Mint 21 Cinnamon External Monitor Issues

HAL9000

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G' Day,

Booted into M21C with usb bootable flash drive for a test drive but I am unable to see the any Icons or Toolbar on the HDMI External Monitor,

No icons whatsoever are displayed & I have to set the desktop settings to external monitor only to be able to see the 5 icons on the right side of

the desktop Top to Bottom, but the Toolbar does not display.

I can see on the Laptop Display the 5 icons on the right side & the Toolbar but as the Laptop Display Backlight is defective, I have to use a spotlight to be able to see them which is not practical

I have no idea on how to resolve the External Monitor Lack of Toolbar display issue so I am unable to use the distro

Is it possible to have the external monitor active upon bootup/startup, this issue is null & void if I don't have the Toolbardisplayed on the EM

Please advise this Linux grasshopper
 


Have you tried downloading Linux Mint Cinnamon 20.3...I think you'll find it's Mint 21 that's the problem because it has bugs.
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A few months back I downloaded Mint Cinnamon 21 and installed it in Virtualbox and had similar problems...at one point it booted to black screen every time...so it was removed...wait for Mint Cinnamon 21.1 should be good.
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Lets just get this straight, before we start.....

Your one and only monitor is this HDMI External....?......OR is this external connected to a Laptop ?

If connected to your laptop....what do you see if you click on Menu (on the laptop) and type in Display ?

I have two monitors running from a tower (desktop)....and Display looks like this to me

1668383122278.png


1668383161378.png


Usually, right clicking on the 2nd monitor (or the external in this case) wil give you the option to Add a New Panel (the thing across the bottom of the screen where you store apps, etc etc)

or....maybe I am confused ...again....it has happened before....

Talk to me
 
I assume the OP was thinking it was the Monitor causing the problem but last week I bought a new 24" HDMI Monitor and it was auto-detected by Mint Cinnamon 19.1 and works great.
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The laptop display backlight is fried so I have to use the HDMI port for the External Monitor
 
I think if you open Display.....and set the external as the "primary" monitor....

see my screenshots above....
 
You may have to press an Fn + <other> key on your laptop's kepboard. That's how you enable an external monitor. If's often like Fn + F6. The laptop graphic will look kinda like an old school monitor on your keyboard, like an old CRT. Well, it usually does.
 
Thank U so very much all U Guys, 4 all the positive feedback & your guidance & very helpful links, & 4 taking the time to help me out, I learn so much as I follow through with all the advice

It is so supportive 2 me & really minimizes the frustration & stress levels I feel,

I don't feel like it's just me against the world & giving up

I read something about selecting the Fn key & Super key to enable the external monitor,

What the heck is the Super key, it turns out 2 B the Windows key!
 
Thats it !

Did it work ?
 
What the heck is the Super key, it turns out 2 B the Windows key!

Yes, but LOL, it is actually the other way around. The Super key has been around forever, and it was MS who got PC manufacturers to put the little Windows icon on it and started calling it the Windows key.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
I can see on the Laptop Display the 5 icons on the right side & the Toolbar but as the Laptop Display Backlight is defective, I have to use a spotlight to be able to see them which is not practical
I'm a bit confused... desktop icons are usually on the left side.

But more importantly: Are you SURE the backlight is defective? It could be, of course, but what you are describing is a very common Linux problem, especially with laptops. So I'm just curious about this. If the backlight quit working while Windows was still running, that would be more certain that the backlight had truly failed.

When you booted on the Linux Mint USB and installed it on your laptop... wasn't the laptop screen working then? If it was working, then you can probably fix this.
 
I'm a bit confused... desktop icons are usually on the left side.

But more importantly: Are you SURE the backlight is defective? It could be, of course, but what you are describing is a very common Linux problem, especially with laptops. So I'm just curious about this. If the backlight quit working while Windows was still running, that would be more certain that the backlight had truly failed.

When you booted on the Linux Mint USB and installed it on your laptop... wasn't the laptop screen working then? If it was working, then you can probably fix this.
Sometimes I forget which side is Port & Starboard, Yes I meant to indicate the 5 Desktop icons were on the left side,
No toolbar on the external monitor, It was there on the Laptop display along with the 5 Desktop icons, I had to use my spotlight on the LD to be able to adjust the desktop settings 4 the E monitor
LD failed using Win 10 OS, I use 2 B able to play around with opening & quickly closing the lid over & over & after a while it would start to flicker & then stay on for a few seconds & go off again, when I was able to finally have this flicker response it usually only req a few more lid maneuver's to keep it on, At the same time I was using a HDMI adapter from the laptop to an old Panasonic CRT GAOO TV & feeding the RCA Audio output from the TV to a couple of 50 yr old Marantz Receivers which are running 8 speakers & 2 Subwoofers so the sound is quite massive & distortion free
 
Marantz sounds good. Looks good. ROCK ON!
 
LD failed using Win 10 OS, I use 2 B able to play around with opening & quickly closing the lid over & over & after a while it would start to flicker & then stay on for a few seconds & go off again, when I was able to finally have this flicker response it usually only req a few more lid maneuver's to keep it on
Okay, Hal, thanks for that verification. I've played with a lot of laptops over the years, and in my own experience the backlight has never failed... but it sure sounds like yours did. That's a shame.

I hope either @KGIII's post above (#7) or @Condobloke's post (#3) will get you sorted to make your external HDMI monitor work properly. Good luck!
 
@HAL9000 don't know if this is a case of shutting the gate after the horse has bolted, but I found some interesting material using the following keywords with a Google search

laptop lid issues backlight

Cheers

Wiz
 
Marantz sounds good. Looks good. ROCK ON!
HH,
Since U R a Marantz man/fan,
I am using a Marantz 4400 Receiver 4, 8 speakers & using 1 of the 2 pre-outs to the main-in on the Marantz 2275 Receiver 4, 4 speakers & then using the 2275 pre-outs to feed 2, Infinity, BU-1 powered Subwoofers, I also have 2 Marantz 6300 turntables for my Vinyl, All the Marantz gear are made in Japan, I initially chose the 2275 as it has Main-in/Pre-outs which was not common to most Receivers of that era, I loved the option to be able to use a much higher wattage Power Amp & then use the 2275 as a Pre-amp only
 
HH,
Since U R a Marantz man/fan,
I am using a Marantz 4400 Receiver 4, 8 speakers & using 1 of the 2 pre-outs to the main-in on the Marantz 2275 Receiver 4, 4 speakers & then using the 2275 pre-outs to feed 2, Infinity, BU-1 powered Subwoofers, I also have 2 Marantz 6300 turntables for my Vinyl, All the Marantz gear are made in Japan, I initially chose the 2275 as it has Main-in/Pre-outs which was not common to most Receivers of that era, I loved the option to be able to use a much higher wattage Power Amp & then use the 2275 as a Pre-amp only

You might be interested in a YouTube channel called "techmoan".

Also, I have an absurdly large collection of vinyl, I did briefly have a lady friend who had me buy some more modern gear, but I haven't personally played anything on vinyl for more than two decades.

Of course, I'm a complicated moron... For my guitar amps, I tend to prefer tubes instead of solid state.

At the same time, I appreciate (preferably lossless like flac) digital recordings. Ain't no reason a digital recording can't contain the pops!
 

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