Two Mint 19.3 Aspires Suffer Near Useless Outgoing Data Transfer Speeds

WJB-2

Both Aspires -- Z1620-UR31P and E1-731-4651 -- are exclusively Linux Mint. Despite being two model years apart with different Intel processors, cards, and internal parts, both have become nearly useless transferring files to connected devices. Since at least Mint 19.2 my numerous USB 3.0 flash drives and two extreme transfer SD cards rarely receive data beyond 12 MBps, and are usually below 8 MBps. Putting that in perspective, it's taken 59 minutes to transfer 20GB to a USB 3.0 flash drive. Sending back to the Aspires brings normal USB 3.0 speeds around 640 MBps and roughly 170 MBps for the cards. Until now, my nearly one year with Mint has been delightfully flawless. But this sudden fault may well force me to dual-boot another Linux distribution. First, however, I'm seeking help finding some common denominator between two fairly different specification Aspires.

For now, I've refrained from such desperate fix attempts as a clean install of 19.3 or trying:

Path: /etc/default
Line to be added: iommu=soft

I'm well familiar with such commands as lsusb -t and lspci -v, but I'm dealing here with two very different external device types. One works through USB connection, the other directly through circuit boards. So rather than share numerous and likely pointless command results, I'm starting with the simple question: where might I begin looking for that "common denominator" among a maze of factors? Although I suspect my problem is a Mint 19 series issue, not an ACER one, I'm perplexed that I'm not finding others here with the same or a similar output-only transfer speed collapse.

JackE

>>> But this sudden fault may well force me to dual-boot another Linux distribution.>>>

The common denominator seems to be 19.x. Did you upgrade from 18.x or 19.1 and didn't notice the issue before? I'm running Cinnamon 19.3 on one of mine. I've got some minor issues but not with USB since it only has USB2 ports so I can't test it for you.  Have you posted this issue on the mint forums yet? Join the fray if not. Jack E/NJ   https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=287623

WJB-2

JackE said:

The common denominator seems to be 19.x. Did you upgrade from 18.x or 19.1 and didn't notice the issue before?

Switched both Aspires to Linux Mint 19.1 in early 2019, making my newer E1-731 model a Windows 10 dual boot as a precaution. It was in August, using Mint 19.2 as I prepared to fully abandon Windows 10, that I seemed to observe Mint having slower write speeds. However, I didn't bother to compare megabytes per second levels because transfer times were no where near the present untenable speeds. About two months before Mint 19.3's release is when I experienced the 59 minute transfer of a 20GB file with the E1. I noticed that transferring back to the E1 brought normal USB speed. Finding the same exact circumstance with the other Aspire, a Z1620, I was preparing to make a warranty claim on two USB flash drives. But fortunately before I made any claims I noticed all of my flash drives were affected along with my two SDs -- SanDisk "Extreme Plus" models that theoretically can reach a 90MB/s write speed.
I suspect this problem worsened over time because as I got serious about troubleshooting I was stunned to find average transfers at 7MB/s or 8MB/s with brief, occasional increases to 12MB/s.

JackE said:

I'm running Cinnamon 19.3 on one of mine. I've got some minor issues but not with USB since it only has USB2 ports so I can't test it for you.

Thanks. Just keep in mind the issue is not USB only because an internal card reader -- as opposed to one inside a mobile USB hub -- reaches an SD via a PCs' circuit board. Hence your concurrence with my thinking that this is not an ACER issue, but one with the Mint 19 series.

JackE said:

Have you posted this issue on the mint forums yet? Join the fray if not. Jack E/NJ   https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=287623

Yes, I joined Linux Mint Forums at least a week before installing Mint. I posted this issue there and after four days I received only a request for an "inxi -Fxz" read out. Naturally that tells us nothing, so not at all surprisingly I heard nothing more. Then today as I prepared to "bump" the Mint Forums post I came across this Mint comment on Reddit:

"Default file manager is a bit laggy with large folders, so I typically have second file manager installed for those situations. (Reportedly there are some optimisations coming that are being experimented with this month so watch this space.)"

