Table of Contents

General

Is MX Linux a rolling distro?

No, but whenever possible migration details are made available to allow users to avoid reinstalling. When the Debian base has changed or a new Xfce version is released (both of which occurred with MX-19), then reinstalling is needed for continued reliable use. Details in Users Manual, Section 1.6, and the Wikipedia article.

What’s the MX release cycle?

We make an official release annually, and use that year for the release number (for instance, MX-18 was released at the end of 2018). Because we work closely with our sister distro antiX, and track Xfce developments as well, the release usually comes toward the end of the year.

What’s the best way to upgrade from one version of MX to another?

Instructions for migration of different MX versions can be found on the Migration page of the MX Community website.

How long will a version of MX be supported?

We are currently supporting versions of MX from 14 through 18.3 through the Forum. MX 14 is based on Debian Wheezy, and wheezy LTS ceased being supported on 31 May 2018. MX 15/16 will also be supported for several more years; currently we try and roll any new packages we can for that version too, but as it ages, that becomes less practical. General support information is available in the Users Manual Section 1.4.

Lots of other distros are dropping their 32-bit versions. What about MX?

MX has no plans to discontinue 32-bit releases for the foreseeable future.

Does MX Linux release other official versions?

No. There are many Community respins available, however; see the list on the Forum.

Can I use Flatpaks, Snaps and Appimages?

Stand-alone packages are different in that they are essentially independent from the particular OS and do not need to be installed. For details, consult these pages:

• Appimages
• Flatpaks
• Snaps

Does MX have any social media presence?

MX has very active sites, see this list for details.

Does MX Linux have an IRC channel?

No, we do not host an IRC Channel.

Obtaining and Installing an ISO

Why does my installation stop at 94%?

It’s waiting for you need to fill in the information being requested on the screen. Press Next to go through all information screens.

Can I buy a USB with MX Linux already installed?

Unfortunately, that option is no longer possible since the company providing that service has gone out of business.

Can I install MX Linux on a computer that has Windows?

If the machine already has Windows 8 or later installed, then special steps must be taken to deal with the presence of (U)EFI and its best known feature Secure Boot. Most users are urged to turn off Secure Boot by entering the BIOS as the machine starts to boot. The Installer will normally take care of the process, but, unfortunately, the exact procedure after that sometimes varies by manufacturer. If you have problems, check the links to videos and documents in the Users Manual, Section 2.4.1; or seek advice on the Forum.

There is no install icon on the desktop, so what do I do?

That happens sometimes, especially with personal snapshots. Press F4 to get a terminal, and enter

sudo -E /usr/sbin/minstall

Configuration and customization

I hate the panel on the side! How can I move it somewhere where I want it?

The MX Tweak tool makes moving it to your preferred position very easy.

How can I install the codecs needed for multimedia?

Use MX Codecs Installer.

I don’t like XFCE. How can I install a different desktop?

A number of different desktops are available in the MX Package Installer under the category “Window Managers” and can be installed easily.

Can I use apps from another desktop on XFCE?

Applications from Window Managers other than XFCE that are in the default repos can be installed. Very often they will bring in other applications and libraries that are dependencies of the application. In some cases full functionality of the installed application may not be achieved and will require some research on how to enable that functionality. Also the appearance of the application may not be consistent with the XFCE default theme, especially since the upgrade to Xfce 4.14.

The window borders are too thin and I can’t easily resize windows because. Is there a way to do that?

Use Alt-F8 to grab the lower-right window corner and drag to the size you want. Alternatively, select a theme (Settings > Appearance) with larger borders.

How can I add a button to the Panel for one-click logout/shutdown/restart?

Right-click the Action Buttons icon at the top of the panel > Properties and uncheck everything except what you want to see. Even faster if you leave confirmation unchecked.

Security

I hear a lot about this Spectre and Meltdown stuff. Is MX secured? How can I check my system?

You can check the status of the kernel in use by running spectre-meltdown-checker in a root terminal. You will need to install the package from the default Debian Repositories with Synaptic or the MX Package Installer. Patched kernels are available with status descriptions in the MX Package Installer > Manage Popular packages under the Kernels category.

Can I use Ubuntu PPAs?

Ubuntu is not Debian, so installing PPAs will likely cause problems. See this article for details. Solution: Go to the request forum for your MX version, under Community Repository (CR), and ask our Packaging Devs if the PPA can be be ported or updated for our own repository.

Should I leave MX Test, Debian Experimental or Multimedia repositories enabled?

Leaving these repos permanently enabled will likely result in system instabilities and lead to a re-installation. Solution: use the MX-Tools > Package Installer to install individual packages from selected repos.

Why in the world do you have Flash installed?

MX Linux is fundamentally user-oriented, so includes a certain amount of non-free software to assure that the system works out of the box as much as possible. Flash is easily uninstalled using the Package Installer.

System

What’s the deal with MX and systemd? How come there are still systemd packages installed?

Systemd is included in order to allow some important applications to run, but it is not enabled by default. For more information see the Users Manual Section 1.7 and theWiki article.

How can I fix random login problems using Network Manager?

This is usually due to a known bug, see this Wiki article.

Is there a way that I can boot into systemd by default?

Yes. Boot into systemd by clicking on the line “Advanced options” on the opening screen (known as GRUB), then launch MX Boot options and check the box to “Enable saving last boot choice.”

Which package manager should I use?

There are two graphical package managers:

• MX Package Installer (MXPI) for one-click installation/removal of popular apps, as well as apps in the Debian Stable, MX Test Repo, Debian Backports and the Flatpaks repo.
• Synaptic Package Manager, a tool for a whole range of actions with Debian packages.

For details about these as well as command-line utilities, consult the Users Manual, Section 5.

How will I know when updates are available?

The little outlined box in the Notification Area will turn green; click on it to see the new packages.

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