I have broken Linux Mint 19 Mate. My OS reinstall counter is now set at 1.
Apparently, adding debian.org to my repositories to get a more up-to-date version of a dependency necessary for ksnip was not wise.
As soon as I got the keys set up: Every application on my computer that existed in debian.orgs repository updated. That right there will definitely cause some issues. One of which was that Timeshift was broken. The most annoying of which was an inability to boot.
As I watched the update manager go to work I just started looking for my bootable USB: I knew.
So. I downloaded Linux Mint 19 Mate and put it on a USB. Booted from the USB and copied my home folder to another USB. Then I installed Linux Mint 19 Mate fresh.
Which obviously means that I have to set up the computer again. So, also obviously, I am learning that some things have changed between 18 and 19. Since I originally set up networking and my appearance in 18 and then upgraded I have to do it now with the changed tools.
I am having issues with the panel, which is very obstinate about arrangement of the launch icons on the left. For some reason that I am not fathoming I can add a launcher but I cannot move it from the left end of the row of launchers to the right end. Any attempt to move it to that end just moves it out of that area and puts it on the right end of the panel to the left of the notification area. This also puts it crowding the open application tabs making them invisible unless you drag it to the right. I have unchecked "Lock to Panel" on all of them and tried, only some and tried...
I have done some searching and all I can find is instructions that say to select an option from the panel context menu that does not exist on my panel context menu. All I can do is reset the panel. I remember that I found the panel frustrating and not really very customizable the first time I installed Mate.
I could just accept the order that the launchers decide to be in. I may remove all of the launchers and then add them back individually in the order that I want them to be. Surely, that can't be the method envisioned by the designers. But if I can't find another method, it's worth a shot.
I also can't get my Mint computer to talk with my Win 7 computer and the things I did before aren't working. So I have to do some research and see if I can't get the networking to work completely this time. With the last install I could only get to a shared folder on the Windows machine from Linux. Not the other way around. And I could use the printer on the Win 7 box from Linux. Right now I can't even see the printer and while I can see that a Windows network is there from Linux, I can't see the Linux box from Windows. The only change here is on the Linux side, so that narrows my list of possible issues I suppose.
There are other things, but first things first.
Onward.