Unwanted Software Updates

[Cochise54+]

I'm a newbie to Linux and can't code.
My questions = I keep getting updates for software not installed on my PC/system. 1) Why am I getting them? 2) Since I've got 17 of them 'clogging' my update manager now, how do I get rid of them? 3) How can I stop getting them?
Thank you in advance.

[karlchen]

Hi, Cochise54+.

The answer to your questions has been given in this post e.g. Re: Unexpected packages updates.
Quoting the relevant parts of this post here for your convenience:

I can truthfully assure you that precisely this is never going to happen.

Sometimes I get update notifications for packages that aren't installed in my system

Update Manager only offers available updates for software, which has already been installed on your system.

You do not have to trust my words. Instead make all the available columns visible under Update Manager View Visible Columns, specifically the column "Old Version".
In case your assumption were right, then this column would be empty for some updates. But it will never be empty. So a previous version is present on your system in all cases.

Regards,
Karl

[Cochise54+]

I use my Software Manager to check on the items listed in Update Manager. When I do so I either have a result of it not being installed or 'Matches Not Found'. The kicker is my getting a security update for 'Intel-Microcode' when I have an AMD CPU.

[Petermint]

You can see which packages are installed in the Synaptic Package Manager or with the command apt list --installed. There are lots of things installed that you might never use but they are used by something you use or are there to use when you choose an option somewhere. They are not in the Software Manager as they are only installed as part of installing something else.

It means you can start things without having to wait for a download. For example, you might never use Python but you use things that use Python. You might never use LibreOffice Draw but it is there ready for use. I never requested nvme-wq but it is there servicing my NVME disk. They all get updates.

[karlchen]

Hello, Cochise54+

The kicker is my getting a security update for 'Intel-Microcode' when I have an AMD CPU.

Linux Mint installs both, amd64-microcode and intel-microcode, no matter whether the CPU is AMD or Intel.
The kernel, however, will only load either amd64-microcode or intel-microcode, depending on whether the CPU is AMD or Intel.
So there is no reason to be worried.

Regards,
Karl

[missmoondog]

the simple reply to you is if there are updates to install, install them as they are ALL related to something on your computer whether you know what ii is or not. you start trying to pick and choose what updates you think you need and you will be messing up your install by having broken packages and stuff.

[Hoser Rob]

Linux is a LOT more modular than WIndows. Those 'uninstalled' apps are associated dependencies of either software that came with the Mint install or ones you installed later. Don't worry about them. I've been using nothing but Linux for a while and I get updates for apps I don't recognize a lot still.

It helps with all this to be a bit conservative with your software sources. As far as apps go I only have .deb sources for chrome and vivaldi, no ppas.