Install Kernel 2.6.22 on Linux Mint 3.x

[cmost]

I know that some users have decided to skip Linux Mint 4.0 and stick with Linux Mint 3.x. This is not to say that Daryna isn't worth the upgrade it's just that some of us have spent some time tweaking our Mint 3.x systems to perfection and don't want to "fix" what isn't broken. Nevertheless, some users may want the latest Linux kernel (which I can attest, does speed up the system noticeably.) Here's how to install the latest kernel (which is featured in Daryna) in Celena (or Cassandra.)

Note: If you're a newbie, I highly recommend that you skip this altogether!!! I won't be held responsible for you hosing your system.

Okay, for the rest of you, here goes.

1. Start a Terminal and type: sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Enter your root password. You'll be presented with your software channel sources file. Copy and paste the following into the end of the file:
# Ubuntu 7.10 source - WARNING! DO NOT LEAVE ACTIVE!
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ gutsy main restricted

2. Save the file and close gedit.
3. In the same terminal, type: sudo apt-get update
A whole lot of information will fly by as the package lists are updated. Do NOT do a dist-upgrade or anything of the kind!!! We will only be keeping the Gutsy repository open long enough to grab the kernel and the updated gcc packages, and that's it!!!

4. Type: sudo apt-get install linux linux-generic linux-headers-generic linux-image-generic linux-restricted-modules-generic
Note: If you're like me and have 4GB of RAM or more, than you'll want to replace the word "generic" above with "server" to install the server grade kernel. Go ahead and accept any dependency packages needed and proceed with the installation.

Installation may take awhile to complete as several megabytes of data must be downloaded. When it's finished, don't reboot your machine YET!

5. Open up Synaptic and search for "gcc" (without quotes). Mark for upgrade gcc-4.1 and gcc-4.1-base. This is to ensure compatibility with the new kernel if you should need to compile kernel modules. Do NOT upgrade any other packages or you run the risk of breaking your system! Accept any additional packages also needed for the gcc upgrade. Hit 'apply' and allow the packages to install. Close Synaptic.

6. Reboot your machine. When the GRUB menu appears, the new default should be 2.6.22-14-generic (or 2.6.22-14-server) and should boot automatically.

7. You may need to reinstall your nvidia or ATI driver if you're not using restricted modules. I'll leave that part up to you to figure out.

8. You will need to download and install the VMware any-any-update 114 if you're using VMware Workstation or Server.

9. Open a Terminal and as before, type: sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Enter your root password. You'll be presented with your software channel sources file once again. This time, add a "#" symbol to the beginning of the line starting with "deb...". It should now look like this:

# Ubuntu 7.10 source - WARNING! DO NOT LEAVE ACTIVE!
#deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ gutsy main restricted

10. Save the file and close gedit.
11. In the same terminal, type: sudo apt-get update
A whole lot of information will fly by as the package lists are updated once again. Note: Package lists are now reverted to the state they were before.

Enjoy your updated Linux Mint 3.x

[exploder]

I had a couple of posts about upgrading Cassandra to the Gutsy kernel. The post is buried somewhere... No one seemed to have any interest and people were afraid something would break.
I used the 2.6.22 kernel with no problems of any kind in Cassandra. I support your post and the idea in general. The worst case scenario would be that the user would have to boot with the original kernel and remove the new one.
The Ubuntu forum has a "How To" about this also. I hope your post is better received than mine was.

[cmost]

Hi Exploder! I'm so sorry if I repeated your work, or the work of others. I was doing some research on updating my kernel to the server version in order to take advantage of my full 4GB of RAM when I thought, why not update to Gutsy's kernel while I'm at it. After all, the userland doesn't care (so much) which kernel is used. I wish they'd come out with an amd64 version of Linux Mint, but alas, Clem and the gang seems focussed on keeping things simple and I can't blame him one bit.

I do take your sentiment to heart, however. Mint users aren't the adventurous type, apparently, which is fine. There are a few of us who are experienced and aren't afraid to break a few eggs to make a delicious omelet. The audience for Linux Mint are those who want a working desktop with little to no hassles (why all the codecs and juicy bits are baked in whereas they're not in vanilla Ubuntu!) This is probably why PCLinuxOS (which I used to use by the way) is even more popular than Ubuntu these days. On the other hand, if one were to combine the numbers of Ubuntu, Mint and other Ubuntu derivatives, I'd bet it's still number one hands down. I'm rambling.... Thanks for your post! Cheers!

[exploder]

cmost, you and I seem to have similar ideas on getting things done! I have some information on fixing all the bugs in Daryna that might interest you! It involves a little risk but my results were a system with the same kind of speed and reliability as Cassandra and Celina.

I can also provide some additional tweaks that can reduce memory use by 25%.

These are not fixes recommended by LinuxMint, it is a try at your own risk solution at the moment.

If you are interested PM me and I will send you the details.