Thinkpads are better supported with Linux than brands. That is why I purchased my IBM T500 9 years old and tested many distributions before I selected mint. What release it xubuntu 16.04? Thinkpads have Intel intergraded graphics which are older or a named brand like nvidia or ATI. Your desktop has this card though I am not sure if this card is effected by the bug here. That is why I forward this issue to the ubuntu forum. See if they have any insight. Maybe they will not only time will tell. I am out of options now.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...x/+bug/1503731

Your graphics card is

Xubuntu 14.04.3. There may be a lot of updates but I don't want to touch it since it works fine! Also a friend said that Xubuntu has changed its philosophy and has become intrusive.

Thanks for all your help. I intend to do a re-install of Linux Mate, and if that doesn't do it, I will just wait until someone comes up with a solution. Meanwhile I will use my laptop to watch DVDs.

Are you suggesting I forward the problem to the site or have you done so? I have an aarticle in which they suggest turning something off in VLC. I might try it.

Again, thank you for all your patience and help.

Your welcome. I must admit I though when I read your post it would be a easy fix oops dropped the ball there.

If the issue is your hardware than reinstalling will not fix anything. Though it would not due any harm to try. Have you tried Mint 17.3? I ask because it is based on Ubuntu 14.04.3? Just like xubuntu is. If this graphics card issues is effecting you, that was not in 14.04 it started with 15.04. I think you could try both MInt 17.3 and xubuntu 14.04.3 to test them. I tested my T500 for about two months with different Linux options before I decided on Mint.


As for the issue I posted it on Linux Mint forum got no reply so I think they do not know anything about this issue. Same for the post on ubuntu so far. Might take time on ubuntu forum. There is a setting in vlc it could be the hardware acceleration which is in preferences- input/codecs I have mine turned of on my T500. I have a intel graphics card to old that that kind of processing.

Hi Dave,
I am now ready to re-install. Had to read up how -- studied it carefully and tomorrow morning will try to re-install.

One thing that worries me. I downloaded KBackup [simple and proven] because I was having trouble copying files and discovered that backup programs existed for Linux. But I got confused and used the default backup system to back Home [all over again] instead of KBackup because in the original backup I missed some folders. However, when I went to the external disk to see if the backup was done I didn't see ANY folder or file to indicate that the backup took! I did do the backup. However, it did say that it could not backup one file - don't know why because I copied it to a thumb drive. So, either I do ANOTHER backup or just go ahead with the re-installing hoping that I don't screw up and lose everything.

I do not know what you are trying to backup that is giving errors. I use grsync backup which is the GUI of rsync. Here is a video about this and this is very helpful. I use this and it works for me. The GUI makes it simple to backup any folder. This is the same video I used in the beginning. rsync been around for a while as a command line tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nOojLe_CI0

History of rsync
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rsync

Most drivers are not open-source which means non free like graphics card and wireless network cards. Linux is not windows most companies do not writes drivers for Linux. The only ones I know that does is HP and ATI for graphics cards HP mainly for their printers. This may be changing now.

Well, I installed [re-installed] Mate. According to the article I read, it was possible to retain my files, but when I followed the instructions what came up was different from what I expected. I could have divided my system to have both Cinnamon and Mate on, but I wanted to be clean of Cinnamon. So I wiped my drive clean. Two days later I am back to start except I lost my emails for the first three weeks of October! Tonight I'll see if VLC works. If it doesn't I might switch to Xubuntu as it is what I use on my laptop.

Who is your email account with? About the dvd issue in synaptic go to settings than performances make sure this is checked...

"Consider recommenced Packages as dependencies" click apply reload.

Please install the following through synaptic

First Install libdvd-pkg once this is installed check to see if the following is installed by using libdvd as a search in synaptic as before. If not than install the missing packages.

libdvdcss2 <-- depends on libdvd-pkg

libdvdcss-dev

libdvdread4

libdvdnav4


With VLC If dvds still will not play through a movie one last try. Open VLC and go to preferences than click input/codec disable

"Hardware-accelerated decoding" why cause your using software based decoding.


I have attached my synaptic with the search libdvd.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Yes, all the four libs are installed.
My email account is with Shaw, and I was sure I had selected the feature that retains the files on line but they weren't there and I couldn't find the button to select between it and "pop"[?] I have already installed all [or most] of the packages I had previously, so I presume there is no use in selecting "consider recommenced..."?

Will test VLC tonight, and if it hangs I will do what you suggest. I'm also gong to make a live DVD for Xubuntu. I have one but I think it may have been 32-bits because it was for the Lenovo laptop.

Shaw webmail

Did you use a linux email client or use a webbrower access? I do not know how shaw works though it has to be close yo gmail pop servers. i use. If you login to your account though webmail does it download the mail messages to the computer? If want a clint once you things stable look into thurderbird.

I use thunderbird, which is connected to shaw.mail. Somewhere or other I remember selecting the other way of receiving emails [or shaw sending them], namely that shaw website would retain a copy, but obviously it did not! What is more important is to know how to install a version of Linux without losing one's files! I probably should have accepted to have both Cinnamon and Mate on my drive, then transfer the files and then uninstall Cinnamon. Ah well, I'm learning. I realised now, and purely by accident, how to transfer files from the external drive to my PC without using copy or anything other than selecting e and then moving the file to the right folder.

Advanced users in linux create partitions for just what you are looking for. I am not an advanced user no no. I am a middle newbie. . I have CLi commands in a text document so i can copy and paste, my typing sucks.

I read of this partitioning method never tried it might in the future. Since you are leaning as i am still

http://www.howtogeek.com/116742/how-...alling-ubuntu/

Ther are more guides out there just search for them.

Shaw must download the emails and than remove them from the server. I would ask shaw support. I alway use Gmail i do not use email clients anymore.

No cigar, I'm afraid. The first time it ran for 27 minutes. Then after it hung I disabled hardware-accelerated decoding and it ran almost to the end from where it had originally stopped. Tomorrow I'll try increasing the milli seconds as suggested and try again. If it fails I'll just leave it. I can watch DVDs on my laptop. Tomorrow I'll also create a Xubuntu DVD, but I don't want to spend more time trying out another version of Linux. At least not right now. perhaps the community will discuss the issue if it is an issue. Do you have dvdcss2 or dvdcss?

When I updated after installation the updater asked if I wanted to update a specific file that I had modified. But I hadn't modified any file. Anyway, I said yes, since I was updating everything. I just hope it wasn't changing the dvdcss to dvdcss2.

I have libdvdcss2 is the only option in synaptic and the others I listed in my attached pic post 128. The only difference in mint 17.3 is the kernel version and maybe backends under the hood. The desktop gui is colored different. I gear you thus is getting to be a pain.

If you are ever look for another laptop I suggest this company. Reason is they also install mint if you request it. I plan to try one once my t500 dies.


https://thelinuxlaptop.com/index.php/cPath/22_25

Thanks for the suggestion, but I have Xubuntu on my laptop and it works really well. My VLC works on it. That is why I am thinking of downloading the 64-bit now before they change the system, and one of these days I will change to Xubuntu.For the moment I will leave Mate on my desktop. Tonight I will try again after I have increased the milliseconds under video codecs as recommended.

To download Xubuntu 14.04 you need to got here

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/re...14.04/release/ look for this type but for the latest version by month.

xubuntu-14.04-desktop-amd64.iso