Install in compatibility mode

[Stosskraft]

Hello all,

Going to take another shot at this. I have an older HP all-in-one desktop that is running windows. I have used Mint before on desktops and it was alwasy easy for a non0techie like me to install.

For a few year everytime a new mint comes out I make a usb live key and try it. Compatibility mode works amazing (the display especially) but on regular live mode the display is really blocky and pixelated, and no adjusting the resolution or anything seems to matter. To clarify the display is clear on the usb live mode (like the windows install) but is really blocky (like an old atari if anyone remembers those hehe) ... Any suggestions?

I read someone when researching that these all in ones should be treated like an laptop but no suggestions. I have tried all 3 versions of Mint and Kubuntu. Can't afford a new pc now and I hate microsoft.

Ideas

[SMG]

For a few year everytime a new mint comes out I make a usb live key and try it. Compatibility mode works amazing (the display especially) but on regular live mode the display is really blocky and pixelated, and no adjusting the resolution or anything seems to matter. To clarify the display is clear on the usb live mode (like the windows install) but is really blocky (like an old atari if anyone remembers those hehe) ... Any suggestions?

Can you provide an image of the "really blocky"?

Also, please boot to a live session and 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.

If you have to boot using compatibility mode to get that information, let us know so we will properly assess the inxi output.

[Stosskraft]

This is a photo of the blocky display

[Stosskraft]

When I went to compatibly mode it was stuck in 800x600 resolution making everything massive..

[Stosskraft]

Hello Sorry about the delay I thought I had posted the terminal output. Here is the output in normal live (not compatibility mode). Also under display it shows as an Laptop... not sure if this makes a difference.

Code: Select all

mint@mint:~$ inxi -Fxxxrz
System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-58-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.8.5 wm: muffin 4.8.0 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: Hewlett-Packard product: 23-r009 v: 1.00 
  serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 3 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 2B3C v: 1.02 serial: <filter> UEFI: AMI 
  v: 80.01 date: 03/04/2015 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i3-4160T bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Haswell rev: 3 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 24743 
  Speed: 1253 MHz min/max: 800/3100 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 964 2: 964 
  3: 918 4: 928 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 4th Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
  chip ID: 8086:041e 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
  resolution: 1920x1080~59Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 4400 (HSW GT2) 
  v: 4.5 Mesa 20.0.8 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:03.0 
  chip ID: 8086:0c0c 
  Device-2: Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
  chip ID: 8086:8c20 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-58-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8188EE Wireless Network Adapter 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: rtl8188ee v: kernel port: e000 
  bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8179 
  IF: wlp4s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel port: d000 bus ID: 05:00.0 
  chip ID: 10ec:8168 
  IF: eno1 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 960.43 GiB used: 3.37 GiB (0.4%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST1000DM003-1ER162 size: 931.51 GiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: HP51 temp: 28 C 
  scheme: GPT 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Kingston model: DataTraveler 3.0 
  size: 28.91 GiB serial: <filter> rev: PMAP scheme: MBR 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 3.85 GiB used: 134.7 MiB (3.4%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102 
  ID-2: swap-1 size: 7.92 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 40.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 20.1 _Ulyssa_ - Release amd64 20210103]/ focal contrib main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com ulyssa main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
  2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
  3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
  4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
  5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
  6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
Info:
  Processes: 191 Uptime: 6m Memory: 7.69 GiB used: 1.23 GiB (16.0%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 

[SMG]

When I went to compatibly mode it was stuck in 800x600 resolution making everything massive..

Compatibility mode disables the graphics drivers which means resolution changes are often not possible.

Also under display it shows as an Laptop... not sure if this makes a difference.

Do you mean in the Displays app it lists your screen as a laptop? Inxi does list your computer as a desktop.

