LM menu - right-hand panel is displaying wonky

[FrobozzWiz]

For the first time ever, I have installed Linux Mint onto one of my desktops. It is an older desktop which has been creating some challenges.

When I used the live CD of Linux Mint 21 - Cinnamon edition, I found that the LM menu (equivalent to Windows Start Menu) is displaying very strangely. I had hoped that once I got it installed to a SSD drive and performed all the latest updates, that the issue would go away. Alas, no such luck.

The problem is on the far right panel of the menu. When it first opens there are weird artifacts along with the text and icons..
If I move down the 2nd panel (categories), the right-side updates. Sometimes it looks fine, sometimes it is all messed up and at other times it seems to display fine, but entries are missing.

Here is an example of what happens when I scroll down the list of applications:


I've tried looking for a setting that I could turn off to workaround this. Only one that looked promising was the auto-scroll, but it had zero affect.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the info on my graphics card:

Code: Select all

Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA NV41 [GeForce 6800 GS] driver: nouveau v: kernel pcie:
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports: active: DVI-I-1 empty: TV-1,VGA-1
    bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:00c0 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: Brooktree Bt878 Video Capture driver: bttv v: 0.9.19
    bus-ID: 02:06.0 chip-ID: 109e:036e class-ID: 0400
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.3 driver: X: loaded: nouveau
    unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa gpu: nouveau display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
    s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
  Monitor-1: DVI-I-1 model: Asus VP247 serial: <filter> res: 1920x1080
    hz: 60 dpi: 94 size: 521x293mm (20.5x11.5") diag: 598mm (23.5") modes:
    max: 1920x1080 min: 720x400
  OpenGL: renderer: NV42 v: 2.1 Mesa 22.0.5 direct render: Yes

[mikeflan]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Here is an example of what happens when I scroll down the list of applications:
image

Get the image to below 200 KB and post your pic to forum:
viewtopic.php?p=1999476#p1999476

[antikythera]

It being a very much older desktop with a legacy nvidia card (dropped in 2017 by nvidia) that is not working with Cinnamon would prompt me to recommend you try XFCE instead and preferably Mint 20.3. there's no nvidia proprietary driver that supports your card, so lightening the load and using XFCE is your best option. Mint 20.3 has support until 2025 and has a long term support kernel 5.4 and older graphics stack which would better suit your age of hardware than those included with Mint 21.

I use imgbb.com to host images too, the correct code to select is the BB option:

[FrobozzWiz]

I just reinstalled Linux Mint using 20.3 XFCE edition and things are looking much better now.

Thanks for the quick help, plus image posting tips.

FYI - I did notice before reinstalling that the menu was only messed up if there were enough applications listed on the right-side of the menu to enable scrolling.

[JosephM]

It sounds like you may have moved on but if you ever try this again, search for "Effects" in the menu. In the window that opens turn off "Fade effect on cinnamon scrollboxes". The only reason that setting exists is because we ran into people on certain older hardware having issues in the past. Not sure if it will actually fix it but it's worth trying.

[antikythera]

The only reason that setting exists is because we ran into people on certain older hardware having issues in the past. Not sure if it will actually fix it but it's worth trying.

Thanks for that gem, I'll make a note for future reference. Fortunately my own oldest hardware can still cope with the rendering tasks Cinnamon throws at it.

[IanE]

I can confirm the suggested fix appears to work - at least in my case..
I did a clean install of LM 21 on an HP xw6400 workstation with an Nvidia Quadro FX 1500 GPU, ran an update and had the garbled effects on the right hand scroll-able menu ... disabled the "fade effect" as suggested, and the modificaton appears to have solved the issue Many thanks!

[FrobozzWiz]

I hadn't gone much beyond installing Linux Mint 20.3 XFCE, in case there were other options. Just went back to 21 Cinnamon, changed that setting and things are working great. Thanks so much!