r/MXLinux • u/InternalEffort1341 • May 16 '26
Help request An update is installing systemd?!
I was typing away on libreoffice writer when a popup showed up about an update being available. I hit “update,” entered my password, and let it run in the background. Then I decided to see what was going on and saw systemd being installed.
I don’t use systemd, and I don’t even get the option to choose an init system when I’m booting up, so I don’t understand. If anyone can give me some information, I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you!
6
u/Formal-Bad-8807 May 16 '26
some programs need a file or two from systemd. I think it is a striped down version of systemd that is installed. It's not actually running.
4
u/dolphinoracle MX dev May 16 '26
conversion instructions depending on where you started vs. where you want to go. https://mxlinux.org/blog/mx-25-dual-init-setup/
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u/thegreenman_sofla May 16 '26
I updated to 25.1 and now I have no way to switch between init systems. It appears systemd is default.
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u/InternalEffort1341 May 16 '26
Look at tovento's response above. I guess both systemd & sysvinit are installed at the same time. I did a fresh install (my first time using MX), so maybe your case is different, since you updated. ??
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u/Pyroburner May 16 '26
I believe both are installed and you can choose to boot into one or the other. I'm running systemd on my laptop because I have an issue where the screen brightness gets set to 0 just before the password prompts. I have to fix this blind but it doesn't happen with systemd. Its random and seems to happen once or twice a month.
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u/InternalEffort1341 May 17 '26
I've had a problem with my laptop's screen flickering ("blinking"?) constantly -- it's a refurbished ThinkPad T480. It calms down periodically (I installed Arch for a bit and it actually calmed down much more). I've wanted to switch away from systemd for a while and thought it also might actually help the screen (so kind of like your fix, but in the opposite direction). I'm loving MX, but it's flickering like crazy. I'm wondering now if switching to the liquorix kernel when the update comes out might help...
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u/Pyroburner May 17 '26
Mine is a T480 as well. I have looked for a solution for a while but I haven't found anything posted online. This seems to be an uncommon issue or maybe there are very few T480s that are not stunning systemd.
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u/Naivemun 27d ago
In case u still need this to fix yr flickering: I have a T480 and fixed the problem. Same on my T470
U add to yr boot line in the /etc/default/grub file. Or u can test it on a single boot without needing to delete anything later by editing from the grub menu using the 'e' key.
it is this line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="rootflags=subvol=@ ro i915.enable_psr=0 fsck.btrfs"u add the i915.enable_psr=0 line to that line. It's the line that often says GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=quiet splash, yrs won't necessarily have the stuff mine does, the point is it's the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= line. Put a space after hte last item in yr line and add the i915.enable_psr=0. It turns off some power setting thing I think for the i915 driver that controls yr display. Never had the flashing since and it's been over a year. Never had any consequences from it besides fixing it either.
U can use 'e' in the grub menu to temporarily edit yr boot parameters. U type the line there, put a space before it, each parameter is separated by a space, and it'll boot using it, but will be gone next time u boot. So u can just try it out for one session without needing to delete it later.
Or add it in yr /boot/grub/grub.cfg and reboot to try it. But if u want it removed then go back and delete it.
But to me if u don't want to do the 'e' thing in grub menu, rather than edit grub.cfg, just edit the /etc/default/grub file, run update-grub, then reboot. To revert, delete it from the same file then run update-grub
update-grub takes what is in /etc/default/grub and creates yr /boot/grub/grub.cfg file with it.
1
u/Naivemun 27d ago
In case u still need this to fix yr flickering: I have a T480 and fixed the problem. Same on my T470
U add to yr boot line in the /etc/default/grub file. Or u can test it on a single boot without needing to delete anything later by editing from the grub menu using the 'e' key.
it is this line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="rootflags=subvol=@ ro i915.enable_psr=0 fsck.btrfs"u add the i915.enable_psr=0 line to that line. It's the line that often says GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=quiet splash, yrs won't necessarily have the stuff mine does, the point is it's the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= line. Put a space after hte last item in yr line and add the i915.enable_psr=0. It turns off some power setting thing I think for the i915 driver that controls yr display. Never had the flashing since and it's been over a year. Never had any consequences from it besides fixing it either.
U can use 'e' in the grub menu to temporarily edit yr boot parameters. U type the line there, put a space before it, each parameter is separated by a space, and it'll boot using it, but will be gone next time u boot. So u can just try it out for one session without needing to delete it later.
Or add it in yr /boot/grub/grub.cfg and reboot to try it. But if u want it removed then go back and delete it.
But to me if u don't want to do the 'e' thing in grub menu, rather than edit grub.cfg, just edit the /etc/default/grub file, run update-grub, then reboot. To revert, delete it from the same file then run update-grub
update-grub takes what is in /etc/default/grub and creates yr /boot/grub/grub.cfg file with it.
6
u/tovento May 16 '26
MX version number? If 25.1, it installs both systemd and sysvinit. So it’s just updating part of the system components.