Mint 20 MATE slow/not working if not external monitor connected

[miguelgb]

Hi everyone,

I just got a Dell Inspiron G5 5505 and I setup it on dual boot. At first I couldn't log in on mint except in recovery mode. I changed the kernel and edited the grub file on etc/default. Now I can login on mint, but I have to connect the laptop to an external monitor for it to respond. Moreover, if I disconnect the monitor after the login, 50% of the times the keyboard and the GUI stop working (save for the touchpad/mouse cursor, but clicking does not respond). The other 50% of the time the keyboard works, but has a 2-3 seconds delay. Sometimes the system goes back to normal when I connect the monitor again, but sometimes not.

inxi -Fxxxrz output:

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 5.8.0-33-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
  Desktop: MATE 1.24.0 info: mate-panel wm: marco 1.24.0 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 20 Ulyana base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Dell product: G5 5505 v: 1.4.4 serial: <filter> 
  Chassis: type: 10 v: 1.4.4 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Dell model: 0X9GYK v: A00 serial: <filter> UEFI: Dell v: 1.4.4 
  date: 09/30/2020 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 51.0 Wh condition: 51.0/51.0 Wh (100%) volts: 12.9/11.4 
  model: BYD DELL M4GWP06 type: Li-poly serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:
  Topology: 8-Core model: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with Radeon Graphics bits: 64 
  type: MT MCP arch: Zen rev: 1 L2 cache: 4096 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm 
  bogomips: 92630 
  Speed: 1299 MHz min/max: 1400/2900 MHz boost: enabled Core speeds (MHz): 
  1: 1615 2: 1698 3: 1302 4: 1212 5: 1269 6: 1212 7: 1427 8: 1693 9: 1817 
  10: 1502 11: 1764 12: 1462 13: 2657 14: 1326 15: 1545 16: 1524 
Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] 
  vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f 
  Device-2: AMD Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
  chip ID: 1002:1636 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa compositor: marco v: 1.24.0 
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz, 1920x1080~120Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon RX 5600M (NAVI10 DRM 3.38.0 5.8.0-33-generic 
  LLVM 10.0.0) 
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.0.8 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: AMD Navi 10 HDMI Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel 
  v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.1 chip ID: 1002:ab38 
  Device-2: AMD vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.1 
  chip ID: 1002:1637 
  Device-3: AMD Raven/Raven2/FireFlight/Renoir Audio Processor vendor: Dell 
  driver: snd_rn_pci_acp3x v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.5 chip ID: 1022:15e2 
  Device-4: AMD Family 17h HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel 
  v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.6 chip ID: 1022:15e3 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.8.0-33-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Dell driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 2000 bus ID: 05:00.0 
  chip ID: 10ec:8168 
  IF: enp5s0 state: down mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 vendor: Bigfoot Networks driver: iwlwifi 
  v: kernel port: 2000 bus ID: 06:00.0 chip ID: 8086:2723 
  IF: wlp6s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 476.94 GiB used: 50.91 GiB (10.7%) 
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: SK Hynix model: BC511 NVMe 512GB 
  size: 476.94 GiB speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 serial: <filter> rev: 11001101 
  scheme: GPT 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 210.06 GiB used: 50.84 GiB (24.2%) fs: ext4 
  dev: /dev/nvme0n1p7 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 70.6 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
  GPU: device: amdgpu temp: 58 C fan: 65535 device: amdgpu temp: 55 C 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/graphics-drivers-ppa-focal.list 
  1: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/graphics-drivers/ppa/ubuntu focal main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb https://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/linuxmint-packages ulyana main upstream import backport
  2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
  3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
  4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
  5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
  6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/slack.list 
  1: deb https://packagecloud.io/slacktechnologies/slack/debian/ jessie main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/spotify.list 
  1: deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list 
  1: deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf] http://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main
Info:
  Processes: 394 Uptime: 13m Memory: 15.01 GiB used: 1.98 GiB (13.2%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.17 running in: mate-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 

When I select mint on the grub menu this appears before the login:


I'd appreciate any help you can give me.

Happy holidays!

[SMG]

Welcome to the forum, miguelgb.

I just got a Dell Inspiron G5 5505 and I setup it on dual boot. At first I couldn't log in on mint except in recovery mode.

