some 6+ months.
Over this time, I have experienced several problems and I am thankfull to members who tried to help me.

I am now at a point where I consider starting a fresh install, but I am wondering:
1) Is My operating system damaged, OR
2) Is my hardware damaged and a new fresh install will NOT achieve anything.

This is going to be a huge job for me to install all my apps again...

Is there a way to do a health check on the hardware - Intel NUC i7. Please understand, I am still new, if you want to help me - please provide clear instructions.

Thanks
Alex

mrmazda · 08-31-2021, 10:59 PM

Hardware problems typically manifest in random lockups or shutdowns or inexplicable pauses. There really isn't much testing you can do beyond using it normally. Maybe what you should do is describe the reasons why you think an upgrade might be good to do now. What symptoms are manifesting?

alex4buba · 09-01-2021, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

Hardware problems typically manifest in random lockups or shutdowns or inexplicable pauses. There really isn't much testing you can do beyond using it normally. Maybe what you should do is describe the reasons why you think an upgrade might be good to do now. What symptoms are manifesting?

Well, one of them is this CD issue.
Some time ago, I setup a custom keyboard shortcut which gradually started playing up. It was to insert my email into any web page instead of the need to type it again each time. Now, I have to figure out how I did it and repeat it.

I have no OS locking, but at times, the machine become "Busy" and the cooling fan sounds working hard, until it stops, mouse clicks are ignored... Is that not a hardware problem?

Can I install KDE Neon Plasma on top of what I have already and keep my apps and files?

Thanks again
Alex

mrmazda · 09-01-2021, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alex4buba

Well, one of them is this CD issue.

You haven't described here what "this CD issue" is.

Quote:

Some time ago, I setup a custom keyboard shortcut which gradually started playing up. It was to insert my email into any web page instead of the need to type it again each time. Now, I have to figure out how I did it and repeat it.

Someone else may have to suggest what to do about this. I don't use them.

Quote:

I have no OS locking, but at times, the machine become "Busy" and the cooling fan sounds working hard, until it stops, mouse clicks are ignored... Is that not a hardware problem?

While it could be hardware trouble, it's more likely some software causing intense I/O, or thrashing if real RAM is in short supply. In KDE/Plasma, it's often been attributed to the file indexing system it uses to make finding files fast. Web browsers gobble RAM and do a lot of caching when left open long periods with lots of open windows and/or tabs. You haven't told us much about hardware. Intel i7 NUC doesn't say whether you have SSD or HDD or NVME, or how much RAM you have, or how much swap space. You haven't said anything about which apps you use or how many at once, or how often you log out. So, no one can more than speculate why you experience what you do.

Quote:

Can I install KDE Neon Plasma on top of what I have already and keep my apps and files?

If your installation is comprised of a discrete filesystem for /home, then easily yes. You need only specify that that same filesystem be maintained as is for /home, and let the installer format /, ESP (if it exists) and swap, or just reformat / before installing a fresh Neon.

If you do not now have a separate filesystem for /home, then to have fresh installation you'd need to backup your personal data, catalog your added apps, perform a new installation, then restore your data, and install the extra apps anew. If you wish less work, do a system upgrade instead of a fresh installation. That wouldn't require reinstalling all those extra apps, or backup and restore of personal data.

Before making any decisions about which way forward, try logging out of Plasma, logging in on a vtty (e.g. Ctrl-Alt-F3), deleting all content from ~/.cache/, then returning to Plasma to see if anything improved.

yancek · 09-01-2021, 07:47 AM

You could try looking in the /var/log directory to see if you find any messages pointing to errors.

If you want to test a new Neon, why install it? Why not use the 'live' Neon installer to test?
In any case, it is not going to help you with your custom keyboard issue. Not the installer's fault you neglected to take/keep notes.

Quote:

Can I install KDE Neon Plasma on top of what I have already and keep my apps and files?
Thanks again

You should be able to do this if you do not format anything. You haven't indicated how many partitions you have or what they are but if you have a basic install, everything on one / partition, just install and select NOT to format that partition. If you have other partitions, do NOT format them as that is equal to obliterating all data on those partitions. Not sure how this will work on Neon but it worked fine for me on Slackware Current recently so I don't see why it would not work on Neon.

It would be best to back up any personal data before trying anything as suggested above.

alex4buba · 09-01-2021, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

You haven't described here what "this CD issue" is.

Someone else may have to suggest what to do about this. I don't use them.

While it could be hardware trouble, it's more likely some software causing intense I/O, or thrashing if real RAM is in short supply. In KDE/Plasma, it's often been attributed to the file indexing system it uses to make finding files fast. Web browsers gobble RAM and do a lot of caching when left open long periods with lots of open windows and/or tabs. You haven't told us much about hardware. Intel i7 NUC doesn't say whether you have SSD or HDD or NVME, or how much RAM you have, or how much swap space. You haven't said anything about which apps you use or how many at once, or how often you log out. So, no one can more than speculate why you experience what you do.

If your installation is comprised of a discrete filesystem for /home, then easily yes. You need only specify that that same filesystem be maintained as is for /home, and let the installer format /, ESP (if it exists) and swap, or just reformat / before installing a fresh Neon.

If you do not now have a separate filesystem for /home, then to have fresh installation you'd need to backup your personal data, catalog your added apps, perform a new installation, then restore your data, and install the extra apps anew. If you wish less work, do a system upgrade instead of a fresh installation. That wouldn't require reinstalling all those extra apps, or backup and restore of personal data.

