Linux Mint Forums

I just installed Mint Cassandra and while opening up the applications menu and looking around I clicked on Hardware Information under preferences. It briefly opens up a window with the title "Device Manager" and promptly disappears. What's up?

I apologize if it's been addressed before, I'm not yet adept at using the search function I suppose since I couldn't find it.

~Steve

If you know the command that launches the app, then enter it in a terminal. If there are any problems, you will see them "echoed" in the terminal (you will see the error messages displayed in the terminal).

john

I would have no idea what command launches the app. I'm not skilled enough yet unfortunately. How do you find out what launches any of the program/utilities in the "control center?"

I'm having the same problem with Device Manager disappearing. From a thread in a Ubuntu forum, I discovered the command to run Device Manager is: hal-device-manager. I ran it and here is the result:

georgeg@georgeg-desktop:~$ hal-device-manager
<gtk.Menu object (GtkMenu) at 0x83b66bc>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 132, in on_device_tree_selection_changed
self.update_device_notebook(device)
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 508, in update_device_notebook
self.update_tab_device(device)
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 316, in update_tab_device
d = self.udi_to_device(d.properties["info.parent"])
KeyError: 'info.parent'
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/hal-device-manager", line 20, in <module>
DeviceManager()
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 97, in __init__
self.update_device_list()
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 247, in update_device_list
self.update_device_notebook(self.virtual_root.children[0])
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 508, in update_device_notebook
self.update_tab_device(device)
File "/usr/share/hal/device-manager/DeviceManager.py", line 316, in update_tab_device
d = self.udi_to_device(d.properties["info.parent"])
KeyError: 'info.parent'


So, apparently, in my case at least the error is in info.parent. Now the next question is, what can I do about it?

here is an answer:

http://linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3695

but i think if you just install hal-info you will be fine.

sudo apt-get hal-info

or install the backport update.

Boo wrote:here is an answer:

http://linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3695

but i think if you just install hal-info you will be fine.

sudo apt-get hal-info

or install the backport update.

That takes me back to problem #1, my internet access is via a wifi card to my router & dsl modem in another building. I've tried all the suggested ways in Mint and in Ubuntu to make it work but to no avail. The problems with wifi were why I was trying to access Device Manage in the first place. (One of the catch-22 situations of fixing the wifi problem is that several of the proposed fixes require updating this program or that which is difficult when you can't connect to the internet with Mint.)

So, is there ANY way to install hal-info or the backport update without connecting to a repository from Mint? I have internet acess in Windows, just not in linux.

down load the deb package and install it.

in you windows browser go to

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/h/hal-info/

download the hal-info, the latest one is below.

hal-info_20070618-1_all.deb

copy it to a your your linux desktop somehow (floppy, usb,...), or if mintDisk mounts you windows partition then copy form there.

Now just double click on the .deb file and it will install.
the only problem you may run into is that it may have dependencies so you will have to download them too.

have fun.

Thanks again Boo! Ever-helpful this one...

I updated hal using the gui update manager that appears on the panel and it fixed this problem. Funny how I didn't think of that before, but then again I didn't know what hal was, or the device manager

~Steve

PS I chose to do it this way after the synaptic pkg manager wanted to remove a whole bunch of things (including network manager, which I didn't want to mess with now that I got wifi working) in order to install hal-info

Hey allan, that's a doozy. Now I'm glad I didn't just hit ok when I noticed it wanted to remove all those gnome packages, and instead choose to update.

My suggestion would be to make your own new thread with this problem so you can get help sooner. There's got to be a way to fix the problem without reinstalling and I'm sure a number of posters will know how to do that.

Good luck

Yeah, I find that curious as well

hal
hardware
abstraction
layer
at the center of any operating system, a key component, and that's probably why so much happens...