The Renoir graphics on this computer requires the 5.8 kernel in order to get the graphics drivers which is why you had to use the recovery mode initially.

What edits did you make to grub?

Did you add something from this repo?
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/graphics-drivers-ppa-focal.list
1: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/graphics-drivers/ppa/ubuntu focal main

When I select mint on the grub menu this appears before the login:

The image is way too small to read. I downloaded it and tried to make it larger and it becomes unreadable. Can you describe what is on it?

[miguelgb]

Hi SMG thank you so much!

Here are the replies:

The Renoir graphics on this computer requires the 5.8 kernel in order to get the graphics drivers which is why you had to use the recovery mode initially.

Makes sense.

What edits did you make to grub?

This were the changes I made:

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GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi=strict"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="iommu=soft"

Did you add something from this repo?
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/graphics-drivers-ppa-focal.list
1: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/graphics-drivers/ppa/ubuntu focal main

Yes, I used that repo.

The image is way too small to read. I downloaded it and tried to make it larger and it becomes unreadable. Can you describe what is on it?

Sorry about the image, the site didn't save the resolution it had on the upload. Here's the text transcribed:

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[   0.256586] ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolver symbol [\_SB[0.256586] ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolve symbol [\SB.PCIO.LPCO.E
CO], AE_NOT_FOUND (20200528/dswload2-162)
[   0.256586] ACPI Error: AE_NOT_FOUND, During name lookup/catalog (20200528/ps
object—220)
[   2.323131] [drm:amdgpu_device_resize_fb_bar [amdgpu]] *ERROR* Problem resizing BAR0 (-22)

[SMG]

Did you add something from this repo?
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/graphics-drivers-ppa-focal.list
1: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/graphics-drivers/ppa/ubuntu focal main

Yes, I used that repo.

Did you use that repo before or after you upgraded to the 5.8 kernel? What did you install from it?
Your graphics information indicates you are using amdgpu from the kernel (items in blue), so hopefully there are no remnants of the PPA causing an issue.

Graphics:
Device-1: AMD Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT]
vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f
Device-2: AMD Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0
chip ID: 1002:1636
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa compositor: marco v: 1.24.0
resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz, 1920x1080~120Hz
OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon RX 5600M (NAVI10 DRM 3.38.0 5.8.0-33-generic
LLVM 10.0.0) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.0.8 direct render: Yes

This were the changes I made:

Code: Select all

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi=strict"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="iommu=soft"

You indicated in your initial post, "At first I couldn't log in on mint except in recovery mode. I changed the kernel and edited the grub file on etc/default." Did you make all three of those changes (kernel, acpi=strict, iommu=soft) at the same time or did you do them one at a time to make sure you were not adding more parameters/changes than were needed? Ideally, the first change attempted would be going to the 5.8 kernel. Only if that did not work would you begin adding the other parameters. However, perhaps you added them for reasons other than not being able to boot. Let us know if that is the case because they might be contributing to the issue you are experiencing.

Usually all the kernel parameters are put on the same line (the first line of the two you listed). Were you having problems booting into recovery mode? That would be the reason to put a parameter on the second line.

Sorry about the image, the site didn't save the resolution it had on the upload. Here's the text transcribed:

Code: Select all

[   0.256586] ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolver symbol [\_SB[0.256586] ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolve symbol [\SB.PCIO.LPCO.E
CO], AE_NOT_FOUND (20200528/dswload2-162)
[   0.256586] ACPI Error: AE_NOT_FOUND, During name lookup/catalog (20200528/ps
object—220)
[   2.323131] [drm:amdgpu_device_resize_fb_bar [amdgpu]] *ERROR* Problem resizing BAR0 (-22)

BIOS updates are usually the best way to address the first two items. They are quite common errors and are not a reason for the issue you have described in this thread. As long as you are running the latest BIOS/UEFI, you can leave them be.

The last line is related to your graphics driver, amdgpu, but from what I have found so far, others are not noticing issues related to that message.

I did find Dell release an updated BIOS this week Dell G5 SE 5505 Drivers and Downloads which affects the discrete graphics card. I do not know if that might help this situation. I presume you already have the VBIOS update which came out several months ago.

I presume you are not having any issues with the Windows install? That would rule out this possibly being related to a hardware issue.