So I "bumped" that post with an edit to say I was:

1. Clarifying my post to simply ask, "How Do I Replace Mint's Highly 'Laggy' File Manager -- and With What?"
2. Considering installing a dual boot with Ubuntu or Intel's Clear Linux (both my Aspires are Intel) in hopes those operating systems support better write speeds.
3. Considering the -- ugh -- tricky solutions of using my two ACER Iconia Android devices for transfers while considering the fairly arduous task of dual booting Mint with Android x86.

Received a few responses, the most notable one being to try transferring files through terminal commands. Leaving the destination folder open theoretically slows a transfer. Certainly it wouldn't slow things to the drastic levels I'm seeing, but I'll give it a try in hopes it helps somewhat.

JackE said:

>>> I'm running Cinnamon 19.3 on one of mine. I've got some minor issues ....

Did you by chance do it as an upgrade from 19.2? I upgraded to 19.3 Xfce from 19.2 -- that is how Linux mavens recommend doing it, theoretically to protect the base -- and had so many issues I did a clean install on both systems, wiping the entire disks and installing Mint 19.3 Mate. It didn't fix transfer speeds as I hoped but ended a myriad of troubles from atypically jittery HDD to windows closing or becoming transparent frames to a barely functioning touch pad.  The Mint Team does offer a fix for the touch pad issue, but all is fine now with Mate, which I absolutely love.

Gawain

just for future reference with point no.1 - Cinnamon comes with Nemo as the file manager but to simply install another file manager, then they're either in the software centre or simply add at the command line (terminal):
for thunar which is fast and comes by default with xfce, type this:    sudo apt-get install thunar
for dolphin which has a great split screen function and comes with KDE, type this:     sudo apt-get install dolphin
and for basic benchmark data for read write speeds (internal and usb etc), I use gnome disks:   sudo apt-get install gnome-disk-utility
the last one does allow for partition deletions etc so be mindful if using it.
There's no problems with having multiple file managers on the same system, and any additional dependencies requires should get added at the same time as the install.

ps. next time you need a new usb stick, make sure it's a usb 3.1 - i get sustained read/writes of 300/100+ mbs (128gb samsung bar plus). on a very low powered swift 1 (using mx linux).

JackE

>>>It was in August, using Mint 19.2 as I prepared to fully abandon Windows 10, that I seemed to observe Mint having slower write speeds>>>>>>Did you by chance do it as an upgrade from 19.2? I>>>

To rule in or rule out Mint-caused issues, how fast are the uploads to the sticks & cards in Win10? BTW, I leave Windows on my machines partly for testing things like this. Plus I have full access to the Windows partitions anyway. You might want to consider the same thing before abandoning Win10. https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=287623

As for NEMO, FileExplorer is pretty laggy too without indexing.

I started with Cinnamon 18.3 and stepped up through each 19 release.

WJB-2

Gawain said:

just for future reference with point no.1 - Cinnamon comes with Nemo as the file manager but to simply install another file manager, then they're either in the software center or simply add at the command line (terminal) ...

Thanks for the handy detail. I've seen such mention. With warnings to be careful the two file managers don't conflict. You may have noticed mention that I clean-installed 19.3 Mate on both systems after 19.3 Xfce upgrades created problems. So in effect I switched from Thunar to Caja with no speed improvement. I understand Nemo is the only file manager directly developed by Mint. What would you think of running Cinnamon in the Pentium-powered, 4GB DDR3 RAM Aspire E1-731-4651? Not only is Mate running delightfully in the E1, it's equally delightful in an Aspire Z1620-UR31P even though it theoretically should not be installed in such an oldie-but-goodie.

PS. next time you need a new USB stick, make sure it's a USB 3.1 - i get sustained read/writes of 300/100+ mbs (128gb Samsung bar plus). on a very low powered swift 1 (using MX Linux).

Don't all Swift 1's have at least one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port? I know there are USB-C adapters? But doesn't the processor need to be -- no pun intended -- up to speed for 3.1? My latest ACER, an Iconia One 10, is fitted with a MediaTek processor capable of 3.1. So I've been a bit miffed and also puzzled that ACER didn't provide a USB-C port rather than the microUSB connection for charging. I've plugged a SanDisk USB 3.0 drive with a microUSB end into that connection, so now wonder how a USB 3.1 stick might work with an adapter. What do you think? I can also ask over in our Android section. Thanks again!

