Technical Faults Irrespective of Linux - Hardware Potential Source of Faults

Castle Robin

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My custom built computer keeps intermittently freezing (which can happen within a minute or 10 minutes, so means that downloading can be challenging unless the computer holds out long enough for say 30 or more minutes), going to Sleep so often & having to move my mouse to wake up the screen, and intermittent automatic restarts are completely unrelated to MX Linux or the now wiped over Windows 7, as Those errors have been around since January.

The only error that has started relating to MX 19.1 is that, whenever I send e-mails from a global Log In/Sign Out web mail service, the incorrect Hour is displayed for some reason, eg 11.20am instead of 3.20pm (whether or not I disable Conky which has a different time altogether from the Desktop), as I've sent e-mails in the afternoon but the Sent hour is listed as in the morning.

Due to most of the above, I'm now wondering whether there is a Hardware fault in my computer, but determining for sure if this or what is the source of the problem and remedying it depends on what's causing these ongoing issues. Maybe Linux has an equivalent of Speccy as part of a series of checks. I no longer have Windows 7 to fall back on as a very last resort, as it got erased during my attempt to install MX 19.1 onto my hard drive, which has partially installed but not the GRUB section which is erratic.

This computer worked perfectly before January 2020 and I am very keen to have MX 19.1 installed on my Hard Drive asap so that I can save and store documents and programs without having to re-save and restore them after they're lost once the distro is shut down from the USB stick.
 


G'day Castle Robin, and welcome to linux.org

What happened in January 2020 ?......did you try to install MX 19 then and wiped win 7 .....etc ?

Email : using a 'Live' version of any linux (this is what you are doing right now...running mx19 from a usb stick)......can show funny little problems such as the "time" problem you are experiencing with sending emails.
Only a full install will solve that problem. I doubt strongly that there is a hardware fault with your PC.

Is there anything else holding you up from doing a full install ? It could be a wise idea to do a fresh download of mx19.1........just in case.....

Tell me more....what have I missed ?
 
Hi Condobloke

Thanks for your welcome to the forum and recommendations.


Sometime in January 2020 my computer problems began. If a virus, this would have vanished upon erasing Windows 7, but the regular freezing and repetition of having to move my mouse to wake up my computer from Sleep mode, sometimes less than a minute after I've started up MX Linux 19.1, all started with Windows 7 but has continued with MX Linux.

I have MX 17 on a different USB stick. It's dawned on me that, if MX 17 can be upgraded to MX 19.1, I could temporarily install MX 17 onto my hard drive then hopefully there is a way from there to upgrade to the new version (in case I have the same problems again, but from a Linux friendly ISO image creator program), which should surely resolve the problem and save me having to start from scratch, especially as I've not noticed any problems in MX 17 on that USB stick (so MX 17's GRUB bootloader seems to be unaffected), also as it takes a few minutes to load up compared to MX 19 which loads very quickly due to the GRUB Bootloader errors.

I'm relieved the strange Clock error is Live USB related from my USB stick.

It's a puzzle as to what is causing the unexplained intermittent but regular computer freezing and automatic restarts in Windows 7 then MX Linux and why the GRUB bootloader is faulty, but those are the factors that are holding me up from doing a full install.

If temporarily installing MX Linux 17 is unsafe or it would be too complicated to upgrade to 19.1 via 17, I'll do a fresh install of 19.1 on a new USB stick, but hope either way that I can have 19.1 fully installed asap on my hard drive.
 
My custom built computer keeps intermittently freezing (which can happen within a minute or 10 minutes, so means that downloading can be challenging unless the computer holds out long enough for say 30 or more minutes), going to Sleep so often & having to move my mouse to wake up the screen, and intermittent automatic restarts are completely unrelated to MX Linux or the now wiped over Windows 7, as Those errors have been around since January.