[miguelgb]

Did you use that repo before or after you upgraded to the 5.8 kernel? What did you install from it?

I used this repo before upgrade to the 5.8 kernel and this are the packages I have installed from it:

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libvdpau1:amd64     Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix (libraries)
libvulkan1:amd64 1.2.131.2-1   Vulkan loader library

You indicated in your initial post, "At first I couldn't log in on mint except in recovery mode. I changed the kernel and edited the grub file on etc/default." Did you make all three of those changes (kernel, acpi=strict, iommu=soft) at the same time or did you do them one at a time to make sure you were not adding more parameters/changes than were needed?

I made one at a time (first I edited the grub file lines and then the kernel update) and checked if there were any changes after every fix. However, I didn't change them back. Should I do it?

[miguelgb]

Forgot to mention, I haven't had any issue with the Windows partition, Steam runs smoothly.

Cheers.

[SMG]

However, I didn't change them back. Should I do it?

I suggest removing the parameters to see if they help resolve this. Ideally, you do not want to be using parameters because they can limit the functionality of the kernel, but sometimes kernel parameters are needed.

I just helped someone a few days ago with the exact same Dell computer [SOLVED] Drivers for AMD Radeon RX 5600M who noted, "It seems that you were right all along. I just needed to upgrade the kernel. I did not rollback the changes on my grub files until you mentioned it." which leads me to believe you may not need those grub parameters.

[miguelgb]

I removed the grub file parameters and updated the grub. However, all the issues persist and this time the and additional message appears in the boot:

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[   1.882778] pci 0000:00:00.2: AMD-Vi: Unable to read/write to IOMMU perf counter.

[SMG]

I removed the grub file parameters and updated the grub. However, all the issues persist and this time the and additional message appears in the boot:

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[   1.882778] pci 0000:00:00.2: AMD-Vi: Unable to read/write to IOMMU perf counter.

iommu=soft will make that error no longer show, but it also makes changes to system performance. There are often things which can be done so messages do not show in the log, but that does not mean the root issue was addressed. This is one of those situations. Usually laptops do not have BIOS/UEFI options for configuring IOMMU which is where that issue is ideally addressed. Considering you are seeing no difference, it does not appear to be related to your issue. I think I have an idea of what might be happening which I will explain in the next post.

Do you already have these updates, which I mentioned earlier, installed?

I did find Dell release an updated BIOS this week Dell G5 SE 5505 Drivers and Downloads which affects the discrete graphics card. I do not know if that might help this situation. I presume you already have the VBIOS update which came out several months ago.

[SMG]

It was common for laptops in the past to have Intel/Nvidia graphics which were referred to as Optimus-style laptops. Intel is the iGPU and Nvidia is the discrete card. The laptop has the ability to switch between the two and to have Intel drive one display and Nvidia drive a second one (or just be the renderer). We refer to that as switchable graphics. Ubuntu/Mint can handle those laptopss upon install. In many cases, but not all, only the discrete card is wired to handle external graphic ports.

Then AMD/Nvidia laptops became more popular with AMD being the apu and Nvidia being the discrete card. Those laptops require some "behind the scenes" work after installation in order to switch the graphics. An experienced member of this forum devised the "behind the scene" code to make it work. As with the Intel/Nvidia, usually, but not always, the discrete card handles the external graphic ports.

You have an AMD/AMD laptop which has an AMD apu and an AMD discrete card. Based on your inxi information, it appears the discrete card is handling the graphics rendering. If your laptop has the more common wiring of the discrete card handling the external graphics ports, that may explain what is happening when you disconnect the monitor.

The dilemma your laptop presents is both the apu and the gpu use the same amdgpu drivers. The work done for laptops described in the prior paragraphs have different manufacturers/drivers so it is easier to know which one is handling the graphics. While the name of the renderer is different for Renoir and RX 5600M, the display driver is the same name which means I do not know right now how to differentiate which AMD graphics card is being used for the display driver. So I am not sure how Mint is handling your graphics. Nor do I know how your laptop is wired to know if only one or both of the AMD graphics is driving the laptop's display. I will do some searches to see what I can find.

The XOrg server controls the graphics and its log file may offer some clues as to what is happening. Use this command in a terminal to upload the X Server log file to termbin:
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | nc termbin.com 9999
It will return with a url address that you should post in your next reply.