WJB-2

JackE said:

To rule in or rule out Mint-caused issues, how fast are the uploads to the sticks & cards in Win10? BTW, I leave Windows on my machines partly for testing things like this. Plus I have full access to the Windows partitions anyway. You might want to consider the same thing before abandoning Win10.

Oops. Where I mentioned preparing to abandon Win10 in August, I guess I didn't make it clear I did abandon it. Nuked; gone; both Aspires. Was after discussion with you, @MaClane, others, regarding whether Windows updates could interfere with Linux partitions. As I understand it the "Windows Key" remains in perpetuity on the BIOS/UEFI on manufacturer's units. So I suppose I can reinstall anytime. But a simpler dual boot install I'd like to do this week is lightweight Xubuntu on one or both systems. Of course I could use @Gawain's MX Linux to experiment, but I'm better accustomed to Debian and Ubuntu based Linux.

As for NEMO, FileExplorer is pretty laggy too without indexing.

Interesting. As I wrote yesterday I clean-installed 19.3 Mate on both Aspires after the 19.3 Xfce upgrades created problems. So I unknowingly switched from Thunar to Caja with no speed improvement. I understand Nemo is the only file manager directly developed by Mint. What would you think of running Cinnamon in the Pentium-powered, 4GB DDR3 RAM Aspire E1-731-4651? Not only is Mate running delightfully in the E1, it's equally delightful in the Z1620-UR31P even though it theoretically should not be installed in such an oldie-but-goodie.

Then again, regarding FileExplorer being "pretty laggy too without indexing," many of my files have been repeatedly moved around and/or renamed post Microsoft. Rhetorically speaking, might that explain while no one seems to share this severe speed collapse?

JackE

>>> What would you think of running Cinnamon in the Pentium-powered, 4GB DDR3 RAM>>>

19.3 Cinnamon on a dual boot AO722 AMD C50 4GBDDR3 here. This little netbook started out as 18.3 Cinnamon. A few annoyances but none as annoying as Windows. Faster and more predictable too, though nemo isn't as fast as explore with indexing. Cinnamon's setup to have nearly the same look, feel & function of Microsoft's last half-way decent system, Win7. The machine is also set up to run Win98SE, WinXP & SuSE as 32-bit guests with VMWare's player.

And yes, the Windows license is embedded on your mainboard so you can use Microsoft's installation media creation tool if you want to get a generic version back inside http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery  Drives are certainly big and cheap enough nowadays that dual booting can be advantageous for a number of reasons. Jack E/NJ

WJB-2

JackE said:

19.3 Cinnamon on a dual boot AO722 AMD C50 4GBDDR3 here. This little netbook started out as 18.3 Cinnamon. A few annoyances but none as annoying as Windows. Faster and more predictable too, though nemo isn't as fast as explore with indexing. Cinnamon's setup to have nearly the same look, feel & function of Microsoft's last half-way decent system, Win7. The machine is also set up to run Win98SE, WinXP & SuSE as 32-bit guests with VMWare's player.

So, on those apparently rare occasions you boot into Windows 10, aren't you swamped with updates including, eventually, insistence on upgrading? Some Linux folk say they just don't do the Windows updates. But -- doesn't Microsoft eventually go heavy-duty electronic temper tantrum when one does that?

JackE said:

And yes, the Windows license is embedded on your mainboard so you can use Microsoft's installation media creation tool if you want to get a generic version back inside http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery  Drives are certainly big and cheap enough nowadays that dual booting can be advantageous for a number of reasons. Jack E/NJ

Regarding your link, a rerouting led to a page reading:

Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File)
You’ve been routed to this page because the operating system you’re using won’t support the Windows 10 media creation tool and we want to make sure you can download Windows 10. To use the media creation tool, visit the Microsoft Software Download Windows 10 page from a Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 device.
You can use this page to download a disc image (ISO file) that can be used to install or reinstall Windows 10. The image can also be used to create installation media using a USB flash drive or DVD.

