Upadated KDE to 4.8.3 - now do I need?

[smudger]

Hi All,

Just a short sharp message, have recently upgraded kde to 4.8.3 and am using kernel 2.6.38.

In your honest opinion do I need to upgrade t'kernel to 3.6.18.

Will this make any difference?

Are the instructions easy enough for an noob to follow, What pitfalls are there?

Thanks in advance,

[JohnW_57]

Hi All,

Just a short sharp message, have recently upgraded kde to 4.8.3 and am using kernel 2.6.38.

In your honest opinion do I need to upgrade t'kernel to 3.6.18.

Will this make any difference?

Are the instructions easy enough for an noob to follow, What pitfalls are there?

Thanks in advance,

Here is the info for a kernel update: http://pclinuxoshelp.com/index.php/Kernel

Installing a different kernel

    After doing a full Reload-Mark All Changes-Apply with Synaptic, search Synaptic for the keyword kernel-.
    The kernel currently installed will have a solid box next to it. Select the newest/highest numbered kernel with the appropriate extension as per the scenarios described above that suits your machine best and Mark for installation and Apply.
    Please make sure that you have selected the kernel-x.x.xx.x-pclosx.xxx line and not the kernel-devel-x.x.xx.xx line.
    Once Synaptic has finished you need to reboot to use the new kernel.
    The first time you reboot after a new kernel, it will take longer time to do so because of the need to perform some jobs. Further reboots / startups will be normal.
    When you reboot after installing a new kernel, it becomes the default kernel.
    Older kernel is still installed and is available as a choice in the GRUB menu.

JohnW

[agmg]

It is usually a good thing to upgrade your kernel but it is not mandatory.
Newest kernels bring better hardware support, updated drivers, speed and stability improvements, security fixes and new functions.
But may also cause problems on certain hardware, especially if it is relatively old.

You can install kernel 3.2.18 alongside 2.6.38 and choose which one to boot to during system startup.
Installation is easy: go to Synaptic and select to install kernel-3.2.18-pclos2.bfs (kernel-devel-3.2.18-pclos2.bfs will also be selected) or kernel-3.2.18.pclos2-pae.bfs if you have 4GB+ of RAM in your system.

On the next boot you can select to use the new kernel. Be patient the first time as it may take a little longer to boot (it is usual). Play around, see if everything is OK and then it's up to you to keep using it or go back to the old one. Of course, you can keep both, just in case something goes wrong...

[T6]

at the moment with the current options of kernel, i say no

if your hardware is working well and you don't have problems with any driver it is not necessary

i am still using 2.6.38.8 on my desktop, i have some problems with power saving settings with 3.2.18 so i keep the older one loaded

what you can't do is keep a kernel older than 2.6.38, older kernels won't let you use your system properly

[Rudge]

at the moment with the current options of kernel, i say no

if your hardware is working well and you don't have problems with any driver it is not necessary

i am still using 2.6.38.8 on my desktop, i have some problems with power saving settings with 3.2.18 so i keep the older one loaded

what you can't do is keep a kernel older than 2.6.38, older kernels won't let you use your system properly

I agree with T6. If all of your hardware is working there is no need to install the newer kernel.

The cool thing is, if you do install a new kernel and something breaks, you can still use the old one, and as far as I know,, remove the new one completely.

In other words, it's sort of a very low risk thing to try. If you don't like it, remove it and continue to use what you have.  

p.s. If you do install a new kernel, be patient on the first boot. It WILL take a LONG time to boot that first time. Good luck and have fun. 

[agmg]

I'm using kernel 3.2.18-pclos2.pae.bfs without any issues on my 3 years old laptop and my almost 5 years old desktop.
But I've read that many forum members (like you guys) have problems and have decided to stay with 2.6.38
So I guess, it's all about the hardware you have. It may be good to upgrade or it may be bad. You can't tell unless you try...

[Archie]

I'm using kernel 3.2.18-pclos2.pae.bfs without any issues on my 3 years old laptop and my almost 5 years old desktop.
But I've read that many forum members (like you guys) have problems and have decided to stay with 2.6.38
So I guess, it's all about the hardware you have. It may be good to upgrade or it may be bad. You can't tell unless you try...

+1 on agmg's line of thinking. You won't know unless you try.