[SOLVED][Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

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monnand

[SOLVED][Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by monnand »

Hi all,

On my lenovo thinkpad T430s, the latest mint freezes randomly roughly once a day. I also tried other distros, including Arch, Fedora, Mint... none of them works perfectly --- they all freeze randomly.

Right now, I didn't see anything useful from the log. When the system freezes, I can do nothing bot hard reboot --- Alt-Ctrl-F1 does not work, Ctrl-Alt-Backspace neither. (See solution in update below)

The only (possible) useful piece of information from the log during boot is:
kernel: [ 5.767141] [drm] MTRR allocation failed. Graphics performance may suffer.
Does anyone have similar problem with me?

I tried 3.4.11 kernel as well, it does not work for me.

Some information about my system:
$ uname -a
Linux monnand-laptop 3.4.11-030411-generic #201209141955 SMP Fri Sep 14 23:56:56 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ cat /etc/issue
Linux Mint 13 Maya \n \l
$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:19.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation Panther Point High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point 6 port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation Panther Point SMBus Controller (rev 04)
03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (rev c4)
04:00.0 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd Device e823 (rev 07)
$
Right now, I cannot figure out which part goes wrong now (propably the kernel, because I was using Arch several months ago and it has same problem --- in fact, that's the reason why I turned to Mint.) I tried Fedora and ubuntu as well, they all have same problem. Until now, I cannot reproduce this bug. If anyone can help me to point out which part trigered it, it would be helpful.

If you need any other information, please let me know.

Update: This is not the software's problem. It is the problem of T430s' motherboard. If you have same problem, the only way to solve it is sending back to lenovo and ask them to replace the motherboard.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
pharpend

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by pharpend »

I had the exact same problem on the T530. My system would randomly freeze four or five times per day, and I would have to force it to shut down (holding down the power button). The problem turned out to be an incompatibility between the kernel (2.6.something) and my graphics card (Intel). I see you also have an intel graphics card. I upgraded my kernel to 3.4.8, and I no longer have random freezes. I do have problems with random logouts, but they are much less frequent.
monnand

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by monnand »

pharpend,

I have upgraded to 3.4.11 and still have same problem. But mine is less frequent than yours, about once per day.

I noticed someone disabled his Security Chip on BIOS to solve similar problem. I tried, and until now, it works fine. (My laptop is working for >24hr without freezing.) But considering it as a non-determinisytic behavior, I would not say it is solved. I will keep running my laptop for at least one week and see what happens.
monnand

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by monnand »

Well... Unfortunately, I failed.

Here are some attemps that failed until now:

- upgrade to a higher version of kernel: 3.4.11. Still freeze
- disable the security chip on BIOS. Still freeze.
monnand

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by monnand »

Recent update:

It seems like the problem of the hardware it self. I found more evidence about it:
http://help.wfu.edu/thinkpads/t430s/status

I updated to kernel 3.6.2. It randomly panic (yes, kernel panic) with error messages (I will upload the error message soon.)

Here is my solution: call lenovo tech support and tell them about the problem. They first said that the problem is because of the GNU/Linux itself and they are not responsible for it. I showed them some evidence I found online saying it is the hardware's problem. And fortunately, they said they will send me a box and let me send the laptop back and they will repair it.

I am not sure if they can fix it. (It is possible that they simply start my computer, and decided not to fix it simply because of seeing a Linux on it.) I will keep reporting my status on this topic.
N2PY.net

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by N2PY.net »

Any update on this?... I'm looking to possibly pick up this make/model of laptop, but if there are incompatibilites, then I might move along and look at other laptops. THANKS. -Brent
monnand

Re: [Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by monnand »

Now I finally get my t430s back from lenovo. A summary on this problem:

- Lenove replaced the motherboard. The problem of freezing is not because of software, it is because of the defective hardware.
- I have been watching youtube for about an hour and there is not freeze until now. I will test more applications later
- I sent my laptop on Oct 25 and get it back on Nov 15, which is more than 3 weeks. What's worse, their website always return HTTP 500 error making me impossible to check the repair status online. I have to call them everyday.

In short, if you have same problem on your Thinkpad T430s, don't hesitate, it's not your fault, not GNU/Linux's fault, it's their defective hardware. Call lenovo, send your laptop back and let them to repair it. Remember: the repair may take longer than you expect. If you don't want to wait, you can return it for refund and buy a new one --- that will take less time.

If you are considering to buy a T430s:

According to lenovo, this problem is solved for laptops bought after Sep 7th. However, I cannot confirm it. But at least, they have a solution on it. (I will keep testing other applications and see if it crashes again.)
N2PY.net

Re: [SOLVED][Thinkpad T430s] System freezes randomly

Post by N2PY.net »

Many thanks for the update, this helps me (and others I'm sure). -Brent
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