Before making any decisions about which way forward, try logging out of Plasma, logging in on a vtty (e.g. Ctrl-Alt-F3), deleting all content from ~/.cache/, then returning to Plasma to see if anything improved.

I am attaching 2 files, my syslog of today - I hope you can understand at least some of it, I have no idea... and also my current partition setup - 512 GiB drive where the OS is installed - into my Intel NUC i7 with 16GB RAM.

Thanks again
Alex

mrmazda · 09-01-2021, 11:39 PM

The image shows your /home is just a directory in your / partition, so to install afresh you'd need to backup all your important data, perform the installation, then restore your data. Upgrading would likely be less painful. To prevent this complication in the future, on next install, specify that /home have its own partition/filesystem.

The syslog file contains 43 lines containing the string fail. It's above my pay grade to say whether or which are serious enough to need fixing. Hopefully they would all disappear after an upgrade.

Taking your question to a hangout of Neon and/or Plasma users would probably produce more useful answers.

Next post, whether here or elsewhere, include more information about your system. Running inxi -Faz in Konsole is a good way to obtain that information in useful form to provide.

alex4buba · 09-02-2021, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

The image shows your /home is just a directory in your / partition, so to install afresh you'd need to backup all your important data, perform the installation, then restore your data. Upgrading would likely be less painful. To prevent this complication in the future, on next install, specify that /home have its own partition/filesystem.

The syslog file contains 43 lines containing the string fail. It's above my pay grade to say whether or which are serious enough to need fixing. Hopefully they would all disappear after an upgrade.

Taking your question to a hangout of Neon and/or Plasma users would probably produce more useful answers.

Next post, whether here or elsewhere, include more information about your system. Running inxi -Faz in Konsole is a good way to obtain that information in useful form to provide.

Hello again,
Several times you mention "Upgrade"... Not sure what you mean - I currently have the latest KDE Plasma 5.22.5 where to go from that?

I ran the command you suggested, see below. If I do a clean install - I have no idea how to place "Home" in another partition

Thanks again

Code:

alex@alex-nuc8i7hnk:~$ inxi -Faz
System:    Kernel: 5.11.0-27-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
           parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.11.0-27-generic 
           root=UUID=c99fa045-62f3-4ed4-8574-343329db8b52 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7 
           Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.22.5 tk: Qt 5.15.3 wm: kwin_x11 dm: SDDM 
           Distro: KDE neon 20.04 5.22 base: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal 
Machine:   Type: Desktop System: Intel product: NUC8i7HNK v: J71486-502 serial: <filter> Chassis: 
           type: 3 v: 2.0 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Intel model: NUC8i7HNB v: J68197-502 serial: <filter> UEFI: Intel 
           v: HNKBLi70.86A.0059.2019.1112.1124 date: 11/12/2019 
CPU:       Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i7-8705G bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Kaby Lake 
           family: 6 model-id: 9E (158) stepping: 9 microcode: EA L2 cache: 8192 KiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 49599 
           Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 800/4100 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 847 3: 900 4: 900 
           5: 900 6: 900 7: 900 8: 900 
           Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled 
           Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable 
           Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
           Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
           Type: spec_store_bypass 
           mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp 
           Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
           Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, IBPB: conditional, IBRS_FW, STIBP: 
           conditional, RSB filling 
           Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode 
           Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 630 driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:591b 
           Device-2: AMD Polaris 22 XL [Radeon RX Vega M GL] vendor: Intel driver: amdgpu v: kernel 
           bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 1002:694e 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: amdgpu,ati,modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
           compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: AMD VEGAM (DRM 3.40.0 5.11.0-27-generic LLVM 12.0.0) v: 4.6 Mesa 21.0.3 
           direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel CM238 HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 
           chip ID: 8086:a171 
           Device-2: AMD Polaris 22 HDMI Audio vendor: Intel driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 01:00.1 chip ID: 1002:ab08 
           Device-3: Logitech Webcam C270 type: USB driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo bus ID: 1-3:3 
           chip ID: 046d:0825 serial: <filter> 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.11.0-27-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-LM driver: e1000e v: kernel port: f040 bus ID: 00:1f.6 
           chip ID: 8086:15b7 
           IF: eno1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel I210 Gigabit Network driver: igb v: kernel port: b000 bus ID: 05:00.0 
           chip ID: 8086:157b 
           IF: enp5s0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-3: Intel Wireless 8265 / 8275 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: b000 bus ID: 06:00.0 
           chip ID: 8086:24fd 
           IF: wlp6s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 3.65 TiB used: 1.81 TiB (49.7%) 
           SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required. 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WDS500G2B0B-00YS70 size: 465.76 GiB 
           block size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: 90WD 
           scheme: MBR 
           ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD Elements 25A1 size: 2.73 TiB 
           block size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B serial: <filter> rev: 1018 scheme: GPT 
           ID-3: /dev/sdc type: USB model: USB Mass Storage Device size: 476.91 GiB block size: 
           physical: 512 B logical: 512 B serial: <filter> scheme: MBR 
           SMART Message: Unknown USB bridge. Flash drive/Unsupported enclosure? 
Partition: ID-1: / raw size: 439.45 GiB size: 432.56 GiB (98.43%) used: 173.45 GiB (40.1%) fs: ext2 
           dev: /dev/sda2 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 59.0 C mobo: 29.8 C gpu: amdgpu temp: 55 C 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:      Processes: 304 Uptime: 9h 22m Memory: 15.55 GiB used: 2.11 GiB (13.6%) Init: systemd 
           v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 8/9 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17 
           running in: konsole inxi: 3.0.38