Hmmm. I retain a Microsoft account so wonder if the Microsoft app in my Iconia One 10 would allow access to the MCT/ISO. I'm betting running Windows via Wine or Virtual Box from Linux wouldn't cut it. I'll deal with this later, especially since re-installing Windows means losing Mint, then re-installing it; I'm not up for that right now. I'd rather concentrate on testing with other Linux OSs, such as Xubuntu and possibly Clear Linux. I had an impressive Clear Linux live session going on the "ancient" (by current standards) Z1620 until selecting an MSNBC video froze Firefox so hopelessly the cursor vanished. Hoping for better results with the E1 once I remember the UEFI/"BIOS" password I set. (Yikes!!!) I suppose because Clear Linux is a "stateless" operating system it is blocked by the EFI while Mint live sessions are not. (Should have eliminated that password option after repairing GRUB2. I forgot.)

Gawain

just in case you decide on reinstalling 10, simplest way:
as you're on linux, just download the 10 .iso then make a bootable usb drive with woeusb (i'm assuming mint uses ubuntu 18.04, so this link for the .deb install should work when installed)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

http://ppa.launchpad.net/nilarimogard/webupd8/ubuntu/pool/main/w/woeusb/woeusb_3.3.0-1~webupd8~bionic0_amd64.deb

but for longer term, run it in virtualbox, after all the updates are done, take a copy of the .vdi file (or whatever format you have it in), and keep it in a safe place - any reinstall is simply a case of adding that file back and running in vm again without the pain of going through all those updates!

Gawain

I had a thought - with the slow usb stuff, what kernel are you using and also what is the file system on the usb drives?  (fat32,ntfs, ext4 etc)

JackE

>>>So, on those apparently rare occasions you boot into Windows 10, aren't you swamped with updates including, eventually, insistence on upgrading?>>>

No. Under wifi settings, Go to advanced options. Turn metered connection on. Then press Win+R. Enter 'services.msc'. Scroll down to & right  click properties on the Windows update service. Change from auto to manual update. Disable option will only reset to auto with a re-boot.

>>> http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery  Drives are certainly big and cheap enough nowadays that dual booting can be advantageous for a number of reasons. Jack E/NJ >>>regarding your link, a rerouting led to a page reading:>>>

Of course. For your inconvenience, Microsoft has inconveniently re-directed you because you're using a Linux browser. You must jump through hoops to make it seem like a Windows browser so you can get the Win iso and use parted to make a GPT-FAT32 installation stick. https://www.howtogeek.com/113439/how-to-change-your-browsers-user-agent-without-installing-any-extensions/  .

Or, more conveniently, you can make the installation stick from another Windows machine.  Or if you can't find one, pay ACER $50 for the original factory installation stick or DVD for your model.

As far as installing Windows alongside Linux, instead of Linux alongside Windows, I think if you create sufficient unallocated space on the drive or install another drive, the Win10 installation won't touch the Linux installation.

Jack E/NJ

 

WJB-2

JackE said:

No. Under wifi settings, Go to advanced options. Turn metered connection on. Then press Win+R. Enter 'services.msc'. Scroll down to & right  click properties on the Windows update service. Change from auto to manual update. Disable option will only reset to auto with a re-boot.

Thanks for all that. And for the benefit of any current and future visitors to this post, I'm assuming you manually update your MS Windows installations at various times of your choice. After all, at the very least you would want system patches. And Microsoft is the patching king.
No need to respond if my assessment is correct; I've taken enough time from one of our community's top four mavens.
I've refrained from marking any of the inputs as answering "the question" because those inputs will play a part in my testing in the days or (hopefully not) weeks ahead. Don't know how long ACER keeps these posts active, but likely I should have more time than I should require to further report.

WJB-2

Gawain said:

just in case you decide on reinstalling 10, simplest way:
as you're on linux, just download the 10 .iso then make a bootable usb drive with woeusb (i'm assuming mint uses ubuntu 18.04, so this link for the .deb install should work when installed) ...

Thanks, @Gawain; with so much interaction going on I missed your valuable tip earlier.  And, yes, Mint is 18.04.

I highly value your included instructions for using VM with regard to MS Windows; will print it out as part of my key documentation. Because as an admitted hater of Windows -- due to years of forced use as a broadcast/print journalist -- your suggested process is not only what I want, it's what I need.