Linux Mint’s switch to a longer development cycle – the next release is coming at Christmas – has a knock on effect for people trying to install it on newer hardware that requires a newer kernel.
So, a solution has been found.
A new set of ISO images dubbed HWE (Hardware Enablement have been published to “address compatibility issues with brand new hardware”, says Linux Mint project lead Clement Lefebvre.
The new Linux 22.3 HWE image contains the Linux 6.17 kernel. The team will, from this point on, publish new HWE ISOs each time a new HWE kernel arrives in the distro itself.
But Linux Mint already has a newer kernel?
The Linux Mint ISO is fixed at the kernel version it had when it was built. If you download Linux Mint 22.3, it boots off of Linux 6.14. Fine for most devices, but if your laptop or PC has components that went on sale after Linux 6.14 was released, compatibility may be patchy.
If you’re planning to install Linux Mint 22.3 on newer hardware, or running into compatibility issues, then download the HWE ISO instead of the standard one.
Right now, the HWE ISO uses Linux 6.17 (it rolled out in the Ubuntu 24.04.4 HWE earlier this year), and there’ll be a new HWE ISO with Linux 7.0 published in the summer, when the Ubuntu 24.04.5 HWE stack is scheduled to roll out.
However, these are not new releases of Linux Mint per se, simply the current version with a newer kernel bundled in. If you have an existing install you aren’t missing out on anything since you get Ubuntu’s HWE stack delivered as a software update.
Download Linux Mint’s new HWE ISOs from a new page on the official website.