The only error that has started relating to MX 19.1 is that, whenever I send e-mails from a global Log In/Sign Out web mail service, the incorrect Hour is displayed for some reason, eg 11.20am instead of 3.20pm (whether or not I disable Conky which has a different time altogether from the Desktop), as I've sent e-mails in the afternoon but the Sent hour is listed as in the morning.

Due to most of the above, I'm now wondering whether there is a Hardware fault in my computer, but determining for sure if this or what is the source of the problem and remedying it depends on what's causing these ongoing issues. Maybe Linux has an equivalent of Speccy as part of a series of checks. I no longer have Windows 7 to fall back on as a very last resort, as it got erased during my attempt to install MX 19.1 onto my hard drive, which has partially installed but not the GRUB section which is erratic.

This computer worked perfectly before January 2020 and I am very keen to have MX 19.1 installed on my Hard Drive asap so that I can save and store documents and programs without having to re-save and restore them after they're lost once the distro is shut down from the USB stick.
Upon first reading this my initial reaction is that there may be several issues causing the above mentioned problems.
Regarding the "freezing" - I would check to be sure there are no overheating problems. A CPU, graphics card, hard drive, motherboard chipset, etc. could cause a freezing issue if overheating. Removing the CPU cooler and applying fresh thermal paste may be called for. Possibly a cooling fan may be intermittently not working. Often times the BIOS setup will have a screen showing thermal temperatures. Also your operating system probably has an app to display temperatures.

The "sleep" issue probably is related to the power settings. Check your operating system for any power settings, even screen saver settings, and also check in the BIOS settings for power settings. I would check those first.

The "time" issue could be related to the system specific settings. Many Linux distros use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and apply the offset to your local time. Usually once this is set the operating system will remember your settings. Perhaps running from a USB is causing the time difference? Also, if the CMOS battery on the motherboard is not holding a charge the system time will probably be incorrect. A new CMOS battery is cheap and easy to install and so confirm or deny that as a possible cause.
The incorrect time on emails is probably from the email service obtaining the system time from you for its time stamp.

Have you tried any other distros to see if the same problems persist?
 
Quite often these instability issues are the result of hardware errors, but could also be settings. I don't know of any distro that has really unusual setting out of the box. But it's worth checking as Vrai noted. Unusual setting can also be the result of a bad install. I don't know much about MX, although I briefly used it some time ago. So I don't know if MX 17 is still supported with MX 19 being current. If you are able to install MX 17, and it seems stable, then the next step IMHO would be to immediately download MX 19 and burn it to a USB drive, then install it.

The installer should be able to "see" any remnants of Windows (i.e., NTFS partitions, perhaps still with data of some sort), and should allow you to make use of that space for your MX installation, either MX 17 or MX 19.

So one step at a time, starting with MX 17. It's not the end of the world.
 
@Vrai said....."have you tried any other distros to see if the same problems persist? "

Top idea...I'll second that !
 
the op - original poster - and i have known each other for a few years now, from elsewhere :)

g'day david - shoulder still stuffed, short bursts of typing are followed by pain and fatigue, so all lowercase, little punctuation, plenty of typos :mad: other than that i'm 100%

for the helpers - put him onto the mx-series some time ago, when its collection of wallpapers included brilliant kingfishers, and would you believe a castle robin

that being said he might consider another another distro for now, which can always be written over or added to once the above issues are sorted

chris turner
wizardfromoz

btw's - 1. moving this to hardware for now, in case an hw guru spots the fault - all participants are notified of the redirection

2. david, will respond to your emails tomorrow
:)3. welcome @jglen490 and thanks for helping so soon
 
Upon first reading this my initial reaction is that there may be several issues causing the above mentioned problems.
Regarding the "freezing" - I would check to be sure there are no overheating problems. A CPU, graphics card, hard drive, motherboard chipset, etc. could cause a freezing issue if overheating. Removing the CPU cooler and applying fresh thermal paste may be called for. Possibly a cooling fan may be intermittently not working. Often times the BIOS setup will have a screen showing thermal temperatures. Also your operating system probably has an app to display temperatures.

