MX Package Installer - how to find and run installed programs? [Solved]

[jlhiowa]

Hello :) Linux noob, really enjoying MX Linux. I am running MX-23.6_x64.

In MX Package Installer, I searched for memtest and found "memtest86+ 6.10-4" and "memtester 4.6.0-1". I installed both, and they are listed as Installed in Enabled Repos.

I hit the Windows key to open the MX Linux menu, and type memtest or memory, but there are no results. How do I find and run these installed programs?

I tried restarting and shutting down.

Overnight I ran the "Passmark MemTest86 v7.3 Free" that MX Linux puts in the GRUB bootmenu, but there's no way to save results to a text file. Just had to take a picture of the screen, so it's not ideal. If memtest86+ and memtester are installed, I'd like to try them. Thank you!

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System:
  Kernel: 6.1.0-34-amd64 [6.1.135-1] arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.1.0-34-amd64 root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash
  Desktop: Xfce v: 4.20.0 tk: Gtk v: 3.24.38 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm v: 4.20.0 vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.32.0 Distro: MX-23.6_x64 Libretto Jan 12  2025 base: Debian GNU/Linux 12
    (bookworm)
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: MSI model: Z170M MORTAR (MS-7972) v: 2.0
    UEFI: American Megatrends v: A.00 date: 09/08/2015
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i5-6600 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Skylake-S gen: core 6 level: v3
    note: check built: 2015 process: Intel 14nm family: 6 model-id: 0x5E (94) stepping: 3
    microcode: 0xF0
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 4 smt: <unsupported> cache: L1: 256 KiB desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB
    L2: 1024 KiB desc: 4x256 KiB L3: 6 MiB desc: 1x6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 800 min/max: 800/3900 scaling: driver: intel_pstate governor: powersave
    cores: 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 bogomips: 26399
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM206 [GeForce GTX 960] vendor: eVga.com. driver: nouveau v: kernel
    non-free: 530.xx+ status: current (as of 2023-03) arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx process: TSMC 28nm
    built: 2014-19 pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s ports:
    active: DVI-I-1,HDMI-A-1 empty: DP-1,DP-2,DP-3 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:1401
    class-ID: 0300 temp: 25.0 C
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 compositor: xfwm v: 4.20.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 3840x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 1017x286mm (40.04x11.26")
    s-diag: 1056mm (41.59")
  Monitor-1: DVI-I-1 pos: right model: HP 2311xi built: 2012 res: 1920x1080
    hz: 60 dpi: 96 gamma: 1.2 size: 509x286mm (20.04x11.26") diag: 584mm (23") ratio: 16:9 modes:
    max: 1920x1080 min: 720x400
  Monitor-2: HDMI-A-1 mapped: HDMI-1 pos: primary,left model: HP 2311xi 
    built: 2012 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 96 gamma: 1.2 size: 509x286mm (20.04x11.26")
    diag: 584mm (23") ratio: 16:9 modes: max: 1920x1080 min: 720x400
  API: OpenGL v: 4.3 Mesa 22.3.6 renderer: NV126 direct-render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:a170 class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM206 High Definition Audio vendor: eVga.com. driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
    pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s bus-ID: 01:00.1
    chip-ID: 10de:0fba class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.1.0-34-amd64 status: kernel-api tools: alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.0 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse status: active
    2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin 4: pw-jack type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Micro-Star MSI
    driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 port: d000 bus-ID: 03:00.0
    chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 685.61 GiB used: 99.84 GiB (14.6%)
  SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 850 PRO 256GB size: 238.47 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD rev: 2B6Q
    scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 vendor: Intel model: SSDSC2BB480G7 size: 447.13 GiB block-size:
    physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD rev: 0121 scheme: GPT
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 80.44 GiB size: 78.62 GiB (97.74%) used: 15.42 GiB (19.6%) fs: ext4
    dev: /dev/sdb2 maj-min: 8:18
  ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 256 MiB size: 252 MiB (98.46%) used: 274 KiB (0.1%) fs: vfat
    dev: /dev/sdb1 maj-min: 8:17
  ID-3: /home raw-size: 366.44 GiB size: 359.62 GiB (98.14%) used: 84.42 GiB (23.5%) fs: ext4
    dev: /dev/sdb3 maj-min: 8:19
Swap:
  Kernel: swappiness: 15 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default)
  ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 4 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 file: /swap/swap
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 24.0 C pch: 30.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nouveau temp: 25.0 C
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A gpu: nouveau fan: 481
Repos:
  Packages: 2161 pm: dpkg pkgs: 2154 libs: 1069 tools: apt,apt-get,aptitude,nala,synaptic pm: rpm
    pkgs: 0 pm: flatpak pkgs: 7
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
    2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
    1: deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list
    1: deb http://la.mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bookworm main non-free
Info:
  Processes: 216 Uptime: 1h 34m wakeups: 1 Memory: 31.3 GiB used: 2.45 GiB (7.8%) Init: SysVinit
  v: 3.06 runlevel: 5 default: graphical tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 alt: 12
  Client: shell wrapper v: 5.2.15-release inxi: 3.3.26
Boot Mode: UEFI

