fresh install, asking for video drivers that are not needed

[linuxgrrl]

hi,
I just installed 20.1 cinnamon on my new system with Ryzen 4350G and Gigabyte motherboard. The video looks great. However, everytime I boot, I get the notification in the upper right hand corner that "you may need drivers" and an option to start the driver manager. When I run the driver manager, without fail it reports "you do not need any new drivers."
How can I get the notification to stop popping up?
TIA.

[SMG]

How can I get the notification to stop popping up?

Cinnamon only gives that message when hardware acceleration is not happening. Usually, that is because the graphics drivers are not installed.

I just looked up the specs for the Ryzen 4350G. It indicates it has Renoir graphics which require at least kernel 5.7.1 in order to get the drivers. If you are getting the message then I suspect you installed the standard LM20.1 image with the 5.4 kernel instead of the Linux Mint 20.1 "Ulyssa" - Cinnamon (Edge, 64-bit) ISO which has the 5.8 kernel.

Kernel 5.8 is available in Update Manager. Open Update Manager. Select View > Linux Kernels and click Continue. Make sure 5.8 is selected on the left panel and then click the top-most option on the right panel. An "Install" button will appear. Install the kernel and then reboot for the kernel to become active.

If you still have the message at that point, then Section 5 of READ: How To Get Help! explains the data we need to be able to help you. Please provide that system data.

[linuxgrrl]

Thank you for that guidance. Kernel 5.8 is now showing as "installed." However, the Update Manager states that I am using 5.4 still, and the hardware acceleration notice still pops up. How do I get it to use the later kernel?

I'm not sure, but I'm wondering if this is related to another problem that I am having with the package manager and initramfs-tools. It throws an error whenever I update a package.
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=347258

After trying to fix the kernel, I am also getting an error that space on /boot is low, but I will have to try to fix that separately.

[SMG]

After trying to fix the kernel, I am also getting an error that space on /boot is low, but I will have to try to fix that separately.

I suggest you fix that before you try rebooting and find yourself locked out of the system.

I would not expect one to have a full boot partition so soon after a fresh install. Normally, /boot fills up due to having a lot of kernels in it, but maybe you created a small /boot and there is not much room in the first place? While you can create a separate boot partition, we don't really recommend doing that any more.

Thank you for that guidance. Kernel 5.8 is now showing as "installed." However, the Update Manager states that I am using 5.4 still, and the hardware acceleration notice still pops up. How do I get it to use the later kernel?

You have to reboot the system for it to use the newer kernel.

If you check your 5.4 kernel panel in Update Manager, you will see one of those kernels is listed as Active. Your system can only have one Active kernel at a time. A kernel becomes Active when you boot the system. The system automatically boots into the highest number kernel, so it will boot into the 5.8 kernel the next time you boot.

I'm not sure, but I'm wondering if this is related to another problem that I am having with the package manager and initramfs-tools. It throws an error whenever I update a package.
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=347258

I do not know, but I see you did not provide any system info in that thread either.

Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal: inxi -Fxxxrz
Click </> from the mini toolbar above the textbox where you type your reply and then place your cursor between the code markers and paste the results of the command between the code markers [code]Results[/code]. This will let us know how Mint sees your hardware.

[JOPETA]

The video looks great. However, everytime I boot, I get the notification in the upper right hand corner that "you may need drivers" and an option to start the driver manager. When I run the driver manager, without fail it reports "you do not need any new drivers."
How can I get the notification to stop popping up?

I think it is due to the Welcome screen (mintwelcome). It is supposed you must follow all first steps after installing (including alternative drivers installation if needed). The system detect you haven't complete that step and throw that warning to remind, but It has nothing to be with you need or not to install a driver. There you can stop the message from appearing (I remmember there was an option to do it).

In other hand, SGM is right. Also consider making a HWE on your working system (apt install --install-recommends linux-generic-hwe-20.04) . It will install 5.8 kernel and start receiving new kernels from that series in Update Manager (removing all old 5.4 kernel is need to give up receiving updates from that kernel)

[linuxgrrl]

Thank you all! I believe SMG was correct that I had selected the wrong version of Mint for my CPU. Frankly I had no idea there was an alternate version -- I've been using Mint for so long that ive never had to think about it.

I had trouble booting the newer kernel, so I am just going to burn a new (correct) DVD and re-install. Glad I figured this out now, before I get in too deep.

[SMG]

I think it is due to the Welcome screen (mintwelcome). It is supposed you must follow all first steps after installing (including alternative drivers installation if needed). The system detect you haven't complete that step and throw that warning to remind, but It has nothing to be with you need or not to install a driver. There you can stop the message from appearing (I remmember there was an option to do it).

That check is actually done by the Cinnamon desktop. This will not happen with MATE or Xfce, and is not related to installing Mint.

Every time someone boots with Cinnamon, a check is done to make sure hardware acceleration is working because Cinnamon has higher requirements to work properly. The warning message will pop up if the system is in software rendering mode (renderer: llvmpipe).

[JOPETA]

Don't know in Mate or XFCE, last installations I've probed were LMDE 4 and Linux Mint 20.1 Cinnamon, but IMHO those are different warnings. The one you are talking about is related to boot in software rendering mode as it is said in the pop-up notification "with high CPU...".

But the warning I"ve received in a both installations maybe are the same that linuxgrrl was receiving. Booting in hardware rendering session (i.e Cinnamon 3d) only said you may need drivers and have to check in Driver Manager.

The only way I could stop then (as a far I can remember) was entering in Welcome screen> First steps>Driver Manager > and checking the option to not remind me again about drivers.

[SMG]

But the warning I"ve received in a both installations maybe are the same that linuxgrrl was receiving. Booting in hardware rendering mode (i.e Cinnamon 3d) only said you may need drivers and have to check in Driver Manager. The only way I could stop then (as a far I can remember) was entering in Wellcome screen> First steps>Driver Manager > and checking the option to not remind me again about drivers.

She is receiving that message because there are no graphics drivers installed. If she runs inxi -Gx she will find driver: N/A for Renoir.

AMD Renoir graphics drivers come from the kernel. They were not included in the 5.4 kernel because that kernel came out before Renoir graphics came out. The Renoir graphics drivers are in the 5.8 kernel and will install when she boots from that kernel.

She is receiving that message because there is a problem with her installation. I have seen lots of people post on this forum who think they do not have a problem and want to know why that message comes up on the screen. When they post their data we find out they have been running without graphics drivers.

[JOPETA]

Sorry it is as you say. Didn´t see her second post and now it is clear. It is not the warning I was talking about (taking into account only her first post).

Thank you for that guidance. Kernel 5.8 is now showing as "installed." However, the Update Manager states that I am using 5.4 still, and the hardware acceleration notice still pops up. How do I get it to use the later kernel?