Hi RenH

I have been researching more on your issue. This is as you know a known issue on launchpad. It seems disabling the disable graphics acceleration on the GPU seems help with the freezing. But it some of the post from my research that this can cause other issues like playing a HTML 5 video on Firefox will crash it. There is still no driver update to fix this issue as yet. As how to do this I am still new myself maybe other members can help.

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Xubuntu and Ubuntu 14.04 gave me issue's and the os ran slow. Not sure why.
To remedy the issue I did a fresh install of Xubuntu 16.04 and haven't had any issue's since.

Sometimes re-compiling the kernel helps with things that don't work correctly.
OR installing a new kernel.

RenH

Are you installing Mint 18 Mate to your 32-bit Lenovo or your 64-bit Acer?

(just making sure for clarification as your thread is long)

Sorry you are having so much trouble with VLC.

As dave67 said;
Without a fix for the driver I'm not sure how you could solve the issue.I'm thinking only a Developer could fix it. Sorry I can't.

You might want to install a VM on your Xubuntu installation and try a handful of different distros.
Maybe consider trying/installing another distro on that machine. All distributions come with different kernels and provide the support for your machines architecture.

Fedora works very well with a lot of different laptops.
It's cutting edge and has always worked out of the box for me on my sony Vaio with Intel technology.

https://getfedora.org/

Another distro like Ubuntu and Xubuntu is Elementary OS. You could give that a spin too.
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?di...ion=elementary

Thanks Dave!
As the song goes, "I've grown accustomed to...". Actually, I stopped watching films on Mint [my PC] and turn to Xubuntu on my 32-bit laptop. I have been meaning to switch to Xubuntu but inertia and also I quite like Mint. It still hangs if I drag something too quickly, so I have learnt to save every few minutes.
I was thinking of partitioning my hard drive and install Xubuntu 64-bit version -- I've downloaded and checked the download, but I am hesitant because every time I try something like this I screw up and it takes days to re-install, etc.

Take your time during your installation and it should go well for you.

Another thing you could do is use gparted to shrink your os that is already installed to make room for your fresh install of Xubuntu 16.04. Than create the partitions that you need for your new install using the partition manager that comes with Xubuntu 16.04.

OR> use gparted Live to create the partitions and when you go to perform the fresh install the partition mgr should see the partitions that you already made.

Gparted Live works great for me.
http://gparted.org/livecd.php
https://www.howtoforge.com/partitioning_with_gparted

Wish you the best.

Thank you. Maybe this weekend I'll bite the bullet. I'll let you know how I get on. Gparted here I come.

You're Welcome.

Gparted should work well for youl. Just take your time at making new partitions and apply the changes after you have made them.

You should be able to easily create a EXT 4 journaling fs / and a 1 or 2 GB swap partition.

This is a PC not a laptop that has the issue. Which has no PCIE slots to add another card. I researched this unit on the web. In my opinion this computer is the worse design I ever seen in the industry should have never been available to the public.

The main issue is:

Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display.

Linux mint 18 is based on Ubuntu 16.04 so installing 14.04 would serve nothing.

Your help has been exemplary in this thread.

Thank you! Both of you. I noticed that one of the recent updates was something to do with VLC.
By the way, I can run VLC on my 32-bit laptop with Xubuntu. That is why I was thinking of trying it out on my PC, but based on what you stated, I'll save myself the trouble [and agony].

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You're Welcome-

I will post if anything changes when ubuntu releases the next LTS. I watch the launchpad bug for this. The next LTS will not be 17.04 but 18.04.

As for me helping i try .

Hi RenH long time.

I have not seen any fixes I am thinking there will be none.
Such a small percentage with this issue with the hardware that your system has.

Suggestion

I recently purchased a ThinkPad t520 i5 core on ebay and I installed linux mint 18.3. I had to have a new battery so bulltech on amazon 9 cell. I am suggesting this laptop its much faster than your desktop. There is a seller with 90 day warranty which I find amazing for used computers.

Dell sells laptops with ubuntu but they are highend systems.

http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/...efinements=302

Thanks Dave.
for the moment I have arrived at a livable setup. I use Xubuntu, which hangs, especially if I scroll quickly, so I don't. I bought a "new" HD video scan and I can now connect on Skype so long as I remove everything else on the screen and the recipient does not move around too much. Band width should be ample, but depends if I am speaking with someone in Italy [they have notoriously slow speeds] or in North America.

For heavy watching [DVDs] I use my laptop.

I don't have an extra slot for a graphics card but a friend said he thinks he has a workaround. If not, I intend to upgrade to a better PC built with Linux. Meanwhile Mint is my alternate.

There are several companies that build PCs for Linux, including one in Ottawa but I know nothing about them. Dell is an option. I would love to assemble my own PC, or if not, have one assembled to my specifications once I have learnt which parts integrate with each other.

I am quite prepared to pay a little more and get a trouble-free system when the time comes.

I will let you know when I come close to upgrading as it is always good to hear from wiser heads.

thanks so much again!