Linux fixes & guides

Hardware, boot and desktop problems fixed step by step, plus install, upgrade and setup walkthroughs for the major distributions.

Seeing a specific error message instead? Check the error message index first — those pages go straight to the fix.

Hardware & drivers

Bluetooth not working

rfkill, bluetooth.service, firmware, pairing failures and headset audio, with commands for every distro.

No sound / Dummy Output

Dummy Output, muted channels, HDMI audio and missing SOF firmware with PipeWire and WirePlumber.

NVIDIA black screen fix

Get past the black screen, find out why the NVIDIA module failed, and reinstall the right driver.

NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu

ubuntu-drivers, open vs proprietary kernel modules, Secure Boot MOK enrollment and hybrid laptops.

Printer not working

Check CUPS, find the printer with driverless IPP, clear stuck jobs, and fix discovery or vendor drivers.

Screen tearing fix

Stop tearing in video, games and scrolling: Wayland first, then TearFree, NVIDIA pipeline and compositor vsync.

Second monitor not detected

Find out whether the kernel sees the monitor, then fix the driver, hybrid GPU, dock or desktop setting.

Secure Boot and MOK

Get NVIDIA, VirtualBox and other DKMS modules loading with Secure Boot on by enrolling a MOK key.

Suspend not working

Fix suspend that fails, wakes instantly or resumes to a black screen, and set up hibernation correctly.

Touchpad not working

Dead or disabled touchpad, tap-to-click, i2c_hid and PS/2 issues, GNOME, KDE and X11 settings.

Ubuntu Bluetooth fix

Ubuntu-specific Bluetooth fixes: GNOME toggle, HWE kernel, linux-firmware, headsets and post-upgrade breakage.

Webcam not working

Check if the camera is detected, fix the uvcvideo driver, app permissions, and IPU6 MIPI laptop cameras.

Boot & recovery

Broken Ubuntu after update

Recover Ubuntu after a bad update: older kernel, recovery mode, finish dpkg, reinstall the desktop, roll back.

Dual boot time wrong

Linux uses UTC in the hardware clock, Windows uses local time. Make them agree in two minutes.

grub rescue> fix

Boot from the grub rescue> prompt, then reinstall GRUB properly from a live USB (UEFI and BIOS).

Kernel boot parameters

Add boot options once from the menu or permanently with GRUB, grubby or systemd-boot, plus a table of common ones.

Linux Troubleshooting: A Practical Field Guide

A practical Linux troubleshooting field guide: reading logs with journalctl, failed services, boot problems, network, hardware and performance issues.

Remove Ubuntu from dual boot

Uninstall Ubuntu from dual boot: boot order, EFI entry, partitions, and repairing Windows boot if needed.

Reset forgotten password

Get back into your Linux account: recovery mode, init=/bin/bash, rd.break or a live USB, plus the LUKS caveat.

Ubuntu slow boot

Measure boot with systemd-analyze, then fix wait-online, fstab and swap timeouts, and other slow units.

Ubuntu troubleshooting hub

Symptom-to-fix index for Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04, plus the five diagnostic commands to run first.

Wi-Fi & networking

Fix Wi-Fi Not Working on Linux

Fix Wi-Fi not working on Linux: identify the adapter, check rfkill, install drivers and firmware, and fix NetworkManager on Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch.

Linux networking basics

ip, nmcli, ss, resolvectl and firewall basics, plus a step-by-step method for diagnosing connection problems.

Ubuntu Wi-Fi fix

Ubuntu-specific Wi-Fi fixes: no adapter found, Broadcom offline install, HWE kernel, power saving, Netplan.

Install Linux

How to Install Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Install Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: verify the ISO, make a bootable USB, use the new installer, dual boot with Windows 11, encryption and first steps.

Install Arch Linux

archinstall and manual install: partitioning, pacstrap, bootloader, dual boot and post-install.

Install Debian 13

Netinst vs live, verification, installer walkthrough, dual boot and post-install for Debian 13.

