Why oh why is it almost impossible to change a piece of hardware in your
computer without Linux/Mint going completely bonkers? Can't they just
detect the new hardware like Windows can and make some configuration
changes so you can just use it? You'd think they would have heard of
plug and play by now.

But no. I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics
card. As I already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and
it's just not possible to get everything working again. Cinnamon runs
only in Fallback Mode and the sound card is detected but not working.
Not going to bother to dig in heaps of configuration files and spend
hours trying to fix it. I'll just save my new hardware for another computer.

So much for flexibility. It seems like Linux/Mint only ever accepts the
one configuration it was installed on and wants you to stick with it for
the rest of your life.

If ever there was a thing that Windows can do better than Linux, this is it.

End of rant.

On 12/10/21 1:08 PM, NP2 wrote:
> Why oh why is it almost impossible to change a piece of hardware in
> your computer without Linux/Mint going completely bonkers? Can't they
> just detect the new hardware like Windows can and make some
> configuration changes so you can just use it? You'd think they would
> have heard of plug and play by now.
>
> But no. I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics
> card. As I already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and
> it's just not possible to get everything working again. Cinnamon runs
> only in Fallback Mode and the sound card is detected but not working.
> Not going to bother to dig in heaps of configuration files and spend
> hours trying to fix it. I'll just save my new hardware for another
> computer.
>
> So much for flexibility. It seems like Linux/Mint only ever accepts
> the one configuration it was installed on and wants you to stick with
> it for the rest of your life.
>
> If ever there was a thing that Windows can do better than Linux, this
> is it.
>
> End of rant.
>
>
>
>
>
Did you try a fresh install?

On 12/10/21 1:08 PM, NP2 wrote:
> Why oh why is it almost impossible to change a piece of hardware in
> your computer without Linux/Mint going completely bonkers? Can't they
> just detect the new hardware like Windows can and make some
> configuration changes so you can just use it? You'd think they would
> have heard of plug and play by now.
>
> But no. I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics
> card. As I already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and
> it's just not possible to get everything working again. Cinnamon runs
> only in Fallback Mode and the sound card is detected but not working.
> Not going to bother to dig in heaps of configuration files and spend
> hours trying to fix it. I'll just save my new hardware for another
> computer.
>
> So much for flexibility. It seems like Linux/Mint only ever accepts
> the one configuration it was installed on and wants you to stick with
> it for the rest of your life.
>
> If ever there was a thing that Windows can do better than Linux, this
> is it.
>
> End of rant.
>
>
>
>
>
On second thought, did you check to see if the new graphic card works in
linux?? Or the sound card??

NP2 wrote:
> I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics card. As I
> already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and it's just
> not possible to get everything working again.

Maybe I sound like a b0rken record about booting live distro/s, but it
seems to me that if one would boot the live so that the 'initial' algo
could work on the hardware, then you could use something like inxi after
live boot to take a good look at the hardware and drivers from a correct
kernel and module config perspective.

Then, when you would boot the install for wrong hardware you could
provide some boot parameters to help the kernel algo/s solve the problem.

--
Mike Easter

On 12/10/2021 1:08 PM, NP2 wrote:
> Why oh why is it almost impossible to change a piece of hardware in your computer without Linux/Mint going completely bonkers? Can't they just detect the new hardware like Windows can and make some configuration changes so you can just use it? You'd think they would have heard of plug and play by now.
>
> But no. I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics card. As I already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and it's just not possible to get everything working again. Cinnamon runs only in Fallback Mode and the sound card is detected but not working. Not going to bother to dig in heaps of configuration files and spend hours trying to fix it. I'll just save my new hardware for another computer.
>
> So much for flexibility. It seems like Linux/Mint only ever accepts the one configuration it was installed on and wants you to stick with it for the rest of your life.
>
> If ever there was a thing that Windows can do better than Linux, this is it.
>
> End of rant.

You kidz :-)

"removed an old graphics card"

"Oh, of course I was using the proprietary NVidia driver, doesn't everyone?"

*******

I think your install would tolerate the sound card thing.

You would have survived, if you were using the Nouveau driver.
You could pull the video card out, and the experience would
be similar to Windows. (Windows uses a VESA driver, unaccelerated
frame buffer kind of thing. Linux has Nouveau which at least
tries to accelerate as much stuff as their reverse engineering
can manage. The boot process would discover that Nouveau is needed
to run the card [don't know the details of discovery methodology].)

I'm no expert on extrication, but I would try:

Driver Manager (that thing that puts restricted drivers in place)
Switch back to Nouveau from NVidia (now, you're not using DKMS to make NVidia work).
It's much better to use a DriverManager type solution, as the
proprietary NVidia driver which you download straight from NVidia,
has a lot of sharp edges to cut yourself on.

Reboot and make sure Nouveau runs everything OK, just as a confidence-builder.
Don't go to the next step, until you're satisfied everything is OK. Like,
try an inxi -G for example, and see that Nouveau is there.

Power off. Power off PC at back. No power at all. Don't want to damage any slots.
Replace video card with whatever passes for a video solution.

Boot. Enjoy video.

*******

OK, so put machine back together, the way it was, and
try to "prepare" the machine for departure.

Now, how many times have I fallen into that trap? Yes, it
was more than once. Way way more than once :-) Practice
makes perfect.

Paul

On 10/12/2021 18:08, NP2 wrote:
> Why oh why is it almost impossible to change a piece of hardware in your
> computer without Linux/Mint going completely bonkers? Can't they just
> detect the new hardware like Windows can and make some configuration
> changes so you can just use it? You'd think they would have heard of
> plug and play by now.
>
> But no. I just inserted a new sound card and removed an old graphics
> card. As I already expected, Mint completely lost its mind over it and
> it's just not possible to get everything working again. Cinnamon runs
> only in Fallback Mode and the sound card is detected but not working.
> Not going to bother to dig in heaps of configuration files and spend
> hours trying to fix it. I'll just save my new hardware for another
> computer.
>
> So much for flexibility. It seems like Linux/Mint only ever accepts the
> one configuration it was installed on and wants you to stick with it for
> the rest of your life.
>
> If ever there was a thing that Windows can do better than Linux, this is
> it.
>
> End of rant.
>
>
>
>
>
May I suggest to you to stop moaning and with the new hardware
re-install Mint .

Frank in County Wicklow - Ireland using a Dell laptop E6330 AD2015
running Mint 20 nicely