The "sleep" issue probably is related to the power settings. Check your operating system for any power settings, even screen saver settings, and also check in the BIOS settings for power settings. I would check those first.

The "time" issue could be related to the system specific settings. Many Linux distros use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and apply the offset to your local time. Usually once this is set the operating system will remember your settings. Perhaps running from a USB is causing the time difference? Also, if the CMOS battery on the motherboard is not holding a charge the system time will probably be incorrect. A new CMOS battery is cheap and easy to install and so confirm or deny that as a possible cause.
The incorrect time on emails is probably from the email service obtaining the system time from you for its time stamp.

Have you tried any other distros to see if the same problems persist?

Hi Vrai

Thanks for your update and link.

I've had this custom built computer since January 2014, but it's only since January 2020 that it's started to experience problems, both while I still had Windows 7 installed and since I've removed it, whether MX version 17 or 19.1. Due to this, I've deduced the technical faults are Computer related in some form, but trying to narrow down to pinpoint precisely where the source of the problems are has been very challenging.

You and the others have come up with some invaluable explanations and suggestions which I'll look into.

The quickest to correct is the Sleep issue.

I've since checked the XFCE Power Manager and have found the solution to that area of interruptions.

The others will require more skill, but I am very happy to explore any options that will help rule out and determine the source of the problems so they can be resolved.

I initially thought that my computer might have developed a virus, as I'm probably not the only person who has used Windows 7 beyond 14 January 2020, but on a much smaller scale online at most.

I've been very busy, so I got waylaid in ceasing using Windows 7 on or before the above date, but upon since trying to install MX Linux 19.1 to my hard drive, despite the current GRUB installation errors preventing me from installing MX 19.1 onto my Hard Drive, I now doubt that a Virus is the cause due to the fact that the technical issues have happened during usage of both Windows 7, MX 17 and MX 19.1. As Windows 7 has vanished, presumably the Bootloader requesting me to Boot from CD or DVD during Start Up is completely unrelated to Windows.

Intriguingly, the Time issue (corrected and remaining intact upon shutting down MX 19.1, as a fraction of settings have been saved whereas others like changing my Keyboard settings require changing every time I plug in my USB stick) is no longer affecting the Conky on my Desktop.

It looks like it's a technical issue relating to usage of USB sticks for some reason, but once I successfully get MX 19.1 installed on my hard drive, hopefully second time lucky, all settings should be saved correctly including also in my e-mail account.

I haven't tried other distros as of yet, but I might try at least PC Linux OS on my spare USB stick arriving today or tomorrow if MX 19.1 doesn't install correctly upon receiving the 2 sticks in the post shortly.

Miseris Succurrere Disco
 
Quite often these instability issues are the result of hardware errors, but could also be settings. I don't know of any distro that has really unusual setting out of the box. But it's worth checking as Vrai noted. Unusual setting can also be the result of a bad install. I don't know much about MX, although I briefly used it some time ago. So I don't know if MX 17 is still supported with MX 19 being current. If you are able to install MX 17, and it seems stable, then the next step IMHO would be to immediately download MX 19 and burn it to a USB drive, then install it.

The installer should be able to "see" any remnants of Windows (i.e., NTFS partitions, perhaps still with data of some sort), and should allow you to make use of that space for your MX installation, either MX 17 or MX 19.

So one step at a time, starting with MX 17. It's not the end of the world.

Hi Jglen

Thanks for your update.

I've since changed Power settings to 60 minutes so this should hopefully stop the computer from keeping requiring me to move my mouse to restore the screen, so this should resolve the Sleep issue.

The trickiest one to resolve will be if my computer has hardware errors. Being 6 years old (as of January 2014), it's possible the hardware is starting to deteriorate. If it is determined to be hardware related, hopefully it can be replaced.

