unable to access most software

Will_

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I have some issues with my computer & I don't even know what terminology to use to look up to try to figure them out for myself. I am using a recent version of Ubuntu Studio.

Ever since I installed the OS on my computer, I have had issues with going online. I had to mess around until it would finally stream videos, but still couldn't figure out what made the difference. I also usually need to hit reset to get it to see some sites. I can usually access some sites when I first turn the computer on, but need to reset to see others. I have been putting up with it because I didn't want to mess with it & lose what progress I had made.

Several days ago, something happened to my computer. I lost the background image, folders & all programs other than web browser. I am now looking at a bright blue background instead of the image I had selected. I can still get online, but I can no longer drag a tab between 2 windows or post a picture. I can open OpenSCAD and select a file only by using "Open Recent" which severely limits the number of files I can access. The folders on my desktop only show the folder names, not the folder icon, but clicking on that spot will highlight the square & not access the folder.
 


G'day Will, Welcome to Linux.org

Fill in a few gaps for us, Will

How long have you had Ubuntu Studio installed
"Issues going online"...wifi or wired connection......describe some of the issuesplease
"something happened to my pc"...was this preceded by any updates, installation of a new program, change of kernel, etc etc ?....anything at all?....

Think back....did the issues start right from the INSTALLATION time ?.....what presented as being not right first ??.....then followed by ?

Do you have Timeshift installed ?

Do you have any other backup in place?
 
I installed it several months ago, most recently around September or October 2020. I had something go wrong before that & I ended up reinstalling.

I have a wired connection & for the first several days, I could not stream on most sites, but I could watch Youtube. I was able to get streaming on additional sites, but I can't really lay out a specific set of steps that got it to work. It just didn't & then it just did. This is part of my frustration. Even when I make progress, I don't know what happened or how.

Several days ago, when the new problem started, I was not trying to install or update anything when the recent issue occurred, just doing stuff online, some combination of streaming & looking at social media. There was some odd interruption to what I was doing that initially seemed like just something with the webpage (I don't recall the name of it now) & the desktop background picture was replaced by the bright blue background & the folders are no longer accessible.

I don't know what Timeshift is, so as far as I know, the answer to that is no.

If I right click on the background, I get a popup that displays the option to open in terminal, but it does not work. I am not really comfortable working in terminal, but I thought I would at least look at it, but it doesn't open anyway.
 
So if nothing is working as it should, and Terminal will not open.....I think you had best reinstall...again

But before you do...tell us the specs of this pc/laptop. Ram, hdd size, cpu etc etc....make and model of pc if possible.

Also, tell us where the ubuntu download came from

and...did you check the integrity of the download

Timeshift is available from the software centre.

It works in a very similar fashion to system restore in windows. (the main difference being...it works)
 
Someone saved it to a flash drive so that I could install it on the computer that I built. I am not sure exactly where he downloaded it from.

As far as the computer goes, I am copying & pasting most of the components from my Amazon order history:

MSI ProSeries AMD Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 D-Sub DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450-A Pro Max) (B450APROMAX)

Crucial MX500 500GB 3D NAND SATA M.2 Type 2280SS Internal SSD - CT500MX500SSD4,Multicolor
XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition 1286MHz, 8gb GDDR5, DX12 VR Ready, Dual BIOS, 3xDP HDMI DVI, AMD Graphics Card (RX-570P8DFD6)

G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz for Intel Z170 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C16D-32GVK

AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler - YD2600BBAFBOX

MaxDigital 4TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA III 6.0Gb/s (Enterprise Storage) 3.5" Internal Hard Drive w/2 Year Warranty
 
Well, there is certainly no question of the PC's ability to run just about anything !

Download a fresh copy of ubuntu studio (or whatever) to a usb stick.

Follow the procedure on the download page to verify the download. This ensures that the download is not corrupt. If this is either nopt possible or presents a problem, just make sure that you are downloading from a trusted source......like HERE

To 'burn' the iso onto the usb stick use Balena Etcher. You will need to use another PC to do this. Balena etcher will work on windows pc's as well, if that helps

Then boot your pc to that usb stick

Have a play with it before you actually install

Make sure the wifi etc etc is working ok.