[j2mcgreg]

Memtest is already available via the Grub screen when you boot your machine.
Apologies as I just saw the rest of your post. I had major dental surgery today and I'm still a bit foggy.
There are a few ways to find your installed programs. You could look in Accessories, All Applications or you could try calling them on the command line.

[timkb4cq]

Memtest86 is a special type of program designed to run from the boot menu, bypassing any operating system. As such it can't be started from inside MX. You'd have to make a grub entry for it like the one you already used.

For normal programs, Synaptic is more helpful when you need to find the binaries. For any installed package, for example memtester, select it in Synaptic and click the Installed Files tab. For memtester it shows /usr/sbin/memtester along with various doc & man files. Running

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man memtester

in a terminal will give you the info on how to run it.
The fact that the binary is in /usr/sbin is a good indication you need to start it with sudo since /sbin and /usr/sbin aren't normally in a regular user's PATH.

[jlhiowa]

@timkb4cq Thanks for the info on Memtest86 needing a GRUB entry! That sounds advanced for me, but I'll look into it.
Update: https://www.memtest86.com/tech_configuring-grub.html is too advanced for me. Maybe future me will do this.

That's really cool about using Synaptic's Installed Files tab. Thanks for mentioning /usr/sbin. In Windows I look in Program Files or Program Files (x86).
Update: Did some reading and there isn't really a Program Files equivalent, programs are in many places. Found a 2014 graphic that shows where they go: https://web.archive.org/web/20220209185 ... ctory-map/

To keep track of installed programs, I'd like them to show up in the menu, especially if I search. Even if it was just going to a text file that I write that says, "to use Memtest86 boot from GRUB entry" and "memtester is run from the Terminal". Is there a way to add to the MX Linux Menu?

Update: Did some reading and tried a few things, but couldn't get any entries to show up in the menu. MX Linux uses MenuLibre Menu Editor.

Did not work!

• Right-click on menu.
  Click Edit Applications.
  MenuLibre Menu Editor will open.
  In the top left, click the Plus icon and choose Add Launcher.
  Now this is sneaky, these are actually text fields you can type in now, but you don't know that until you click them.
  Click "New Launcher" and voilà it's a text field. Type in your Title.
  Click "A small descriptive blurb about this application." and it's a text field you can type in too.
  In the bottom, below Category, click Plus and select the category, e.g. Utility.
  Click Advanced and type in Generic name memory and Keywords memtest;memory;
  In the top left, click Save.
  The bottom now has the line /home/user/.local/share/applications/menulibre-new-launcher.desktop.
  But unfortunately, memtest does not show up in the menu, nor is it searchable.

[jlhiowa]

@j2mcgreg Thank you, your mention of command line got me the initial start of Terminal and typing memtester and getting output.

Then I tried

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memtester --help

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man memtester

and realized it was too complicated for me and I'll need to try and find some examples I can copy. Still cool to learn and try things, so thank you again!