Selecting Kernel Issues (stuck on 6.1.0-18 even though I want 6.5)

[este.el.paz]

If you suspect a kernel issue reboot, and at the grub screen choose 'Advanced options'
drop down to choose the previous working kernel. If that helps use Update Manager to
remove the newer offending kernel.
Grub will always choose the latest installed kernel.

et al:

I'm having a similar issue with the LMDE kernel, except I'm trying to move it up to 6.5 to see if that gets me around some intermittent boot and revive from suspend issues, hoping that moving the kernel up would get me around the problems that Faye seems to be having with her existence . . . but, in my case, in spite of adding 6.5 via Synaptic, grub seems to continue to boot:

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$ uname -r
6.1.0-18-amd64

I'm running a multi-boot situation, LMDE is not the controller for os-prober . . . updating the os-prober in the controlling system several times, which as mentioned above, "grub should find and boot the latest kernel" . . . it does not find that in LMDE.

Following the suggestion to use "advanced options" . . . the top hit would be what would automatically be selected, so in the latest attempt I picked the 5th or 6th from a list all showing the same data . . . no listing of the specific kernel . . . . It still boots as "18"??

Is that the only option to use with LMDE?? It is what it is, as is provided for you?? I tried to add "mainline" via a PPA and I got an error . . . "We don't do no stinking PPAs."

Any way to get LMDE to click up to the newer kernel?? Or, nope, nothing to move up until LMDE7 comes along?

[sleeper12]

See if this gets you the higher kernel:

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sudo apt install -t bookworm-backports linux-image-amd64

Reboot

[este.el.paz]

See if this gets you the higher kernel:

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sudo apt install -t bookworm-backports linux-image-amd64

Reboot

@sleeper12:

Thanks for that data, I'll test it out. Question on why Synaptic would show "6.5" and select the other needed packages, but then have it not show up after "apply" and no errors on the run???

[sleeper12]

I didn't know the 6.5 kernel was even offered in Synaptic on LMDE. But, others have gotten it with the command I posted.

[MiZoG]

To put it in a simplistic way linux-image-amd64 is the meta-package that enables and manages kernel updates
With its default version, you get the default kernel updates.
When you install its version from backports with the command quoted by sleeper12, then kernel updates from backrpots are enabled and properly installed.

[este.el.paz]

Thanks for the follow up on the question.

I didn't know the 6.5 kernel was even offered in Synaptic on LMDE. But, others have gotten it with the command I posted.

Hmm . . . it was in there in the "kernel and modules" category . . . .

To put it in a simplistic way linux-image-amd64 is the meta-package that enables and manages kernel updates
With its default version, you get the default kernel updates.
When you install its version from backports with the command quoted by sleeper12, then kernel updates from backrpots are enabled and properly installed.

OK, simplistic works for me . . . . I'll check this later today.

[este.el.paz]

Wow . . . that's all I can say . . . .

I ran the suggested command to pull in the backport kernel . . . a little voice said, "Noooooo . . . don't do it, you are limping along on 6.1, it's kind of working . . . ." The other voice said, "6.1 is old man kernel, move it on up." So I listened to voice two . . . but that pulled in 6.6, rather than 6.5. The tiny voice said, "Seeeee . . . it's not 6.5, don't do it man . . . ." I did it. Rebooted over to the grub controller and updated grub.

Cold booting to "Faye" in grub . . . brings TTY dmesg that just stopped loading, let it hang for a minute or so . . . then rebooted to "advanced options" . . . showing 9 lines . . . . Long story short I rebooted 10 times to finally get line 8's data to boot to . . . Faye!!!!!!

Perseverance furthers??

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$ uname -r
6.6.13+bpo-amd64

It wasn't pretty, at all . . . apt again shows, "nothing to do" . . . "line 8 of 9" is Faye's new moniker . . . like the Borg. Have to see if the Borgian Faye will revive from suspend and function "normally."

[este.el.paz]

Latest update:

Faye failed to boot making the "8 of 9" choice from advanced options . . . and then the top hit in grub . . . having to shut down two times this morning in the effort to boot to Faye . . . went on to Trixie for my daily driver.

Then, as I have been contemplating "erasure" as the Ultimate Solution I restarted and selected "Seven, of Nine" (if that rings any bells" . . . and Faye is operational. Only thing to upgrade are 3 mint theme packages . . . .

Faye remains an inconsistent "friend" . . . perhaps next time it will be "Six, of Nine"???

Time consuming to figure out which line of Nine is the working system.

[Nuts2u]

You need to download both the 6.5 Headers and 6.5 Image if you are installing from Synaptic in the Kernel and Modules section. I've done this several times and it installs correctly.

[este.el.paz]

You need to download both the 6.5 Headers and 6.5 Image if you are installing from Synaptic in the Kernel and Modules section. I've done this several times and it installs correctly.

@Nuts2u:

Thanks for stopping by . . . I did do that, syanaptic included the "dependency" for the 6.5 . . . but, apparently did not upgrade the "meta" package . . . . I've had that Meta issue with my plain jane Debian installs . . . .

So following the advice to install that package a few posts up . . . that took me to 6.6 . . . . Which is fine, I have installs that are running at least 6.8 in other OSs . . . .

The problem continues to be that grub isn't finding that 6.6 backport kernel . . . or the system is altering the /etc/fstab data, such that the botable option is moving around from one advanced option to the next.

I was hoping that moving up from 6.1 to 6.5 would improve the consistency of the boot up for Faye, so far, not . . . she is still "there" but, like the Scarlet Pimpernel . . . very hard to find. I guess that's what keeps it "interesting"????

