Troubleshooting

This page covers the common errors and warnings that may be encountered when using TLP Battery Boost, along with suggested actions.

"Authentication failed 3 times."

Cause: The user did not enter the correct sudo password in three attempts.

Action:

  • Ensure you are typing the correct sudo password.
  • If you continue to have trouble, verify that your user can run sudo commands from the terminal.

"Password required."

Cause: The user submitted an empty password in the authentication dialog.

Action: Enter your sudo password to proceed.

"Incorrect password."

Cause: The user entered the wrong sudo password.

Action: Try again with the correct password. Maximum three attempts are allowed.

"sudo not found on this system."

Cause: Either sudo is not installed, or it is not available in your PATH, or your user cannot run sudo.

Action:

  • Install sudo using your distribution’s package manager, e.g.:
  • Ensure your user is allowed to run sudo:
  • If you see “user is not in the sudoers file”, add your user to the sudoers list following your distro’s documentation.

"Authentication process timed out."

Cause: Sudo prompt took too long or hung.

Action: Retry launching the app. Ensure your system is responsive and no other modal dialogs are blocking sudo prompts.

"Unexpected Error ..." (during authentication)

Cause: Some unexpected error occurred when running sudo.

Action: Check that sudo is installed and operational. Launch a terminal and run:

sudo -v

Resolve any issues reported there before relaunching the app.

TLP errors

These include:

  • "TLP is not installed or not in PATH."
  • "Error: Could not initialize TLP."
  • "TLP command failed"
  • "System error while running TLP command"
  • "Command not found: ..."

Cause: The app cannot execute the necessary TLP commands. This can happen if TLP is not installed correctly, if AC power is not connected (for tlp fullcharge), or due to system errors.

Action:

  • Verify TLP is installed and operational by running in a terminal:

tlp-stat -s sudo tlp fullcharge - Ensure AC power is connected when using full-charge mode. - If commands fail, resolve TLP issues before using Battery Boost.

AC power required dialog

"Full charge mode requires AC power..."

Cause: The app detects that your laptop is not plugged into AC power.

Action: Connect your laptop to AC power and try again. Click "Retry" in the dialog.

"No battery data found."

Cause: TLP failed to provide battery statistics.

Action:

  • Ensure TLP is installed and active.
  • Run in terminal to verify:
sudo tlp-stat -b
  • If the command returns battery data, relaunch the app. If not, investigate TLP configuration.

Thresholds/charge appear as "???"

Cause: The battery information could not be read.

Action:

  • Ensure TLP is installed and active.
  • Ensure TLP is properly configured for your system.

General Note: If you see any other errors, ensure that TLP is correctly installed and configured on your system as per the installation guide.