Linux kernel 2.6.38 - major power usage increase

[craig10x]

precisely my observations, ibm450...i am on my hard install of Mint 10 on this same laptop and the fan is as quiet as a mouse
The laptop even feels a lot cooler too...I have to laugh, a friend of mine said..maybe you have dust in your fan...yeah right
Nope...no question...it is related to that bug in the new kernel....strange how it affects some but not others...but obviously it must have been reported by many for it to be rated as a major bug...

[ibm450]

on another note, its come to my attention that the battery life is alot longer on the generic kernel 2.6.35-22 *_*

[AlbertP]

We will get an update to the 2.6.38 kernel as soon as this issue is fixed.

[craig10x]

Please post on this thread about it when it does...So i will know it is safe to go "in the water" again
For now that kernel scared me off...i can fry eggs in a pan on the stove...don't need to do it on my laptop

[AlbertP]

I am afraid I will forget this, but anyway, there are other Mint 11 users out to report that their power usage has become normal again.

[ibm450]

one would think THAT this issue would have been updated in the 2.6.39rc5 kernels?
i had to put my ear next to the laptop last night to see whether my fan was still working while on the 2.6.35-22 LOL
i stopped using unity after this .38 kernel melt down kernel discovery

well it makes alot of sense now why debian 6 is still using the old kernel

[AlbertP]

For the time being, the 2.6.39 also causes an increase in power usage. This kernel will also get a fix when it is released - but you may not get an update automatically as this kernel is not in the repository.

[ibm450]

ok, i installed 2.6.35-28 and have noticed more heat was been generated then 2.6.35-22

[craig10x]

Just a reminder to please post when this bug gets fixed...in the meantime, i can't do any distros with the new kernel...

[MountainX]

Just a reminder to please post when this bug gets fixed...in the meantime, i can't do any distros with the new kernel...

There is a workaround that seems to help a lot. Here's a link:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p= ... stcount=49

I did the workaround for Ubuntu 11.04, including upgrading to kernel to 2.6.38-10.

BTW, is kernel to 2.6.38-10 available for Linux Mint? If so, what is the procedure to get it?

[Aging Technogeek]

2.6.38-10 is now in the repos and available as a level 5 update.

[AlbertP]

Sorry, but why does it need to be level 5? 2.6.38-8 contains quite some bugs (acer-wmi, ath9k, ...).

[nunol]

Yes, on my netbook I can now use the 2.6.38-10 kernel with wireless, before I had to upgrade the kernel to 2.6.39 or use 3G.

[Aging Technogeek]

For an explanation of update levels and why kernel updates are always level 5, see this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=90&t=77027#p447795

[ibm450]

LOL

thats why i reverted back to 2.6.34 as this kernel has the best performance all round (battery lasts longer, better compression with zips, better encoding and stays alot cooler) running on the older kernel on mint 10, and, yet better results with heat issues (cooler) on the original 2.6.32) and yet everything works on asus UL50VT including nextG wireless modem with both kernels.

2.6.39 and 3.0 on either mint 10 or natty the laptop runs hot and battry drains like anything even including the power regression hack into the grub line dosnt make any difference what so ever - so that is why im sticking to mint 10 with then old stable kernels - so far NO issues with heating and battery life is alittle bit better, but nothing to brag about as power managment has always been poor with linux.

[tdockery97]

I tried the 2.26.38-10 and it screwed things up for me. I don't seem to have any problems with the 38-8. I guess it's all a matter of what hardware you have.

[craig10x]

yes...had same problem ibm450...back on Mint 10 now with it's older kernel and it runs fine without those problems...I'd rather wait for a real fix rather then 3rd party patches that may or may not work well...When the real fix comes down the distros from the kernel developers i hope someone will post here...

[z06gal]

I am now running the 2.6.39.3 kernel and I am not having any heat issues at all. My temps are usually in the 37 to 44 degree range depending upon what I am doing. Battery life is normal unless I turn my Nvidia Optimus graphics card on. Can't complain so far.


Robin

[craig10x]

I am now running the 2.6.39.3 kernel and I am not having any heat issues at all. My temps are usually in the 37 to 44 degree range depending upon what I am doing. Battery life is normal unless I turn my Nvidia Optimus graphics card on. Can't complain so far.


Robin

Ah...interesting, Robin, and thanks for posting that update...good to know...i wonder if any changes were made in that version that was the cause of the improvement...
Or perhaps you were just lucky on your particular hardware...

[AlbertP]

There is only a little improvement in 2.6.39.

Some laptops are NOT affected by the 2.6.38 power bug. That's the only reason why z06gal can get normal battery life. And my HP Pavilion dv6730ed also has normal battery life after a BIOS update.