inxi: everything about your system
The terminal application inxi is very useful, if you want to have all kinds of information about your system and your hardware. Below you'll find some tips for using inxi.
Ubuntu doesn't contain inxi by default. You can install it in Ubuntu like this:
Launch a terminal window.
(You can launch a terminal window like this: *Click*)
Use copy/paste to transfer the following line into the terminal:
sudo apt-get install inxi
Press Enter. Type your password when prompted; this will remain entirely invisible, not even asterisks will show, which is normal.
1. A complete hardware and system overview
You can generate a complete hardware and system overview like this:
- Launch a terminal window.
(You can launch a terminal window like this: *Click*)
- Important: now make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
- Use copy/paste to transfer the following line into the terminal:
inxi -Fxpmr
(when you type: note that the F is a capital letter!)
Press Enter.
Want even more details? Then use this command:
inxi -Fxxxpmr
2. Complete hardware and system overview with privacy filter
When you ask other people to help you with computing problems, for example on an internet forum, then it's useful to provide a complete hardware overview. But preferably one which contains no privacy invading information. That can be done like this:
- Launch a terminal window.
(You can launch a terminal window like this: *Click*)
- Important: now make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
Then copy/paste this command into the terminal:
inxi -Fxxxpmrz
(when you type: note that the F is a capital letter!)
Press Enter.
Tip: if you want to post your hardware overview on a forum, use copy/paste to transfer it from the terminal into your forum message.
3. Complete list of the software sources in your system
You can generate a complete list of the software sources that your system uses, with the following terminal command (use copy/paste):
Important: first make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
Copy/paste this command into the terminal:
inxi -Sr
(when you type: note that the S is a capital letter!)
Press Enter.
4. Sound card
Important: first make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
You can retrieve all data concerning your sound card with the following terminal command (use copy/paste):
inxi -Ax
(when you type: note that the A is a capital letter!)
Press Enter.
5. All mounted partitions with UUID's
Important: first make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
You can identify all mounted partitions on your hard drive with a UUID, with the following terminal command:
inxi -u
Press Enter.
6. Update inxi to the latest version
You can update inxi to the latest version like this:
a. In Linux Mint the update feature of inxi has been blocked. But you can remove that block with this terminal command (use copy/paste to transfer it into the terminal):
sudo rm -v /etc/inxi.conf
Press Enter. Type your password when prompted. In Ubuntu this remains entirely invisible, not even dots will show when you type it, that's normal. In Linux Mint you see asterisks when you type your password. Press Enter again.
b. With that, you've removed the settings file with the block (that's the only setting it contained, so no worries). Now you should be able to update inxi. Namely with the following terminal command:
sudo inxi -U
(Note that the U is a capital letter)
Press Enter.
Note: the first time that you update inxi, you might get to see an error about the man pages (the manual). If so, execute the update command a second time, in order to remove that error.
Want to undo this (but why?) and switch back to the original inxi? Then simply execute this terminal command:
sudo apt-get install --reinstall inxi
7. Fun stuff: the weather with inxi
Run this terminal command to make inxi give you a weather report:
inxi -wxxx
Press Enter.
8. More with inxi?
Important: first make the terminal full-screen, in order to avoid chopped lines.
You can read how to get much more information from inxi, with this terminal command:
man inxi
Press Enter.
9. Requesting information from a help seeker on a Linux forum
When you're a Linux forum helper and you want to ask a help seeker about relevant information concerning his Linux problem, you can copy/paste the following blue text in your reply. It already contains code and layout tags that are applicable on most web fora.
Cut out the last four commands if it doesn't concern WiFi troubles:
If need be, establish temporary internet connection [url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/temporary-internet.html]by means of the tethering feature of your cell phone[/url].
Please generate an overview of your system like this:
- Launch a terminal window [url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/terminal.html][i](this is how to launch a terminal window)[/i][/url];
- Make the terminal window full screen, to avoid chopped lines;
- [url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/copy-paste.html]Copy/paste[/url] this command into the terminal:
[code]inxi -Fxxxpmrz[/code]
[i](if you type: the letter F is a capital letter, and don't omit the space after inxi!)[/i]
Press Enter.
[url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/copy-paste.html]Copy/paste[/url] the output into your next message.
Do the same with the following four commands:
[code]rfkill list all[/code]
[code]iwconfig[/code]
[code]lsusb[/code]
[code]lspci[/code]
In order to request the Secure Boot status on a forum:
- Launch a terminal window [url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/terminal.html][i](this is how to launch a terminal window)[/i][/url];
- [url=https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/copy-paste.html]Copy/paste[/url] this command into the terminal:
[code]sudo apt-get install mokutil && mokutil --sb-state[/code]
Press Enter. Type your password when prompted. In Ubuntu this remains entirely invisible, not even dots will show when you type it, that's normal. In Mint this has changed: you'll see asterisks when you type. Press Enter again.
If it reports that Secure Boot is enabled: reboot and disable Secure Boot in the BIOS. In order to do this, you might need to set an administrator password in the BIOS first.
No worries: although Secure Boot is a fairly reasonable idea in theory, it provides little real-life security anyway. So disabling it is no loss. In practice, Secure Boot is primarily an obstacle for using another operating system than Microsoft Windows. Which might or might not be an intended side effect.
Want more tips?
Do you want more tips and tweaks? There's a lot more of them on this website!
For example:
Speed up your Linux Mint!
Clean your Linux Mint safely
Avoid 10 fatal mistakes
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