Welcome back to another edition of Questions and Answers! In this section we will endeavour to answer your Ubuntu questions. Be sure to add details of the version of your operating system and your hardware. I will try to remove any personally identifiable strings from questions, but it is best not to include things like serial numbers, UUIDs, or IP addresses. If your question does not appear immediately, it is just because there is such a lot, and I do them, first-come-first-served.
So I was looking at some games on Steam… No I wasn’t, but I’ll know if Ronnie read this. (Sorry guys, insider joke)(Ronnie says: it was merely a ‘senior moment’.) I recently ran into an issue where I had weird errors, like truly bizarre, but my OS functioned normally, so I wrote it off to bad shutdown’s etc. (we have lots of power issues) I had memory installed in slots B and D (from the manufacturer) and it was only when I added more to slots A and C, that I found out the memory in the machine was not OK. (I started seeing arb errors in dmesg) As Ubuntu installed just fine there and worked flawlessly is actually a testament to how far Ubuntu has come. The original owner of the laptop complained about BSOD’s and so forth, so the first avenue of attack was just to replace the OS. Ubuntu installed and just worked. People always joke about the “year of the desktop” for Ubuntu, but I’d argue we have passed that point already and Ubuntu is just a superior product. Yes, it may not have proprietary blob x or y, but that is usually due to the manufacturer of some peripheral being asshats. If Microsoft stopped paying OEM’s for loading Windoze on their computers, that “superior” desktop numbers would drop, quickly. Instead of BSOD, all I got was Firefox not wanting to take focus over say, LibreOffice writer when I clicked on it. Alt + tab would put the window behind LibreOffice, for instance. Since 24.04 was basically here, I decided I could live with it for a month or two more. (However, replacing the memory and updating actually fixed that, just so you know.) So now you know, BSOD’s getting you down? Load the new and improved Ubuntu operating system, your computer will thank you! 
Q: I have installed all my software I wanted and transferred all my data to my Ubuntu machine, it worked fine for about a month, now, whenever I use the software updater to update it says:”Sorry, Ubuntu 22.04 has experienced an internal error, send problem report to the developers? If you notice any further problems try rebooting your machine. I have probably rebooted 10x but still nothing. Any help would be appreciated.
A: Firstly, I’d say create an empty file in root, named forcefsck:
touch /forcefsck
and reboot then run
sudo apt update
from the terminal, followed by
sudo apt upgrade
and see if you get errors and get back to me.
Q: I encrypted my drive on my computer, but due to hardware failure it stood around the house for 9+ months. The problem is, now that it is fixed, I cant remember my veracrypt password to boot it any more. How do I use the live disk to do a repair please?
A: The short answer is that you can’t. The long answer is you cannot. Only kidding. The booting into live mode only fixes Ubuntu issues. Veracrypt is its own thing. You will need to use your Veracrypt rescue disk to recover. If you don’t have that you will need to reload.
Q: I have Skype installed on my Ubuntu Machine, Optiplex 990. I have a logitech webcam and I can confirm that it works in Cheese. It does not, however, work on Skype. What could be the problem?
A: Firstly, what skype do you have? The package as in .deb-file install or a containerized install like Flatpak or Snap? Secondly, go into Skype, go to properties and see if you can select another webcam. Microsoft has Skype buggy lately, where it will pick up multiple webcams of the same type. Try switching. Otherwise you will need to ask on the Microsoft forums.
Q: Hi guys, I just want to know if I change my theme to dark, how do I do it with gdm/lightdm? I’m new to ricing and I’d like to know why my gdm/lightdm does not change with the main theme, or is it even possible?
A: Let’s first see what you have, gdm and lighdm is not interchangeable and use different methods for changing them, once you know, you can look it up on the internet, properly. Type the following into your terminal:
grep '/usr/s\?bin' /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service
just like that and check the output.
Q: On Windows they recommend that you use your amount of memory + 2GB for a swap file. I can’t find info about it on Xubuntu. There are no hits - https://docs.xfce.org/start?do=search&id=xfce%3Athunar%3A4.16%3Astart&q=swap+size
A: I’d say it is because you are looking under “Thunar” under your DE. You are asking the right question in the wrong places. Pressing F1 usually gives help on your DE and all its bits-n-bobs. Rather look here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq
Q: Hello, new to all this, can you tell me how to drag an icon to my dock in Ubuntu 22.04 please? Every time I try it, it is like water off a duck’s back and it is frustrating.
