What kernel to choose? So many options and most of them not good - Some advice.

[oshunluvr]

Lately a few new members have broken their installs messing around with kernel installations and removals, some to the point of leaving themselves with an unbootable condition.

I use KDEneon, a distro much like Kubuntu with a faster updating Plasma version but everything else based on (K)ubuntu 22.04 LTS, so for the purposes here, it's the same as Kubuntu 22.04

A quick command line check of installable packages, filtered by the words "linux" and "limage" reveals a whopping 334 kernel images. Trimming out all this that are immediately undesirable or not needing consideration: those that are "unsigned", "oem" (more on this is a bit) and the meta packages - which aren't actually kernels - leaves a manageable 10 kernel images.

Kubuntu 22.04

linux-image-5.15.0-25-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.15.0-72-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.15.0-73-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.15.0-75-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.15.0-76-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.19.0-41-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.19.0-42-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.19.0-43-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.19.0-45-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-5.19.0-46-generic - Signed kernel image generic ​

My Kubuntu 23.04 install shows even fewer:

linux-image-6.2.0-20-generic - Signed kernel image generic
linux-image-6.2.0-23-generic - Signed kernel image generic
​linux-image-6.2.0-24-generic - Signed kernel image generic
​linux-image-6.2.0-25-generic - Signed kernel image generic

but without filtering 273 kernels are available

The point of this is: You do not need and should not install any kernels other than the generic kernels, unless you know for a fact that your system requires a specific non-standard kernel.

"oem" kernels are special kernels for specific hardware not in the ubuntu kernels. Again, unless you know for a fact you need one, don't even attempt to install them. The process can lead to the generic kernel being removed automatically possible leaving you with in an unbootable state.

Don't get me wrong: I am 100 % for trying new things and testing out stuff, even right up to the point of breakage. But unless re-installing your OS on a regular basis is your kind of fun, you might want to leave the the most important part of your OS - the kernel - to the experts and stick with what works.

[claydoh]

To add to this great advice, the only words in the names of kernel packages that are 'stock' will have 'linux-image' and 'generic' in them --and nothing else other than the kernel version number, or the Ubuntu version.
The only exception is on LTS, where you will see packages including 'hwe', along with the Ubuntu version.
(these will be from so-called meta-packages, which I won't go into, other than they simply define a group of related packages to be installed. Such as kernels and their dependencies)
ANYTHING ELSE should be a no-no, unless you know-know.

[Schwarzer Kater]

I suggest to make this a sticky!

[Fred-VIE]

I suggest to make this a sticky!

I'd rather fix the update so that those kernels wont install in the first place.
New Linux Users dont know that they wont run so why install them?

[oshunluvr]

I've never seen an update install a alternate kernel. Something else must have been going on.

[claydoh]

@oshunluvr: There are enough reports of some *buntu users having extra kernels pulled in as dependencies related to an Nvidia package update, and not just in the past few weeks:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubuntu/comm...nd_doesnt_work
https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread....6#post14127016
https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2482558
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs..._acting_weird/
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...x/+bug/2025560
This does NOT preclude some other contributing factor playing a part.

[Schwarzer Kater]

There are also enough people who just install e.g. lowlatency, mainline or Liquorix kernels, because some person somewhere in the internet wrote that this a great idea.
And afterwards they wonder why some things don't work anymore as they did before.

If one had kernels installed by e.g. buggy packaging, the list above shows what should be there.

[GreyGeek]

"Always trust what you see on the Internet" ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Schwarzer Kater]

To see what actually is installed concerning the kernel (and possibly some additional packages) you can open the Konsole terminal emulator and e.g. enter
sudo dpkg -l | grep -E '^ii' | awk '{first = $1; $1 = ""; print}' | sed 's/^ //g' | grep -E --color=never '^linux-'

To see the installed kernel images only enter
sudo dpkg -l | grep -E '^ii' | grep --color=never 'linux-image'