Complete re-install and nothing but problems

[JayM]

Try reseating your memory modules, hard drive cables, power cables, plus any expansion cards that you may have installed if any. While the case is open check for dead cooling fans including the power supply's fan and for excessive dust inside the case. Overheating may be causing your crashes and lock-ups.

[Eadwine Rose]

Back to basics software wise. Hardware tips are good tips!


Did you check the md5sum of the media that you reinstalled with?

If you start out installing with non md5sum matching media you are bound to run into trouble on each install.

[Adrian]

Back to basics software wise. Hardware tips are good tips!


Did you check the md5sum of the media that you reinstalled with?

If you start out installing with non md5sum matching media you are bound to run into trouble on each install.

That's a good point, there's a md5sum check that you can call when you boot, press F4 and select checkmd5

[Captain Brillo]

So I pulled everything apart - did a full dust, clean and re-seat.

Then in Windows, ran Intel CPU checker - all good
ran memtest overnight - all good
disk manuf software - all good
gsmartcontrols - all good
chkrootkit - all good
Can't find any hardware issues.

wrote zeroes to disk just because
re-partitioned, formatted, etc,
no errors showing anywhere through whole process I went through

Re-installed, checking for bad blocks anyway,
install my choices of software piece by piece,looking for glitches

everything works fine

until

connect to VPN through network-manager and openvpn - the same as always...
right away first issue is can't send any emails with Thunderbird, Evolution,or several other clients
error is - can't connect to SMTP server
try multiple vpn servers - not much difference

disconnect vpn, everything just dandy again

my issues started 2 -3 weeks ago with vpn connection stability and speed issues
then I started having (imap)email issues, and blockage/error messages at ordinary websites

it seems to me that my vpn's ip addresses are being blacklisted?

or, could it be that my recent spat with this vpn - told them "not renewing cuz they're trying to rip me off" - could mean they're really petty and are messing with me?....Nah...no way?


So, is anybody having issues with PIA VPN?

[JayM]

Try openvpn with any free server from https://www.vpngate.net/en/ as a troubleshooting step. It's been a long time since I used openvpn but I think the command-line syntax is

Code: Select all

sudo openvpn config-file.ovpn

where config-file.ovpn is the individual server's config file that you downloaded from vpngate.net. Once you're connected go back to the vpngate website and refresh the page and see if your IP address and country have changed, and try using your apps again. If this works the trouble is with your VPN host, PIA. Maybe they've blacklisted your IP address? Maybe your SMTP server has blacklisted PIA's IP block?

[richb]

Captain Brillo So, is anybody having issues with PIA VPN?

No works fine. But I am using their legacy desktop application v82 not configuring it through Network Manager. Although in the past I have configured it that way without a problem.

[Captain Brillo]

Thank you, JayM
I did that and yes, it's my VPN that's the issue. Tried it right before and right after VPNGate - can't connect.
So that VPN is no good to me - it's NordVPN

As I said, I coincidentally had a spat with tem just before the issues started. Don't know if that means anything, but, unlikely as it is...

I was asking about PIA cuz I've seen it mentioned a lot on here. Which of their "app set-ups" would I use for MX?

Other than that this system is back, it looks like. Thakns, all.

[richb]

As I said their legacy version v82 from their download page, (halfway down "View Older Versions (Checksums and Changelogs)".

It is 64 bit only. Their latest version requires systemd while the legacy version will run on default sysvinit MX.

[MAYBL8]

Over the last couple of weeks my MX system has been falling apart - first there was VPN issues, then email issues....
So I just did a complete fresh install in a re-formatted partition.
Random programs crash, every program freezes, it's really ugly.
Even "Systemback" from your Test Repo doesn't work any more...and it was working brilliantly.
So I had to back it up with Timeshift, but I wonder if I wasted my time.

I don't know what the hell is going on here, and would appreciate any help.

So i want to just recap from the first post.
Did the VPN cause other programs to crash other than email?
Did the "every program freezes" stop after this latest reinstall? Or was that related to VPN also?
Did you try "systemback" again?

[Captain Brillo]

I suspect the dust, clean and re-seat fixed whatever was wrong. I didn't find anything, but I'm not a hardware guru, and everything else is now fie, so far.
Thanks, JayM - that demonstrated quite clearly that nordVPN's addresses are getting blacklisted - I tried half-a-dozen in various locations. That's why I was asking about PIA
The VPN is getting blocked intermittently, some sites are blocked one minute and not the next.

Changing VPNs seems the simplest solution....

Now, Systemback. This is odd. I installed it from the test repo back in January; it looked the same as in Mint. Worked great.
After all this, install again from the test repo.
It looks completely different and no longer works. How could that be? Has the ppa repackaging or whatever it is gone "off" or something weird like that?
This program when I was using it before was way more reliable than Timeshift. Would really like it back somehow.