I'm not sure why the GRUB Bootloader didn't install correctly during my attempt to install MX 19.1 onto my hard drive, but using a brand new USB stick shortly to recreate MX 19.1 will hopefully install correctly with GRUB fully intact. This time, now that Windows 7 is no longer on my computer wiped by the partial installation of MX 19.1, my computer is probably unlikely to be affected by a virus.

Unfortunately, due to structural changes in MX, version 17 could only be upgraded to 18, so I've decided to do a fresh install of MX 19.1 instead, but will most likely be able to upgrade to MX 20 through updates once MX moves to that version.

I've loaded up GParted and see the following partitions. I don't know if Windows is among them, but here are the details:-

/dev/sda (931.51 giB)

Partition - unallocated
File System - unallocated
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - ---
Flags - Blank

/dev/sdb (58.57 GiB)

Partition - /dev/sdb1
File System - fat32
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - 55.63 GiB
Flags - boot,lba
 
@Vrai said....."have you tried any other distros to see if the same problems persist? "

Top idea...I'll second that !

Hi Condobloke

Thanks for your update.

I'll keep this in mind what you and Vrai recommend.

I prefer non-System D distros, of which there are not many left, but if my second attempt at installing MX Linux 19.1 fails to install (but don't want to give up on it altogether, as it's my top favourite distro of choice), I'll try out PC Linux OS on my second USB stick, both sticks arriving today or tomorrow.

I can safely say that the Power management settings have made some improvements, so part of the technical issues have been verified as Setting related, but what causes the automatic Restarting of my computer and why the GRUB Bootloader failed on MX - 19.1 version remain a mystery, but I shall keep persevering, and hopefully, all going well, I'll have MX 19.1 running with GRUB working correctly by the weekend.
 
the op - original poster - and i have known each other for a few years now, from elsewhere :)

g'day david - shoulder still stuffed, short bursts of typing are followed by pain and fatigue, so all lowercase, little punctuation, plenty of typos :mad: other than that i'm 100%

for the helpers - put him onto the mx-series some time ago, when its collection of wallpapers included brilliant kingfishers, and would you believe a castle robin

that being said he might consider another another distro for now, which can always be written over or added to once the above issues are sorted

chris turner
wizardfromoz

btw's - 1. moving this to hardware for now, in case an hw guru spots the fault - all participants are notified of the redirection

2. david, will respond to your emails tomorrow
:)3. welcome @jglen490 and thanks for helping so soon

Hi Chris

Thanks for your update.

I hope your shoulder heals soon.

Meanwhile, I'm glad that I, finally, got to start using MX Linux daily after originally planning to do this some time ago.

All I now need is for the technical faults to eradicate.

I have a Robin wallpaper attachment, but if there is still a way to access the MX 17 Kingfisher wallpaper, I'd also like to add that. MX is continuing with Birds, as they now have a Swan in their wallpapers. :)

I'll keep in mind another distro, such as PC Linux OS as a back-up, in case my second attempt to install MX 19.1 (this time via Linux, as I originally downloaded it using Windows 7) still doesn't run the GRUB Bootloader correctly, but hope that I can get my top choice of MX Linux fully correctly working by this weekend.

Thanks for moving this topic to the Hardware section and to pending replying to my e-mails.
 
Hi Jglen

Thanks for your update.

I've since changed Power settings to 60 minutes so this should hopefully stop the computer from keeping requiring me to move my mouse to restore the screen, so this should resolve the Sleep issue.

The trickiest one to resolve will be if my computer has hardware errors. Being 6 years old (as of January 2014), it's possible the hardware is starting to deteriorate. If it is determined to be hardware related, hopefully it can be replaced.