[SMG]

Dell G5 SE 5505 Setup and Specifications indicates there are three possible connections for displays.

Port ----------------> Graphics used
mini DisplayPort---> RX 5600M
HDMI-----------------> RX 5600M
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) port with DisplayPort--->Renoir

To which port do you have your monitor connected?

[miguelgb]

Thank you so much for the explanation!

I had the idea it was related to the type of graphic card in the machine but it's a little bit over my current linux habilities.

Here's the link https://termbin.com/a736

Also, I'm using the HDMI port for the external monitor.

[SMG]

This computer is apparently the first to use AMD's SmartShift technology. Here is AMD's description AMD SmartShift Technology. Here are two articles describing it What Is AMD SmartShift Tech And What Should You Expect and What Is AMD’s SmartShift And What Does It Do?.

From what I understand so far, the technology is designed to balance the load of the entire system (CPU and GPU) dynamically at the hardware level. Reading through this thread Amd Smartshift makes the wrong decisions it does not appear there is a way for the user to decide which graphics--apu or the gpu--is being used when in Windows. (Someone did find some settings in the registry to change later in the thread, but that's not how the technology was designed to be used.)

Apparently seeing stuttering is the system switching between the two graphics, so that may explain the stuttering you were seeing when you detached the monitor. Having a monitor connected to a laptop is a bigger load on the system than just using the laptop alone. However, if this change is being handled on the hardware level, we may be limited as to what tweaks can be done in Mint to address it.

Do a check of inxi -Gx when you do not have the monitor attached and you have a low load on the system to see what renderer is listed, AMD Renoir or AMD Radeon RX 5600M. I will look closer at the X Server log today and see if I get any ideas.

[miguelgb]

There is an issue I haven't noticed. If I boot the machine without the monitor I can only use the text console (the one activated with Ctrl+Alt+F4).

Inxi -Gx (w/external monitor):

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Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] 
  vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 
  Device-2: AMD Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon RX 5600M (NAVI10 DRM 3.38.0 5.8.0-33-generic 
  LLVM 10.0.0) 
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.0.8 direct render: Yes 

Inxi -Gx (without external monitor):

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Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] vendor: Dell 
           driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa tty: 240x67 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 

[SMG]

inxi -Gx information will result in different display information is if one is logged into the GUI versus just a terminal. Did you have a GUI when you ran the (without external monitor) info, or had it crashed?

I presume you can boot and see things on the laptop screen and plug and unplug the monitor when in Windows 10 with no issues?

I went and checked the other thread with the Dell Inspiron G5 5505 where the person indicated they were able to get an image on the screen. Although the BIOS/UEFI is the same as yours, you have a different motherboard model.

The only other difference is that person is using Cinnamon and you have MATE.

While they are both Mint under the desktop, they use different windows managers/compositors. I do not know if that might be a factor. I do know people with AMD graphics and MATE/Xfce were running into major screen artefact issues 20.04 Display issues with AMD GPU (on MATE and Xfce). Those running Cinnamon did not have those issues. I do not know if any of the suggestions in that thread might help with the stability issues you are seeing, or if running Cinnamon would result in better stability.

Looking through the X Server log, it indicated the RX 5600M is handling the two external ports and Renoir is handling the other external port and the laptop display. Neither graphics card is set as the primary GPU. While I did see the normal modeline setup information for the external monitor, I did not see anything for the laptop screen. I do not know why that might happen, but that may be why nothing comes up on that screen.

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[    11.765] (II) AMDGPU(0): glamor X acceleration enabled on AMD Radeon RX 5600M (NAVI10, DRM 3.38.0, 5.8.0-33-generic, LLVM 10.0.0)
[    11.766] (II) AMDGPU(0): Output DisplayPort-0 has no monitor section
[    11.766] (II) AMDGPU(0): Output HDMI-A-0 has no monitor section
[    11.779] (II) AMDGPU(0): EDID for output DisplayPort-0
[    11.781] (II) AMDGPU(0): EDID for output HDMI-A-0 --(details listed in subsequent lines)