Install Fedora

Download, verify, USB, installer walkthrough, dual boot and first steps on Fedora 44/45.

Install Linux Mint

Edition choice, ISO verification, installer walkthrough, dual boot and first steps on Mint 22.3.

Upgrade & maintain

After installing Ubuntu 26.04

Updates, drivers, codecs, Flatpak, firewall, backups and GNOME tweaks for a fresh Ubuntu 26.04.

How to Upgrade Ubuntu to a New Release

Upgrade Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS safely with do-release-upgrade: preparation, upgrade paths from 22.04, what changes and fixing failed upgrades.

Linux Release Cycles and Support Lifetimes

Support lifetimes and current end-of-life dates for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Fedora Server, RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky, openSUSE, Mint and LTS kernels.

Upgrade Debian 12 to 13

Pre-checks, sources changes, the two-stage apt upgrade and recovery for bookworm to trixie.

Upgrade Fedora 44 to 45

Pre-checks, dnf system-upgrade commands, third-party repos and recovery for Fedora 45.

Desktop environments

GNOME customization

Buttons, dock, extensions, themes, shortcuts and gsettings for GNOME 50, and how to reset.

KDE Plasma 6 guide

Install Plasma 6 on any distro, customise panels and themes, and reset a broken desktop.

Wayland vs X11 in Practice

Wayland vs X11 in practice: screen sharing, hotkeys, scaling, NVIDIA, remote desktop, GNOME 50 dropping X11 and how to switch sessions.

Xfce configuration

Install Xfce, set up panels and themes, fix screen tearing and reset a broken panel.

System administration

Change hostname

hostnamectl set-hostname, fixing /etc/hosts, and stopping cloud-init from reverting it.

Create a swap file

Add or resize a swap file, tune swappiness, use zram, and handle Btrfs swap files.

Cron vs systemd Timers: Scheduling Jobs on Linux

Schedule jobs on Linux with crontab or systemd timers: syntax, OnCalendar examples, user timers, logging, and when to use which.

Disk management

lsblk, partitioning, mkfs, mounting, fstab, resizing, LVM and SMART health checks.

Enable SSH server

Install openssh-server, start it, open the firewall, and lock it down. Covers Ubuntu's ssh.socket.

Firewall: ufw & firewalld

ufw on Ubuntu/Debian, firewalld on Fedora/openSUSE, nftables basics, and not locking yourself out.

High CPU / memory usage

top, htop, ps, systemd-cgtop and fixes for kworker, tracker/localsearch, baloo, snapd and runaway apps.

How to Set Up SSH Keys on Linux

Set up SSH keys on Linux: generate an Ed25519 key, copy it with ssh-copy-id, use ssh-agent and ~/.ssh/config, then disable password login safely.

Install .deb/.rpm/AppImage

apt install ./x.deb, dnf/zypper for RPMs, AppImage and FUSE, Flatpak bundles, tarballs, and removal.

Linux File Permissions Explained

Linux file permissions explained: read/write/execute, chmod symbolic and octal modes, chown, umask, setuid, setgid, sticky bit and ACLs.

Linux Package Managers Compared

Linux package managers compared side by side: apt, dnf, pacman and zypper commands for install, remove, search, update and cleaning up.

Mount NTFS/exFAT drives

ntfs3 vs ntfs-3g, exFAT, fstab with uid/umask, and Windows Fast Startup dirty volumes.

Set a static IP

Static IP with nmcli, Netplan, systemd-networkd or ifupdown, plus DNS and gateway checks.

systemd in Everyday Use

A practical introduction to systemd for users who need to manage services on Linux: units, targets, the systemctl command and reading logs with journalctl.

Timeshift & Snapper snapshots

Timeshift rsync vs Btrfs mode, Snapper on openSUSE/Fedora/Arch, scheduled snapshots and rollback.

User management

useradd, usermod, groups, passwd, sudo access and deleting users, with distro differences.