A: Hi, you did not say what dock you are using? If you are on Vanilla Ubuntu, you don’t have a dock. That panel is not a dock. I suggest installing a dock like “plank” and hiding your panel if you want a dock. I’m not sure if the dash2dock or panel2dock extension allows that kind of thing, but you can try that too.
Q: I am not an Ubuntu native, though I have been using Ubuntu Budgie for 4 years. I am using Ubuntu plain and I wanted to slim it down and change it up. When I use the software centre and I go to “installed” I do not see transmission, but when I press the windows key and page over, it is there.
A: There is a magnifying glass on the top left of your Software Centre. Click on that and search for Transmission, then click on it, to focus and click the little bin icon to remove. I’m not sure why it does not show up for you.
Q: Why do I have to type quit() once I start python in my terminal? All I’m saying is if I start python3 geo-recon.py and I am done, I am back at ready player one.
A: OK, honestly I have no idea what you want, you may want to structure your question differently, or ask it in another way, as now you leave it to me to interpret. What I think you are not understanding is signals. When a program is running, we press CTRL+C to interrupt it (SIGINT), but some programs do not respect that. We can use CTRL+D (SIGQUIT) to end it. That is the same as typing quit() in the python shell. Type kill -l in your terminal to see all of them.
Q: We put down an Ubuntu machine at our company for clients to do payments or bank transfers, that is basically locked down with a minimal user and no ports or drives enabled. How can we remove the user list, so they don’t try to log in as other users?
A: I am going to assume flagship Ubuntu here and point you somewhere as it would be too long to explain in a QnA. See: https://fostips.com/hide-user-list-gdm-login-screen-ubuntu-20-04-20-10/
Q: I noticed a new folder that I did not notice before /lost+found. I compared it with my newer Ubuntu 22.04 laptop and I don’t have it there either. It could just be an Ubuntu 18.04 thing, but I have become paranoid lately. How would I know if a folder belongs?
A: Before I say it is a system folder, as it can be, should your system shut down ‘dirty’. Look what is in it, is it your files or executables? Open a terminal and type: man hier - to find out about system folders.
Q: This is going to sound weird, but I want to write a script, to ping me every time a USB drive or SD card gets plugged into my machine. I can see the devices when I plug them in and out in dmsg, if I put a watch on that. I just can’t wrap my head around how to get that specific update into my script.
A: Hi, what you are actually looking for is udev. It is like a crow’s nest on a ship looking for land. (in our case devices) I will link you here: https://opensource.com/article/18/11/udev
Q: I am installing Ubuntu Rolling on Virtualbox and I fill in all the required options. It boots and I can install it. Every time, afterwards, I am in an installation loop that I can’t seem to get out of no matter what I try. Is there any way for me to break this loop? I have verified my downloaded image and it is intact. My base OS is Ubuntu 20.04 and I have assigned 2 of my CPU’s and 8G of RAM to virtualbox.
A: I am going to assume you mean Rhino Linux. I have found something similar with Arco Linux, I’m not sure if this is your issue, but let me know if it is not. On the very first screen in Virtualbox, when creating a new machine, do not choose an ISO image there. (ISO image, leave as <not selected>) Instead, add it under storage and eject it if it does not eject by itself when you reboot the first time after installation. It sounds like it is booting to the live image instead of the virtual hard drive.
Q: Help me out here, I downloaded the latest version of Ubuntu Kylin and installed it in English in Virtualbox 7. Everything is cookies and cream, until I try to change the display size. My base OS is Ubuntu. In Kylin, it defaults to 1024×800, I can change it in the settings to 1920×1080, but nothing happens, there is no apply. I don’t know if the apply button got lost in translation.
A: My first question would be, did you verify your ISO image and your installation media? (if you did) Otherwise, it’s Linux, there are many ways to skin your cat. Open the terminal in your virtual OS and type: xrandr - and see the outputs supported, then set one with the ”-s”, for example: xrandr -s 1920×1080