I'm not sure why the GRUB Bootloader didn't install correctly during my attempt to install MX 19.1 onto my hard drive, but using a brand new USB stick shortly to recreate MX 19.1 will hopefully install correctly with GRUB fully intact. This time, now that Windows 7 is no longer on my computer wiped by the partial installation of MX 19.1, my computer is probably unlikely to be affected by a virus.

Unfortunately, due to structural changes in MX, version 17 could only be upgraded to 18, so I've decided to do a fresh install of MX 19.1 instead, but will most likely be able to upgrade to MX 20 through updates once MX moves to that version.

I've loaded up GParted and see the following partitions. I don't know if Windows is among them, but here are the details:-

/dev/sda (931.51 giB)

Partition - unallocated
File System - unallocated
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - ---
Flags - Blank

/dev/sdb (58.57 GiB)

Partition - /dev/sdb1
File System - fat32
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - 55.63 GiB
Flags - boot,lba
First, your /dev/sda drive, while it has a mount point, has no defined partition or filesystem. Your /dev/sdb drive does have a single partition with a fat32 filesystem, and a mount point that seems to be identical to sda's mountpoint.

All that can be fixed with a proper install of MX. As I recall the MX installer is functionally almost the same as the *buntu installers. and you should have the option of set up ypur own partitioning scheme.

Typically, and there are always exceptions, a proper Linux setup will use either a GPT or an MS-DOS partition table and an ext4 filesystem. If your machine's firmware is UEFI, then you can better take advantage of that with a GPT table and one fat32 partition of about 100MB that is flagged as an ESP where you will install the Grub boot files. Beyond that, all that Linux needs is a / partition and some sort of swap (whether a file or a partition is up to you). You can, and I recommend you do, set up a /home partition separate from / where you personal data and application configs will go. There are other legitimate partitioning schemes. the one about provides for ease of update and ease for backing up your personal data.
 
First, your /dev/sda drive, while it has a mount point, has no defined partition or filesystem. Your /dev/sdb drive does have a single partition with a fat32 filesystem, and a mount point that seems to be identical to sda's mountpoint.

All that can be fixed with a proper install of MX. As I recall the MX installer is functionally almost the same as the *buntu installers. and you should have the option of set up ypur own partitioning scheme.

Typically, and there are always exceptions, a proper Linux setup will use either a GPT or an MS-DOS partition table and an ext4 filesystem. If your machine's firmware is UEFI, then you can better take advantage of that with a GPT table and one fat32 partition of about 100MB that is flagged as an ESP where you will install the Grub boot files. Beyond that, all that Linux needs is a / partition and some sort of swap (whether a file or a partition is up to you). You can, and I recommend you do, set up a /home partition separate from / where you personal data and application configs will go. There are other legitimate partitioning schemes. the one about provides for ease of update and ease for backing up your personal data.
Hi Jglen490

From your description, it sounds like something is missing in the /dev/ drives.


According to the above link, FAT32 relates solely to Windows, so Windows elements (but not Windows 7 itself) have somehow remained.

I won't do anything unless I'm absolutely sure I know what I'm doing, so as to avoid risking corrupting my hard drive, but as FAT32 relates to Windows, it doesn't really serve any purpose anymore, as Windows 7 is my final Micro$oft operating system since Windows 10 doesn't appeal to me due to its many controversies, and Linux is much more customizable with a lot more flexibility.

Due to the above, if you or any other members recommend me to remove the FAT32 drive, I'll uninstall it upon a forum reply update.

However, if this is safe to do, unless it remains after a fresh install of MX 19.1, I might be better just reinstalling MX on a new USB stick (my sticks have since arrived in the post) today or tomorrow in the hope that GRUB Bootloader installs correctly, whether or not FAT32 is still there or needs to be removed.

Today or tomorrow, but asap, I will reinstall MX on a new USB stick pending a hopeful positive outcome. If not, I'll install PC Linux OS on the other new USB stick to see if That distro installs correctly. I don't think PC Linux has a Live option, so to use that distro fully, I'd need to install it to the hard drive, if GRUB works fine.