[RamBurner]

Do this and it will give you the proper 6.6 which will be, 6.6.13+bpo-amd64

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sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt install -t bookworm-backports linux-image-amd64

Reboot

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Terminal: uname -r

Which will tell you what kernel you are running

This command to list the installed kernels:

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dpkg --list | grep linux-image

[RamBurner]

@Nuts2u:

Thanks for stopping by . . . I did do that, syanaptic included the "dependency" for the 6.5 . . . but, apparently did not upgrade the "meta" package . . . . I've had that Meta issue with my plain jane Debian installs . . . .

So following the advice to install that package a few posts up . . . that took me to 6.6 . . . . Which is fine, I have installs that are running at least 6.8 in other OSs . . . .

The problem continues to be that grub isn't finding that 6.6 backport kernel . . . or the system is altering the /etc/fstab data, such that the botable option is moving around from one advanced option to the next.

I was hoping that moving up from 6.1 to 6.5 would improve the consistency of the boot up for Faye, so far, not . . . she is still "there" but, like the Scarlet Pimpernel . . . very hard to find. I guess that's what keeps it "interesting"????

Hate to ask, but you did do a

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sudo update-grub

right? I know I've forgotten before and wondered why it wasn't booting to the kernel I installed

[este.el.paz]

@RamBurner:

Thanks for the offerings, however most of those commands were suggested and have been done . . . but this might show how many kernels are installed.

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This command to list the installed kernels:

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dpkg --list | grep linux-image

My question would be, "Why are there 9 lines to choose from in Advanced Options in a system that is only a few months old and upgrades slowly, more or less not upgrading the kernels?"

Today is Noble Numbat Lubuntu Day . . . so I'll have to check on Faye later on . . . .

[Nuts2u]

If you have 9 entries in the Advanced options you should run the following command.....

sudo apt autoremove --purge

That will remove the older kernels.....

[este.el.paz]

If you have 9 entries in the Advanced options you should run the following command.....

sudo apt autoremove --purge

That will remove the older kernels.....

@Nuts2u:

Thanks for that command . . . spent a fair amount of time with ubuntu & mint in the past . . . so I run "apt autoremove" with each "apt upgrade" but don't think I have "--purge" in my crib notes . . . ??

I'll check both of those recent commands to check on what kernels are there and try to tidy them up.

[este.el.paz]

running this command to check kernels brought:

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$ sudo dpkg --list | grep linux-image
[sudo] password for mintdebian:            
rc  linux-image-6.1.0-17-amd64                 6.1.69-1                               amd64        Linux 6.1 for 64-bit PCs (signed)
ii  linux-image-6.1.0-18-amd64                 6.1.76-1                               amd64        Linux 6.1 for 64-bit PCs (signed)
ii  linux-image-6.6.13+bpo-amd64               6.6.13-1~bpo12+1                       amd64        Linux 6.6 for 64-bit PCs (signed)
ii  linux-image-amd64                          6.6.13-1~bpo12+1                       amd64        Linux for 64-bit PCs (meta-package)

If you have 9 entries in the Advanced options you should run the following command.....

sudo apt autoremove --purge

That will remove the older kernels.....

Running that suggestion brought:

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$ sudo apt autoremove --purge
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

So it doesn't look like too many kernels, perhaps not enough of them to warrant a good "--purge"?? But doesn't explain why the 6.6.13 option is on line 7 rather than 6??

Perhaps synaptic could be used to pull the 6.1.0-17 ???

[sleeper12]

Can you remove any in Update Manager, View, Linux Kernels?

[este.el.paz]

Can you remove any in Update Manager, View, Linux Kernels?

@sleeper12:

Thanks for the idea . . . I'll check that when I get back to Faye . . . done for the day.

There were a few more kernels showing in synaptic than showed up in that "grep linux image" output . . . like the 6.5 options that I had installed via synaptic, w/o the meta packages . . . .

I was out of gas on tweaking Faye any more when I was there awhile back . . . . Ideally when I re-run the os-prober tomorrow it should pull up the latest kernel and that should boot from the "Faye" grub line, rather than hitting "advanced options" and having to scroll down to find the line that boots Faye . . . . It shouldn't be this "difficult" to get an OS to boot and run, consistently . . . in a machine running an Intel cpu, etc.

[este.el.paz]

Can you remove any in Update Manager, View, Linux Kernels?

@sleeper12:

Thanks for that hint, in my install there was no "linux Kernels" under View . . . but, under Prefs >Automation was a >remove obsolete kernels radio button . . . so I turned that to "on." There is the caveat listed there, that "running plus one older, and anything manually installed is untouched" . . . .

So I logged out and back in and ran an apt . . . "0 to remove" it says . . . . So, it'll perhaps take more time to get back to the 6.1 options and remove them . . . as the 6.5 and 6.6 were "manually" installed . . . but apt didn't find the 6.1?? Perhaps it needs the specific "apt autoremove" to be run??

Anyway, the good news is that after running os-prober in the grub handler system, Faye booted from the top line, i.e., not needing "advanced optiions" . . . very happy about that change in Faye's circumstances . . . .

[sleeper12]

Can you remove any in Update Manager, View, Linux Kernels?

Thanks for that hint, in my install there was no "linux Kernels" under View .

Ok, I guess LMDE is a bit different?

. . but, under Prefs >Automation was a >remove obsolete kernels radio button . . . so I turned that to "on."

Good, leave that on. Not sure how long it takes for that to kick in, but it will eventually.