Streaming etc should just work....straight away.

That pc has enough grunt etc to run anything.

It is possible to encounter dramas with a graphics card....(RX-570P8DFD6)....but we will come to that later.
 
To add to this, I want you to create a file called 'notes.txt' and use that file to DILIGENTLY keep track of any commands you run or changes you make.

Behavior like your OS exhibits doesn't happen in a vacuum.
 
It is going to be a while before I can get to another computer that I can use for the download. While I am waiting for a chance to do that, I want to see if I can recover a few files. When I first got the OS, I messed up & put it on the wrong drive. It had been a long time since I had done any customization at all & just installed the OS to MaxDigital 4TB instead of the Crucial MX500 500GB. If I can get to the BIOS (it seems to not want to let me, but I will try again) to switch it over to that drive, should I be able to access files on the main drive?
 
Press Ctrl+Alt+T This will launch the Terminal.

Copy and paste this command.
Code:
lsb_release -a
Press enter.

Copy and paste the output to a post.
 
Terminal either will not open or is hidden behind the blue wall.
 
I forgot to write down exactly what it is, but I think it said Ubuntu 20.04 when I used the flash drive using the "try Ubuntu" option. I managed to copy the files over to an external drive. I know some had already been backed up, but not all. I will do the reinstall later as I will be going to work soon. I don't need to make my shift any worse that it already will be.
 
Will....think about this..... Disconnect the max digital and connect the Crucial ONLY.

Then install your OS to the Crucial. Be sure to use the download links which I provided.

Update it immediately after the install
Then, look for Timeshift... it will either be already installed or it will be in the Software Centre.

Follow the blurb below to set up Timeshift. At this point you just need one snapshot saved to an external hard drive.

Then reconnect the max digital and access it via your current os.....You can copy and paste from the max digital to the crucial (or drag and drop etc etc....right click and move to/send to the crucial)....whatever you are comfortable with.

This should save your data/files etc

After you have done this you can use GParted to erase the max digital drive (Carefully!!!!!!!)
 
We posted at the same time Will.

let me know later what youneed to do/ know:)

Ikusr reread your post...,.That is GOOD news

Chat later!
 
I will mess with it some more after work & let you know. I just really hope I don't have the same streaming issues as the previous times. Each time I got it to work, it just seemed like some random thing happened that allowed me to get around the problem, but it didn't even serve as a learning experience to know what to do the next time.
 
If I can get to the BIOS (it seems to not want to let me, but I will try again) to switch it over to that drive, should I be able to access files on the main drive?
Is this your motherboard.


Page 38
Entering BIOS Setup
Press Delete key, when the Press DEL key to enter Setup Menu, F11 to enter Boot Menu message appears on the screen during the boot process.

I always completely power off my computers and then while pressing on the Delete key power on the computer as these seem to start up quicker than the user.

I'm not implying you don't know how to enter in to bios
however when things go astray frustration sometimes takes over and affects end results.

This I base from my frustration created at times from my computers.
 
"I always completely power off my computers and then while pressing on the Delete key power on the computer as these seem to start up quicker than the user."

This may be one of the things that I was missing. I tried pressing the "Delete" button, but it didn't work. It may have been so quick that I missed it. I will try to do it the way you suggested as the exact timing may have made me miss it as my attempt to get into BIOS failed.
 
To add to the above, manuals are sometimes incorrect. Feel free to try other Function Keys, such as F2, F12, F10. You can also try ESC along with the recommended Delete.

As soon as it starts booting, you can start pressing the keys. It may (many do) beep at you once you get it right - or at least get one of 'em right.
 
I am not going to have access to another computer for personal use. I am not really clear on how to set up a new flash drive. I reinstalled what I already had. I am back to being unable to stream anywhere other than Youtube. Is there an easy way I can update so that I can stream other sites? When I did it previously, it was by some random messing around so I don't recall how I did it.
 


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