I have a pre-Windows 8 computer so with my current computer I luckily don't have to deal with UEFI elements, but I've come across ext4 before.

I will have to master how to create a separate Home partition, but if information online is accurate, this can be done during Installation or after an automatic partition installation where MX does most of the work other than occasional user input for setting up Time, Area Zone, Country Keyboard, etc.
 
I have a Robin wallpaper attachment, but if there is still a way to access the MX 17 Kingfisher wallpaper, I'd also like to add that. MX is continuing with Birds, as they now have a Swan in their wallpapers.
When you have a working computer to use - you can download older versions of MX Linux from SourceForge. https://mxlinux.org/download-links/ After downloading the version you want you can use your Archive Manager to open the .iso file and locate the wallpaper desired. I just tried it a few minutes ago after reading this :) The names of the folders will vary depending on which version of MX one is looking into but you can tell by the size which one to peek in.
5715
 
I've loaded up GParted and see the following partitions. I don't know if Windows is among them, but here are the details:-

/dev/sda (931.51 giB)

Partition - unallocated
File System - unallocated
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - ---
Flags - Blank

/dev/sdb (58.57 GiB)

Partition - /dev/sdb1
File System - fat32
Mount Point - /home/de…
Label - UUI
Size - 58.57 GiB
Used - 2.94 GiB
Unused - 55.63 GiB
Flags - boot,lba
Wait a minute ! - back up a bit... something looks very "odd" here...
/dev/sda (931.51giB) looks to me like a 1 terabyte hard drive.
/dev/sdb (58.57 GiB) looks like it could be a 64 gigabyte USB flash drive.
What I find very peculiar is that the "Size" - 58.57 GiB and the "Used" - 2.94 Gib are *exactly* the same. Odd. Do you suppose the image on the USB flash drive somehow got copied to the hard drive? Copying would not work the same as *installing*.

Can you possibly post a screenshot of the GParted output?
 
Castle Robin, I agree it is wise to take your time and understand what you are doing, but you can do that and push your boundaries a bit, too.

O.K., enough psycho-babble ;) It will be very hard to damage a drive with an install of MX or any other Linux. Again, it's been a minute since I did anything with MX, but the installer IIRC is almost identical to the *buntu installer (ubiquity). So, yes, instead of letting MX do the partitioning, you can select an option called "something else" that brings up a screen which allows you to customize every aspect of your drive(s) setup.

I'm guessing that while your system firmware could be UEFI - it's around the right time period anyway - you haven't investigated that. And that's fine, an MS-DOS partition table works well enough wit four primary partitions per drive. So the only thing to figure out is how you want to use /dev/sda. I'll assume further that Vrai is correct in that /dev/sdb is a USB thumb drive - kind of large for an installer at 64GB - nonetheless ...

I would recommend setting up /dev/sda with an MS-DOS partition table. This will leave unallocated space. Highlight the space, and select the Change button, which opens a dialog box. Then build your first partition in the dialog box (sda1) as ext4, about 30GB, designated as a / directory, check the box to format the partition, and save it. Then I would select the unallocated space, and Change the next partition (sda2) as ext4, about all of your remaining space less a number of GB equal to your RAM (i.e., 4GB, 8GB, 16GB), designate it as /home, check the bx to Format the partition, and save it. The last partition would be a SWAP partition, size it to the remaining space about 4GB, or 8GB, or 16GB, and save it. There may be a meg or two left unallocated, don't worry about it, you won't be able to capture it all. The last step on the screen, the place near the bottom that tells the installer where to install the Grub boot files. It normally defaults to /dev/sda - leave it there, that's the MBR. Select the button to save all that you have done and moves the process on to the next step in the installer.

