Linux Mint 17 is a long term support release which will be supported until 2019
I would install a recent version.
It is really easy to download and install.
Is your computer 64 bit?
If you don't know then what can you tell us about the computer?
On November 28, 2020 09:23:42 Callie Jones <calypsoraven [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com> wrote:
My o/s is about 4 yrs old (Mint 17). It has been running fine although I
had been thinking about upgrading as I was aware the system wasn't up to
speed anymore and was gradually slowing down. The problem is I am not a
tech savvy person at all so would need outside help. In any case, when the
pandemic started I knew I would not be upgrading any time soon and hoped
all would be well.
All was well until a couple of days ago, when out of the blue, the green
"show desktop" icon in the lower left corner of the panel was blank, no
content at all. Right clicking displayed, the 2 options: 1) About... and 2)
Remove This Applet. Single clicking resulted in the screen going blank or
reverting to the background image.
I can not access anything through the desktop as all content has just
disappeared! Therefore I have no access to any programs, such as GIMP which
I use all the time, and word files
that I use daily for my work. Everything else is still functioning so my
work is not being hampered at this point, however there is no way to know
if something more severe is imminent. I have done a complete backup just in
case.
I would appreciate any input on this matter.
Marlene