[SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

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cevad
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[SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

Hi there, I stuck in tty screen. My computer boots normally and instead of cinnamon login screen i am alone with a blank screen. ctrl-alt-F1-F6 works fine. Black screen disappears and I can login with those screens. But F7 is not working. I can't make Cinnamon to start. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Everything was fine and working smoothly up to now.

Edit1: "sudo service lightdm restart" brings cinnamon. But after every reboot ctrl-alt-f1 then login then this comment than cinnamon login sequence needed. Couldn't auto start lightdm or cinnamon.

Edit2: Timeshift made the magic. Till now I don't know what was the problem but last Timeshift snapshot recovery solved the problem.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Cosmo.
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Re: Can not start Cinnamon

Post by Cosmo. »

The obvious answer is, that any change, that you did after the used TS snapshot gave the problem. Possibly one of the applied updates. Apply them again, but for level 3 & 4 only one by one and do a reboot after each update step. As you know now, how to revert it is not a big problem.
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kc1di
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Re: Can not start Cinnamon

Post by kc1di »

Please give us a Little more info on your machine.
go to terminal and type

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz
and post the output in code tags please. - Thanks.
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Linux Mint Installation Guide: http://linuxmint-installation-guide.rea ... en/latest/
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Moem
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Re: Can not start Cinnamon

Post by Moem »

If you consider the problem to be solved, please mark the topic as [SOLVED].
Image

If your issue is solved, kindly indicate that by editing the first post in the topic, and adding [SOLVED] to the title. Thanks!
cevad
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Re: Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

Thanks a lot for the contribution.

After TS reovery. I applied all the updates, including level 4. And there is absolutely no problem.

More system info:

Code: Select all

oz@oz-ABRA-A7-V7-1 ~ $ inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: oz-ABRA-A7-V7-1 Kernel: 4.13.0-36-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.6.7 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3)
           Distro: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Machine:   System: MONSTER (portable) product: ABRA A7 V7.1
           Mobo: MONSTER model: ABRA A7 V7.1
           Bios: American Megatrends v: 1.05.13 date: 05/08/2017
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core i7-7700HQ (-HT-MCP-) cache: 6144 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 22464
           clock speeds: max: 3800 MHz 1: 2800 MHz 2: 2800 MHz 3: 2800 MHz
           4: 2800 MHz 5: 2800 MHz 6: 2800 MHz 7: 2800 MHz 8: 2800 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Intel Device 591b bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Card-2: NVIDIA Device 1c8d bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 driver: nvidia
           Resolution: 1920x1080@60.02hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce GTX 1050/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 4.5.0 NVIDIA 384.111 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel Device a171 driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1f.3
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.13.0-36-generic
Network:   Card-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: d000 bus-ID: 03:00.1
           IF: enp3s0f1 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Intel Device 24fb driver: iwlwifi bus-ID: 04:00.0
           IF: wlp4s0 state: up speed: N/A duplex: N/A mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 1000.2GB (44.2% used)
           ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 model: N/A size: 1024.2GB
           ID-2: /dev/sda model: Samsung_SSD_850 size: 1000.2GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 885G used: 381G (46%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 35.20GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 56.0C mobo: N/A gpu: 0.0:48C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 258 Uptime: 3:11 Memory: 3373.6/32057.0MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481) inxi: 2.2.35
Last edited by Moem on Fri Feb 23, 2018 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Adding [code] tags. They retain some formatting that makes your output easier to read.
cevad
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Re: Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

There is no more existing problem. So, as suggested, I will mark the topic as solved. But indeed I am still curious about what was the root of the problem. Nevertheless, thanks a lot for your help.
cevad
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Re: [SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

Few more info:
I returned to TS snap shot, which rescued my system, and applied updates one by one. At each step I reboot and there is no problem. Every update is already apllied now.

But:
Before the occurance of the problem I was getting checksum mismatch error while refreahing the update page for weeks. (I can't recall exactly but it is from Linux Mint directory some i386 file). To be able to get rid of this I tried "FixMergeList Problems" and "Purge Residual Configuration". And also I have deleted all the files under /var/tmp directory. Probabely this was the cause of my problem.

One final interesting fact.
I was having checksum mismatch error, for weeks. After TimeShift recovery. I returned one day earlier only. This error vanished. System update works fine without any error. ??? Isn't it interesting?
Cosmo.
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Re: [SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by Cosmo. »

An update as the culprit for the problem was only as assumption. It could also have been something else you did on the system. Or the installation of an update did not fully complete and gave the problem because of this.
cevad wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2018 2:52 pm I tried "FixMergeList Problems" and "Purge Residual Configuration". ... Probabely this was the cause of my problem.
We can surely exclude this as the cause. Deleting the content of /var/tmp might be.
cevad
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Re: [SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

Hi again.
I have more findings on the topic now.
As you may recall, I have 6 linux mint computers in my office. All Linux Mint 18.3. 5 Cinnamon, 1 xfce. All Kernels are 4.13.0.37
Today I encounter the same problem in one of the Cinnamon machines (HP GS250, N3060 cpu, 8 GB Ram, 600 GB SSD, intel graphics, single os/boot). After getting an error message of broken packages I only run "FixMergeListProblems". Than refresh the cache and wtihout any update I restart the computer. No Cinnamon, even no tty screen upon boot. CTRL-ALT-F6, login, "sudo service lightdm restart" brings back the graphical login screen. I load recovery files from timeshift (only a few hours early) reboot. Everything ok. I again run "FixMergeListProblems" and reboot. No problems at all.
Because of curiosity, I try FixMergeListProblems on xfce machine (D2550 CPU, 4 GB Ram, 256 GB SSD, intel graphics, single os/boot). Reboot to blank screen. The above solution step by step repeated and problem vanished.
I am not knowledgeable enough to isolate and determine the problem. But I am sure there is a problem with FixMergeListProblems maintanance tool under Kernel 4.13.0.37 with LM 18.3 independent of graphical environment.
I hope my observations will help for the ones who deal with development and bug fixes.
Cosmo.
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Re: [SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by Cosmo. »

You will not find much attention by developers here. I looked at Github, but there is nothing similar to be found. I also cannot remember having read such a complaint here in the past. And I admit, that I have no further idea.
cevad
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Re: [SOLVED] Can not start Cinnamon

Post by cevad »

Thank you for your comments.
It must be mysteries of computing and magic... :)
Again thanks for your time and support.
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