If you are interested in investigating UEFI before installing, we can do that, too. For MOST machines it's not very difficult to make UEFI and Linux play nice. But maybe you want to get a good install done before doing a slightly more complicated install. That part will be up to you. Personally, I think UEFI is a great way to do firmware, the user has much more control over the hardware, and almost every MB maker has made updating the firmware easier in UEFI than it was with BIOS.

Come back with ANY problems that you see.
 
First, your /dev/sda drive, while it has a mount point, has no defined partition or filesystem. Your /dev/sdb drive does have a single partition with a fat32 filesystem, and a mount point that seems to be identical to sda's mountpoint.

All that can be fixed with a proper install of MX. As I recall the MX installer is functionally almost the same as the *buntu installers. and you should have the option of set up ypur own partitioning scheme.

Typically, and there are always exceptions, a proper Linux setup will use either a GPT or an MS-DOS partition table and an ext4 filesystem. If your machine's firmware is UEFI, then you can better take advantage of that with a GPT table and one fat32 partition of about 100MB that is flagged as an ESP where you will install the Grub boot files. Beyond that, all that Linux needs is a / partition and some sort of swap (whether a file or a partition is up to you). You can, and I recommend you do, set up a /home partition separate from / where you personal data and application configs will go. There are other legitimate partitioning schemes. the one about provides for ease of update and ease for backing up your personal data.
It looks like the lack of defined partition or filesystem and the other aspects you described are the causes of the technical faults, at least regarding the GRUB Bootloader as the other faults seem to be computer (could be computer Settings related).

I'm close to starting a proper install of MX, which will hopefully work correctly next time.

As the GRUB Bootloader is orientated to install GRUB for Linux and Windows, on reflection, as I no longer use Windows, presumably I don't need GRUB installed after all?, which would be in harmony with MBR on my particular computer.

I have a pre-UEFI computer that originally had M$ Windows 7 installed on it, now wiped over by MX Linux 19.1, but with the GRUB faults.

I'll have to master doing Swap Files and a separate Home folder, as these are all new to me, but I believe they can be added during Partitioning, or after an Auto Install using the Entire Disk, which would be my preferred option at this stage until I get more used to the ins and outs of Linux.[/QUOTE]
 
When you have a working computer to use - you can download older versions of MX Linux from SourceForge. https://mxlinux.org/download-links/ After downloading the version you want you can use your Archive Manager to open the .iso file and locate the wallpaper desired. I just tried it a few minutes ago after reading this :) The names of the folders will vary depending on which version of MX one is looking into but you can tell by the size which one to peek in.
View attachment 5715
Thanks for the link from SourceForge.

I obtained MX from one of the Mirrors (as the Torrent files didn't work), but somehow, a fault disrupted the MX download whereby it works fine on a USB stick, but won't currently install to the hard drive.

Once I can get MX correctly downloaded (it seems GRUB won't be needed to be installed after all, as I no longer use Windows), I can then utilize your invaluable guide on locating and installing Wallpapers. :)
 
Wait a minute ! - back up a bit... something looks very "odd" here...
/dev/sda (931.51giB) looks to me like a 1 terabyte hard drive.
/dev/sdb (58.57 GiB) looks like it could be a 64 gigabyte USB flash drive.
What I find very peculiar is that the "Size" - 58.57 GiB and the "Used" - 2.94 Gib are *exactly* the same. Odd. Do you suppose the image on the USB flash drive somehow got copied to the hard drive? Copying would not work the same as *installing*.

Can you possibly post a screenshot of the GParted output?
I'm not well up on enough on this to know if the image on the USB flash drive somehow got copied to the hard drive, but it sounds likely. If this is what's happened, I don't know what caused this to copy instead of install. I'll use a brand new USB stick and see if it works next time. The first USB stick is fine, rather it's just the installation Onto the stick that isn't completely right.

How do I post a screenshot of the GParted output?

It might be worth me doing this before reinstalling MX Linux 19.1 from scratch (but on a new USB stick) to see if GParted displays something that determines the exact source of the errors.
 

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