speed up USB linux mint?

[aniola]

I successfully installed Linux Mint (18.3 cinnamon if it matters) onto a little USB stick. That's my operating system right now. It's REALLY slow. The live usb stick is lots faster, so I know it's possible. What can I do to speed it up?

(Note: I'm in Nicaragua with a semi-functional computer. My 1.8" hard drive died while I was traveling, and those are hard to find, generally speaking. I might be able to get one eventually, but that's not the question at hand. I don't know what I'm doing, so use small words please.

If this has been asked before, I'm delighted to follow your link, especially if it is beginner-friendly, but I was having trouble navigating the forums to find this answer myself. If I should ask this in a different section, please send me there and I'll ask it.)

Thanks!

[Moem]

This is tangential to your question, but:
How much RAM does your semi-functional computer have? Cinnamon is one of the heaviest desktops. MATE and XFCE are probably a lot faster.

[aniola]

System info says 5.6 gigs?

[aniola]

Also, for reasons, I'm already on my third try (including that one time I tried installing to an sd card) and would really like to not have to install a fourth time if I can avoid it. <3

[Moem]

Okay, that's entirely possible and should be fine, so that is not the problem here. Someone who knows more than me (and there are lots of folks here who know more than me) will probably be able to help. Just to make their job easier, could you open a terminal (ctrl+alt+t) and enter this command, exactly as it is here:

Code: Select all

inxi -Fzx

Then please copy (use rightclick or the Edit menu) the output, and paste it into your next message. That should provide lots of useful information about your system. Thanks!

[Mute Ant]

You can't speed up the USB you have. The 'connectedness' of what you write and how you write it simply vanish when the stick allocates the least-used pieces of the drive to store new data.

Use It Less: These changes survive until the next reboot.

o Don't use swap-space in the USB drive... sudo swapoff -a

o Mount volatile RAM drives on top of folders that get used a lot for temporary files. Each drive is allowed half the RAM as a default maximum size, but it only uses RAM space when something is stored.
sudo mount -t tmpfs tmpfs /tmp
sudo mount -t tmpfs tmpfs ~/.cache
sudo mount -t tmpfs tmpfs ~/.thumbnails

Upgrade: Duplicate the whole slow-OS to a USB3 chip. These are much faster, even if you only connect using a USB2 port. Typically...
USB1 chip 1MB/s
USB2 chip 5MB/s
USB3 chip 15MB/s
There are some weaselly USB products out there. 'USB3 compatible' is nothing special, they all are. You want a real USB3 with a promise of disk-drive write speeds. The camera cards sold for video cameras are up to the job. Get a real one, not a fake.

[aniola]

Code: Select all

 mint@mint ~ $ inxi -Fzx
System:    Host: mint Kernel: 4.8.0-53-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.4.3 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3)
           Distro: Linux Mint 18.2 Sonya
Machine:   System: Hewlett-Packard (portable) product: HP EliteBook 2540p
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 7008 v: KBC Version 38.32
           Bios: Hewlett-Packard v: 68CSU Ver. F.09 date: 03/09/2011
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core i7 L 640 (-HT-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 8511
           clock speeds: max: 2134 MHz 1: 1333 MHz 2: 1466 MHz 3: 1199 MHz
           4: 1466 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
           bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1280x800@60.04hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Ironlake Mobile
           GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 12.0.6 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 5 Series/3400 Series High Definition Audio
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.8.0-53-generic
Network:   Card-1: Intel 82577LM Gigabit Network Connection
           driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: 5020 bus-ID: 00:19.0
           IF: enp0s25 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200
           driver: iwlwifi bus-ID: 43:00.0
           IF: wlo1 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 143.6GB (0.1% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: SAMSUNG_HS122JF size: 120.0GB temp: 41C
           ID-2: USB /dev/sdb model: STORE_N_GO size: 15.5GB temp: 0C
           ID-3: USB /dev/sdc model: Innostor size: 8.1GB temp: 0C
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 42.0C mobo: 0.0C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 211 Uptime: 1:10 Memory: 1108.3/5758.3MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481) inxi: 2.2.35 
mint@mint ~ $ 

[aniola]

Mute Ant, I'd like to do what I can with the hardware I have right now. Other than that, I didn't really understand what you just said. Can I just type all those things you said into terminal and it'll know what to do?

[austin.texas]

A portable hard drive operates better than a USB flash drive.

[Mute Ant]

"Can I just type all those things you said into terminal and it'll know what to do?" Yes. They are all temporary changes, gone when you reboot.

[Moem]

You could probably get an improvement by using Pjotr's tips: https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/3

[aniola]

so I have a live usb, and a usb with an actual install of linux mint. I am currently running the live usb because the actual install is too slow. the live usb forgets things when i reboot, but i don't think the actual install does, does it?

also i would be totally happy to dedicate all available storage space in the usb to making the OS go faster.

[aniola]

Moem, that link looks like it's for speeding up linux mint generally. Linux mint is generally fine.

my issue is that the live usb worked great, and the usb with the installed version of linux mint is unusably slow.

[RobertService]

@ aniola--

Switch to Linux Mint 17.3 Xfce--it's a much 'lighter' operating system than LM 18, and at least as good. I've already switched two of my laptops back to Mint 17.3, and am getting ready to 'upgrade' the rest of them to LM 17.3.

Going in to 2017, Mint 17.3 Xfce was declared to be the best Linux distribution of all distributions, not just Xfce distributions. And it really is.
And, as an added bonus, it takes less of your valuable system resources.
Best of luck, and

Warmest regards...

[aniola]

I only have the install stick for 18.2.

[Moem]

Moem, that link looks like it's for speeding up linux mint generally. Linux mint is generally fine.

I understand, it's just that some of this may at least help alleviate the symptoms.

If you want to try 17.3 XFCE, you can download that here. https://linuxmint.com/release.php?id=26

[aniola]

I'm not sure how to write over the install stick?

[Moem]

Mm, if that is literally the only stick you have, it's better not to because it currently holds your operating system. What size is the stick?

[aniola]

i've got the install stick, which is 8g, and the installed stick, which is 16g.

[Moem]

Rather limited... Read your email.