[    11.794] (II) AMDGPU(G0): glamor X acceleration enabled on AMD RENOIR (DRM 3.38.0, 5.8.0-33-generic, LLVM 10.0.0)
[    11.795] (II) AMDGPU(G0): Output eDP-1-0 has no monitor section
[    11.795] (II) AMDGPU(G0): Output DisplayPort-1-1 has no monitor section
[    11.801] (II) AMDGPU(G0): EDID for output eDP-1-0 --(details listed in subsequent lines)
[    11.802] (II) AMDGPU(G0): EDID for output DisplayPort-1-1

[    11.831] (WW) AMDGPU(0): Option "PrimaryGPU" is not used
[    11.893] (WW) AMDGPU(G0): Option "PrimaryGPU" is not used

There is an issue I haven't noticed. If I boot the machine without the monitor I can only use the text console (the one activated with Ctrl+Alt+F4).

That might relate to the fact X Server is not registering modeline information for the laptop screen. This may not be a factor, but check the Login App to see what the Monitor setting is.

What is odd is your original inxi information did show two screens, but the one you just produced only showed one. In addition, a compositor is listed for the original, but not for the latest. Did you change any compositor settings? That might be a factor in the stability.

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 Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa compositor: marco v: 1.24.0 
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz, 1920x1080~120Hz 
  
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: amdgpu,ati 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz  

[SMG]

In addition, a compositor is listed for the original, but not for the latest.

When I wrote this I had forgotten the output difference between running inxi -Gx versus inxi -Gxxx (the equivalent of the original -Fxxxrz) which is probably why there is no compositor showing on the second output. Sorry for any confusion my original statement may have caused.

[miguelgb]

No worries, here's the output of inxi -Gxxx (no GUI):

External monitor connected:

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	   Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] vendor: Dell 
           driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
           chip ID: 1002:1636 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa compositor: marco 
           v: 1.24.0 tty: 240x67 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 

No external connected:

Code: Select all

Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] vendor: Dell 
           driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
           chip ID: 1002:1636 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa tty: 240x67 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 

I booted from an USB image (I know it's not the same, but I have already some data and installed software on the linux partition and I'd prefer to find another solution before install cinnamon), but it didn't work and the screen only show this before rebooting:



I don't have any issues with the monitor (alone or with external connected) on Win 10.

This may not be a factor, but check the Login App to see what the Monitor setting is.

The monitor setting on the Login App is Auto.

If there is no other solution, I guess I could install cinnamon

[SMG]

I do not know much about MATE files so my ability to help troubleshoot the GUI crashing may be limited. We could try checking the logs to see what might have happened. That is probably the next step to take.

While the other person installed Cinnamon, they also have a different motherboard. That could also make a difference. I have seen that happen with other laptops where we had been able to help one person, but not another even though the exact same instructions were followed. Or one person had to use different instructions to get it to work even though they were the same models.

The fatal error is for amdgpu trying to connect with the RX 5600M. Your laptop really needs the 5.8 kernel, so I am not too surprised at the amdgpu errors messages. The amdgpu errors are the ones causing the problem; the other errors do not cause the system or display to fail.

While the default kernel for the upcoming release of LM20.1 is 5.4, there will be an ISO with the 5.8 kernel because so many people now have the Renoir graphics. That could be an option to try Cinnamon using a live session rather than having to install to test it. I do not know when that will be available as the development team is still cleaning up issues found during beta testing, but it is expected to be soon.

A couple of places to check for information:
-- System Reports app - I would think if MATE desktop GUI crashed there would be some information there.
--.session-errors is a "hidden" file in /home - I know that is a place where investigations are done if Cinnamon crashes. I would guess MATE crashes would put error or messages there as well (but I do not know that for sure).

Because this technology is so new and, as far as I am aware, this is the only computer model with it, I can only make guesses as to how Mint is handling it.

The boot logs and /var/log/syslog may have information as well, but let's see if the prior two places I mentioned have any information so we might be able to decide which would be the best log files to check.

[miguelgb]

Now I have this problem with the external monitor. Once I unplugged it, the keyboard doesn't respond at all (100% of the time) and only the cursor works, not even clicking. So everytime I do some test to check the logs when it crashes (after disconnecting the monitor or exiting GUI) I have to forcebly turnoff the laptop. I'm not sure if that can affect the hardware, but hopefully not.

