Software Manager disappears [Resolved by re-installing from scratch]

[beckrow]

[SOLVED-or rather Gave Up]

Mint Cinnamon 20.2
When typing in the search box the first 2 characters input OK. On entering the 3rd character Software Manager just disappears (closes). Does not matter which 3 characters and you don't need to hit return or anything. If I pick a package from one of the categories, e.g. Graphics (I selected Krita) the install works. I just can't search, only scroll through long lists looking for what I want. I can't find any error logs. Software Manager always restarts happily, but searching will just crash it again.

[karlchen]

Hello, beckrow.

Suggested steps in order to find out why your Software Manager crashes when you type the third character into the search box:

• Close Software Manager, in case it should be open.
• Open a terminal window.
• In the terminal window type mintinstall and press the enter key.
  This will launch Software Manager. Inside the terminal window some (strange looking) message may be/will be displayed. Ignore them for the moment.
• Inside Software Manager start typing a search term into the little search box in the upper right hand corner of the application window.
• I assume that once you type the third character, Software Manager closes again.
• Provided this really happens, go to the terminal window, where you had typed "mintinstall".
  Mark all text inside the terminal window, starting from the command "mintinstall" to the end, with your mouse.
  Press <Shift><Ctrl>C in order to copy the marked text.
• Paste the marked text into your next reply, please.

Hopefully this will help find out why searching makes your Software Manager crash.

Regards,
Karl

[beckrow]

Code: Select all

beckrow@Win10-MintCin:~$ mintinstall
MintInstall: Detected system architecture: 'x86_64'
Installer: User pkgcache too old, skipping
Installer: System pkgcache is most recent, using it.
MintInstall: Deleting old screenshots
beckrow@Win10-MintCin:~$ 

The Software Manager (SM) did not disappear on typing the 3rd character, but the app locked up. You can't type a 4th character or click on any of the buttons in the SM window. Clicking on the "X" to close the app gives an error message "SM not responding" - Force Close or Wait". Clicking Force Close shuts the app.

On trying MintInstall for a second time the following appeared in the terminal window:

Code: Select all

beckrow@Win10-MintCin:~$ mintinstall
MintInstall: Detected system architecture: 'x86_64'          {a large pause at this point, then...}

Failed to register: Timeout was reached
beckrow@Win10-MintCin:~$ 
beckrow@Win10-MintCin:~$

[mikeflan]

Hmm. Interesting. I hate to have you Timeshift back before we can learn something about this, but that is an option.
I doubt this will fix the problem:

Code: Select all

rm -r /home/beckrow/.cache/mintinstall

[beckrow]

Thanks for trying gentlemen. I chickened out. Everything I tried just introduced another problem. Created a bootable pen drive and did a clean install of 20.2 Cinnamon. Updated everything then did a Timeshift. Software Manager works.

Regards
Mike

[motoryzen]

Thanks for trying gentlemen. I chickened out. Everything I tried just introduced another problem. Created a bootable pen drive and did a clean install of 20.2 Cinnamon. Updated everything then did a Timeshift. Software Manager works.

Regards
Mike

I'm not trying to assume or put words in your mouth, but speaking from personal brain fart experience....most often the only time weird stuff ( even to THAT extent) has happened to me involving Linux Mint is when I started uninstalling things in Synaptic Package Manager that I really didn't quit understand and realize the dependency hell I would create by removing them...

I've been in those exact shows ( not your exact scenario before you solved it via re-installed clean the distro...but another program in which didn't work like it should in a basic way my experimenting). Sometimes it's best just to reinstall. For this reason, it's always good to have a separate drive to keep as much data stuff possible on it AND another separate drive to keep Timeshift backups on. Legit, happy to read you got everything back to work properly though.