Machine:
Type: Desktop System: Hewlett-Packard product: 23-r009 v: 1.00
serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 3 serial: <filter>
Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 2B3C v: 1.02 serial: <filter> UEFI: AMI
v: 80.01 date: 03/04/2015

Because your computer's screen is integrated with the computer it is common it might show as a laptop because the screen can not be separated from the computer. It has an integrated display like a laptop does. I would not think that is an issue.

I do not see anything in the graphics information which might indicate an issue. Your system is using the preferred modesetting mode that is used by the Intel i915 driver.

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel 4th Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
chip ID: 8086:041e
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: 1920x1080~59Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 4400 (HSW GT2)
v: 4.5 Mesa 20.0.8 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes

Is the screen's native resolution 1920x1080@59Hz? That is what Mint is seeing.

The image you posted comes across on my screen as something which seems to me to be greatly magnified. By that I mean it is much larger on my screen than its normal size. Because of that, I do not know how to assess it. (Anything I would magnify to that size would start showing individual pixels.)

Are you seeing that type of issue in all apps and webpages? Or just on the desktop?

[Stosskraft]

Hello,

When I am in mint, and I open the display menu, that is where I see laptop as the display, I cannot change the refresh rate also.

The photos show how blocky the text is, it is almost unreadable. Even the Mint Logo at boot up is blocky and fuzzy like that... but when I run in compatibility mode it is clear right from the beginning logo to all the apps and programs, exactly like Windows 10.

That is the frustrating part, I just dont know how to install the compatibility mode 'settings'

[Stosskraft]

This is the terminal output in compatibility mode, now everything is giant 800x600 and I cannot change it... but it is clear.

Code: Select all

mint@mint:~$ inxi -Fxxxrz
System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-58-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.8.5 wm: muffin 4.8.0 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: Hewlett-Packard product: 23-r009 v: 1.00 
  serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 3 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 2B3C v: 1.02 serial: <filter> UEFI: AMI 
  v: 80.01 date: 03/04/2015 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i3-4160T bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Haswell rev: 3 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 24744 
  Speed: 1896 MHz min/max: 800/3100 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1311 2: 1394 
  3: 1440 4: 1338 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 4th Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: N/A bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:041e 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: fbdev unloaded: modesetting,vesa 
  resolution: 800x600~75Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 10.0.0 256 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.0.8 
  compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:03.0 
  chip ID: 8086:0c0c 
  Device-2: Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
  chip ID: 8086:8c20 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-58-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8188EE Wireless Network Adapter 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: rtl8188ee v: kernel port: e000 
  bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8179 
  IF: wlp4s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel port: d000 bus ID: 05:00.0 
  chip ID: 10ec:8168 
  IF: eno1 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 960.43 GiB used: 3.31 GiB (0.3%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST1000DM003-1ER162 size: 931.51 GiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: HP51 temp: 44 C 
  scheme: GPT 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Kingston model: DataTraveler 3.0 
  size: 28.91 GiB serial: <filter> rev: PMAP scheme: MBR 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 3.85 GiB used: 77.8 MiB (2.0%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102 
  ID-2: swap-1 size: 7.92 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 50.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 20.1 _Ulyssa_ - Release amd64 20210103]/ focal contrib main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com ulyssa main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
  2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
  3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
  4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
  5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
  6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
Info:
  Processes: 201 Uptime: 3m Memory: 7.69 GiB used: 1.24 GiB (16.1%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 

[SMG]

That is the frustrating part, I just dont know how to install the compatibility mode 'settings'

To "install" the compatibility mode "settings" you would disable the graphics driver. However, you indicated you do not like the resolution available when you disable the graphics drivers, so I'm not sure why you would want to "install the compatibility mode settings".

Here is the output you posted in Compatibility Mode. Notice the "N/A" because the driver has been disabled and the llvmpipe because the system is running in software compatibility mode instead of using the graphics hardware.

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel 4th Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: N/A bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:041e
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: fbdev unloaded: modesetting,vesa
resolution: 800x600~75Hz
OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 10.0.0 256 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.0.8
compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes

Your system is using the fbdev display driver because the modesetting driver has been unloaded.