The system report app didn't show anything, but two files (.xsession-errors and .xsession-errors.old):

.xsession-errors:

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bus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/miguelgb/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting SHELL=/bin/bash
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-mate:/etc/xdg
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT4_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting MANDATORY_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/mate.mandatory.path
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XMODIFIERS=@im=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DESKTOP_SESSION=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PWD=/home/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LOGNAME=miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GPG_AGENT_INFO=/run/user/1000/gnupg/S.gpg-agent:0:1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/miguelgb/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GDM_LANG=en_AU
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting HOME=/home/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting IM_CONFIG_PHASE=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=MATE
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting CLUTTER_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_CLASS=user
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DEFAULTS_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/mate.default.path
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting USER=miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting SHLVL=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/mate:/home/miguelgb/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:/usr/local/share:/usr/share
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PATH=/home/miguelgb/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GDMSESSION=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting _=/usr/bin/dbus-update-activation-environment
mate-session[1308]: WARNING: Unable to find provider '' of required component 'dock'
Window manager warning: Log level 128: unsetenv() is not thread-safe and should not be used after threads are created

(caja:1557): Gtk-WARNING **: 11:40:46.722: Failed to register client: GDBus.Error:org.gnome.SessionManager.AlreadyRegistered: Unable to register client

(mate-volume-control-status-icon:1581): libmatemixer-CRITICAL **: 11:40:46.770: mate_mixer_stream_control_get_mute: assertion 'MATE_MIXER_IS_STREAM_CONTROL (control)' failed

(mate-volume-control-status-icon:1581): libmatemixer-CRITICAL **: 11:40:46.771: mate_mixer_stream_control_get_mute: assertion 'MATE_MIXER_IS_STREAM_CONTROL (control)' failed
blueman-applet 11.40.46 WARNING  PluginManager:147 __load_plugin: Not loading PPPSupport because its conflict has higher priority
blueman-applet 11.40.46 WARNING  PluginManager:147 __load_plugin: Not loading DhcpClient because its conflict has higher priority
blueman-applet 11.40.47 ERROR    AgentManager:18 on_register_failed: /org/bluez/obex/agent/blueman org.bluez.obex.Error.AlreadyExists Agent already exists
(node:1580) [DEP0005] DeprecationWarning: Buffer() is deprecated due to security and usability issues. Please use the Buffer.alloc(), Buffer.allocUnsafe(), or Buffer.from() methods instead.
(electron) Sending uncompressed crash reports is deprecated and will be removed in a future version of Electron. Set { compress: true } to opt-in to the new behavior. Crash reports will be uploaded gzipped, which most crash reporting servers support.

(blueman-tray:1735): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 11:40:47.322: gdk_window_thaw_toplevel_updates: assertion 'window->update_and_descendants_freeze_count > 0' failed
(electron) 'BrowserWindow.getDevToolsExtensions' is deprecated and will be removed. Please use 'session.getAllExtensions' instead.
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/mintcommon/installer/_flatpak.py:13: PyGIWarning: AppStreamGlib was imported without specifying a version first. Use gi.require_version('AppStreamGlib', '1.0') before import to ensure that the right version gets loaded.
  from gi.repository import AppStreamGlib, GLib, GObject, Gtk, Gio
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2400011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2400011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2400011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2400011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Log level 128: posix_spawn avoided (automatic reaping requested) (fd close requested) (child_setup specified) 
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2400011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.

.xsession-errors.old:

Code: Select all

dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/miguelgb/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting SHELL=/bin/bash
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-mate:/etc/xdg
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT4_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting MANDATORY_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/mate.mandatory.path
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XMODIFIERS=@im=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DESKTOP_SESSION=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PWD=/home/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LOGNAME=miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GPG_AGENT_INFO=/run/user/1000/gnupg/S.gpg-agent:0:1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XAUTHORITY=/home/miguelgb/.Xauthority
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GDM_LANG=en_AU
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting HOME=/home/miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting IM_CONFIG_PHASE=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=MATE
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting CLUTTER_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_SESSION_CLASS=user
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DEFAULTS_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/mate.default.path
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting USER=miguelgb
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DISPLAY=:0
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting SHLVL=1
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting QT_IM_MODULE=ibus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/mate:/home/miguelgb/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:/usr/local/share:/usr/share
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting PATH=/home/miguelgb/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting GDMSESSION=mate
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus
dbus-update-activation-environment: setting _=/usr/bin/dbus-update-activation-environment
mate-session[1306]: WARNING: Unable to find provider '' of required component 'dock'
Window manager warning: Log level 128: unsetenv() is not thread-safe and should not be used after threads are created

