OK, so since the last few updates I ran (past 2-3 months) the system has started to show more and more problems. Started out with audio, since the switch to pipewire. Audio was still working after the update, but after another update it just kind of stopped. Fiddling with it would get me back sound but even that no longer worked after a while. Yes, I searched the interwebs for solutions and tried all of them, but none worked. Then (I am using a THinkpad X1C G6) the touchpad and trackpoint would stop working after a few minutes if i left it unused. Sounds like a power management problem, like powering down the devices but not bringing them back up. Can’t find a fix for this. The solution was to close the lid so the laptop would go to sleep and open it again and re-login for them to start working again. Sometimes shutting down everything would seem off, but when I take out the laptop again it would be feeling hot and still on, opening or pressing power button would not turn it on anymore. And sometimes the laptop will not wake from sleep. so this is why i want to reinstall. But…
I don’t want to have to back up everything, reinstall and then put everything back. So i am looking for advice, which directories i need to wipe (while running the installer in live mode) so an install into the existing partitions will make it a clean install.
If you have /home on its own partition, it would be easy to do so.
Default is to have a home folder under the system / (root).
I do not think it is a good idea to remove only directories and reinstall into existing partitions.
All specific user configs are inside your user’s home path (folder) mainly
I would suggest to start clean after backup users home files completely to external drive reinstall and put your needed files back one after the other … Not only dumping it back all at once (would recreate issues you had and add more) some configs like setup for your email app can be copy back and indeed your personnel files like Documents and Picture e.t.c.
thanks for the quick reply. /home is not separate, i stopped doing that many years ago because of running low on space on the root partition. and i know it’s best to backup the user files and put them back, but that’s what i want to prevent. but if there is no other way i guess that is what i will have to do when the laptop really stops working as i don’t have time for that now.
you ever tried reset user audio configs? rm -R ~/.config/pulse ~/.local/state/wireplumber ~/.local/state/pipewire sudo reboot
And doing some package cleanup? sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qtdq)
But do not run this as it is you need to review what packages it will actually remove!
You can post if unsure.
And run eos-pacdiff to review changed default configs.
Also handle with care… as of not removing stuff needed for EndeavourOS to run.
i tried removing user configs for wireplumber and pipewire, that didn’t help. will try pulse as well as some package cleaning. thanks for the suggestions.
part of me thinks hardware since old ibm/lenovos never have these issues…it’s a hardware issue…unless your lenovo is new? Still I’d be surprised. I’ve run modern distros on skeletal old lenovos for years and they took everything you threw at them. that’s theory #1 though.
theory #2 would be an unholy marriage (maybe made unholy via the incremental updates you mention) between swap, hibernate, and power settings. THis is why I have a desktop. The delicate balancing act of this stuff I so easy to screw up
you never mentioned a DE and unsure that’s even relevant.
If you feel like you’ve exhausted your avenues (my criteria is pulling out hair, malaise, drink, several weeks of fear and failure then do something new…) I would without hesitation install new.
Wipe everything in a live ISO with gparted (nuke all partitions), format it to GPT, try it again.
if it sucks after that it’s gotta be hardware in my completely speculative opinion
removed the state directories and pulse config directory too. didn’t help. same symptons.
@drunkenvicar it might be the laptop just being old, as it is old and used for at least 6-8 hours every day non-stop if not more. DE is kde. Will download endeavour install image and boot from usb and see if sound works then.
Downloaded and tested the installer. Same problems. Trackpoint and touchpad will stop working if I don’t keep using/touching it. Sound does not work, when booted the sound is in “off” state. When going into system settings, audio. I can click on a drop down menu and choose “Pro Audio”. After I choose Pro Audio it will show two devices: Pro Audio 7 and Pro Audio 8. Both do not produce any sound. As no one else is complaining, I can only assume my thinkpad x1c g6 is dying…
It turned out to be the laptop dying. I moved the ssd to a new laptop (same model, just less ram and slower cpu) and none of the problems are there anymore. suspend/wake, audio, touchpad/trackpoint problems are all gone.