When I am in mint, and I open the display menu, that is where I see laptop as the display, I cannot change the refresh rate also.

I can not change the refresh rate on my laptop. My system displays what my hardware is capable of doing. What other refresh rates is your system capable of doing that you want to change the refresh rate?

I would expect it is possible to change the resolution on your screen. I can do that on mine.

What happens if you boot into the regular live session then go into the Displays app and change the Resolution to something less than 1920x1080, but more than 800x600?

[Stosskraft]

That is the frustrating part, I just dont know how to install the compatibility mode 'settings'

To "install" the compatibility mode "settings" you would disable the graphics driver. However, you indicated you do not like the resolution available when you disable the graphics drivers, so I'm not sure why you would want to "install the compatibility mode settings".

Here is the output you posted in Compatibility Mode. Notice the "N/A" because the driver has been disabled and the llvmpipe because the system is running in software compatibility mode instead of using the graphics hardware.

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel 4th Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: N/A bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:041e
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: fbdev unloaded: modesetting,vesa
resolution: 800x600~75Hz
OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 10.0.0 256 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.0.8
compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes

Your system is using the fbdev display driver because the modesetting driver has been unloaded.

When I am in mint, and I open the display menu, that is where I see laptop as the display, I cannot change the refresh rate also.

I can not change the refresh rate on my laptop. My system displays what my hardware is capable of doing. What other refresh rates is your system capable of doing that you want to change the refresh rate?

I would expect it is possible to change the resolution on your screen. I can do that on mine.

What happens if you boot into the regular live session then go into the Displays app and change the Resolution to something less than 1920x1080, but more than 800x600?

It doesnt give me the option, I only have 1920x1080 selecable in normal live, and 800x600 in compatibility mode,

Do I need a special drive maybe for the intel?

[SMG]

It doesnt give me the option, I only have 1920x1080 selecable in normal live, and 800x600 in compatibility mode,

Do I need a special drive maybe for the intel?

Did you mean to say a special driver? There is only one Intel driver to be used for Intel 4th gen graphics and I highlighted it in your first inxi output--the i915 driver. That driver installs from the Linux kernel.

I do not know the specifics of your computer's hardware to know what is possible. Is there a BIOS/UEFI setting regarding graphics which might be affecting this situation? Are you running the latest BIOS/UEFI?

[Stosskraft]

Hi, I think the bios has never been touched, it's an older computer. I just tried to install on a usb but it's not working, I can't risk wiping windows if I won't have a proper system.

[SMG]

Maybe someone else will have some ideas of what the issue might be.

[Stosskraft]

Hello all,

My computer keeps going to the blue screen of death and saying 'no harddrive installed please insert windows'

tried Linux mint 20,2 and same issue, works perfectly in compatibility mode but not normal more in the live session. I really dont want to buy a new pc at the moment if possible, but I feel windows is going to die any day soon.

[SMG]

My computer keeps going to the blue screen of death and saying 'no harddrive installed please insert windows'

If Windows is having a problem seeing your hard drive, then maybe there is a hardware issue with your computer. A hardware problem can not be fixed by installing a different operating system.

Have you run checks on your computer's hard drive to make sure it is in good shape?

[Stosskraft]

Still have the same issue. I tried Manjaro distribution and it has the same blocky display...

Cannot find how to install the compatibility mode for Mint.. the computer is 7 years old so should I try an older version of mint?

Could it be the refresh rate? I am not offered any choices at all.

[SMG]

Cannot find how to install the compatibility mode for Mint..

I suggest you re-read this thread. There is no such thing as "installing the compatibility mode". There are steps which can be taken to approximate "compatibility mode" and when you tried them you did not like the results.

the computer is 7 years old so should I try an older version of mint?

My computer is a second-gen Intel and it is running LM20.2 without issues. Yours is a 4th-gen Intel, so I would not expect an older version of Mint would give you better results.