(caja:1555): Gtk-WARNING **: 11:34:21.699: Failed to register client: GDBus.Error:org.gnome.SessionManager.AlreadyRegistered: Unable to register client

(mate-volume-control-status-icon:1575): libmatemixer-CRITICAL **: 11:34:21.771: mate_mixer_stream_control_get_mute: assertion 'MATE_MIXER_IS_STREAM_CONTROL (control)' failed

(mate-volume-control-status-icon:1575): libmatemixer-CRITICAL **: 11:34:21.773: mate_mixer_stream_control_get_mute: assertion 'MATE_MIXER_IS_STREAM_CONTROL (control)' failed
blueman-applet 11.34.22 WARNING  PluginManager:147 __load_plugin: Not loading PPPSupport because its conflict has higher priority
blueman-applet 11.34.22 WARNING  PluginManager:147 __load_plugin: Not loading DhcpClient because its conflict has higher priority
blueman-applet 11.34.22 ERROR    AgentManager:18 on_register_failed: /org/bluez/obex/agent/blueman org.bluez.obex.Error.AlreadyExists Agent already exists
(node:1571) [DEP0005] DeprecationWarning: Buffer() is deprecated due to security and usability issues. Please use the Buffer.alloc(), Buffer.allocUnsafe(), or Buffer.from() methods instead.

(blueman-tray:1739): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 11:34:22.779: gdk_window_thaw_toplevel_updates: assertion 'window->update_and_descendants_freeze_count > 0' failed
(electron) Sending uncompressed crash reports is deprecated and will be removed in a future version of Electron. Set { compress: true } to opt-in to the new behavior. Crash reports will be uploaded gzipped, which most crash reporting servers support.
(electron) 'BrowserWindow.getDevToolsExtensions' is deprecated and will be removed. Please use 'session.getAllExtensions' instead.
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/mintcommon/installer/_flatpak.py:13: PyGIWarning: AppStreamGlib was imported without specifying a version first. Use gi.require_version('AppStreamGlib', '1.0') before import to ensure that the right version gets loaded.
  from gi.repository import AppStreamGlib, GLib, GObject, Gtk, Gio
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2c00011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Log level 16: Visible region is null
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2c00011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Buggy client sent a _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW message with a timestamp of 0 for 0x2c00011 (mintMenu.p)
Window manager warning: meta_window_activate called by a pager with a 0 timestamp; the pager needs to be fixed.
Window manager warning: Log level 16: Visible region is null
Window manager warning: Log level 128: posix_spawn avoided (automatic reaping requested) (fd close requested) (child_setup specified) 

[SMG]

No worries, here's the output of inxi -Gxxx (no GUI):

External monitor connected:

Code: Select all

	   Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] vendor: Dell 
           driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
           chip ID: 1002:1636 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa compositor: marco 
           v: 1.24.0 tty: 240x67 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 

No external connected:

Code: Select all

Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 10 [Radeon RX 5600 OEM/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT] vendor: Dell 
           driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:731f 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Renoir vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 07:00.0 
           chip ID: 1002:1636 
           Display: server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa tty: 240x67 
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 

I just looked at these again and realized the compositor is still not showing in the second case. I do not know if that is part of the issue or not. The compositor works with X server.

Here is a discussion of compositors in MATE How to determine best choice for window manager. Maybe a different one will provide better stability regarding this issue?

Now I have this problem with the external monitor. Once I unplugged it, the keyboard doesn't respond at all (100% of the time) and only the cursor works, not even clicking.

At this point, that sounds like a reason to keep it plugged in.

The .xsession-errors.old file had these two lines which the other one did not. This might be related to the issue at hand.

Code: Select all

Window manager warning: Log level 16: Visible region is null
Window manager warning: Log level 16: Visible region is null

Since this appears to be one boot back (the old), perhaps checking that log will provide useful info. Run this and provide the url link it returns.

Code: Select all

journalctl -rb -1 | nc termbin.com 9999