<SOLVED> Random Freeze - Linux Mint 19.1 XFCE 64 Bits

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:44 am

Hello and thank you in advance for taking the time to read this!

I am a very new user to Linux Mint and Linux in general, I bought a cheap laptop to get my hand on it and be able to work out of home. Problem is I have random freezes (everything blocks, keyboard can't be used, mouse doesn't move) and I don't know if it comes from hardware or software as I never installed anything else on this laptop. I re-installed everything thinking it can be a problem with my Linux installation but the problem keeps happening.

I tried to have a look at the similar problems in the forum but they happen with a very different hardware and I feel a bit lost as I'm totally new. Can anyone help me on this please ?

Freezes can happen after many hours of use, or a few minutes after turning the computer on. Sometimes when it freezes one time, it freezes again several times in a row, sometimes just once.

Here is my Inxi

EDIT : This is my old Inxi, I switched to XFCE after the first post was made, if you are seeking for help for the same kind of problems you can find more details on the linux version a few posts later

Code: Select all

System:
  Host: MyUsername Kernel: 4.15.0-44-generic x86_64 bits: 64 
  compiler: gcc v: 7.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.0.9 
  Distro: Linux Mint 19.1 Tessa base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Notebook product: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C v: N/A 
  serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Notebook model: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C v: V1.0 serial: <filter> 
  UEFI [Legacy]: American Megatrends v: 5.6.5 date: 12/02/2014 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 23.1 Wh condition: 29.1/32.6 Wh (89%) 
  model: Notebook BAT status: Charging 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Pentium N3540 bits: 64 type: MCP 
  arch: Silvermont rev: 8 L2 cache: 1024 KiB 
  flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 17326 
  Speed: 500 MHz min/max: 500/2666 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 508 2: 503 
  3: 926 4: 694 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display 
  vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.6 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
  resolution: 1366x768~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Bay Trail v: 4.2 Mesa 18.0.5 
  direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series High Definition Audio 
  vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.15.0-44-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast/Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK RTL810xE driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: e000 
  bus ID: 01:00.2 
  IF: enp1s0f2 state: down mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Intel Wireless 7260 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: e000 
  bus ID: 02:00.0 
  IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 14.49 GiB (13.0%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Kingston model: SV300S37A120G size: 111.79 GiB 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 109.53 GiB used: 14.49 GiB (13.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:
  Processes: 198 Uptime: 24m Memory: 3.74 GiB used: 1.38 GiB (36.9%) 
  Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.3.0 Shell: bash v: 4.4.19 
  inxi: 3.0.27

Many thanks!

gene0915 · Post by **gene0915** » Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:45 am

I'm a Linux newbie myself but, can you go into /var/log and upload your kernel and sys log files? Wonder if it's a heat build up problem and the CPU just locks? Is your laptop brand new or did you buy it used?

Maybe try booting a Live distro from USB and let your laptop sit for 12-24 hours and see if it locks up again.

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:48 pm

Hello and thank you for your answer.

I'm a Linux newbie myself but, can you go into /var/log and upload your kernel and sys log files? Wonder if it's a heat build up problem and the CPU just locks? Is your laptop brand new or did you buy it used?

Do you mean the syslog and kern.log files? The whole files might be a bit long to read and seem to contain quite sensitive informations (connection name, some IPs, username and wifi connection names...) is it safe for me to share it entirely or do you need me to copy just a part of it related to the time when the freeze happened? I bought the laptop used.

Maybe try booting a Live distro from USB and let your laptop sit for 12-24 hours and see if it locks up again.

Is it possible for me to work on it and write files to the hard drive doing so ?

Sorry if some questions seem stupid, I'm pretty new to this

Thank you again!

Tonym49 · Post by **Tonym49** » Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:18 am

Hi, this sounds very like a problem I am having with my computer. For me it started about 2 weeks ago, everything freezes with no response to either mouse or keyboard, and the only way out is to force a shutdown with the power switch. As the first poster says, it can be several hours or only a few minutes, and has happened in different applications, i.e. Firefox, Chrome, Thunderbird, VLC, and a game I play from time to time Endless Sky. Thing is though, it only happens if I am using the keyboard or mouse. Reason I say this is because when I am not using the computer, it is running tasks linked to the BOINC project, specifically at present SETI and Einstein@home [LIGO gravity wave] and so it is running 24 hours a day, and has never frozen when running BOINC tasks [no keyboard or mouse input needed] I am running Mint 19.1 Cinnamon on a home built machine with an AMD Athlon X4 845 CPU in an Asus A88X Plus M/B and AMD Radeon R7 240/340 GPU. Kernel active when the problem started was 4.15.0-44. I rolled back to 4.15.0-42 to see if the problem was with that particular Kernel with no success. I continued to experience these freezes. For near 2 years this computer has been rock solid with no problems worth mentioning. I have been a Linux user for several years, starting with Ubuntu 14.04, and have never had anything like this before on either this machine or my Samsung Laptop. [Still on Mint 18.3 Mate and unaffected] If there is any information I could supply to help track this down please let me know. I am an older person and do not have the depth of knowledge a lot of you guys and girls out there will have, but I am comfortable using the Terminal if I know what to look for, and it would be nice to find an answer.

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 3:59 pm

Hello,

Like with your issue, I am forced to shutdown manually using the power button, nothing being responsive.

As I have an Intel Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU N3540 @ 2.16GHz Processor (Intel Bay Trail), and saw a few topics about it, I tried to set the intel_idle.max_cstate=1 in the grub. I thought it worked for a few hours, and then freeze happened again, so it might not be the solution.

I also tried different Linux distributions between yesterday and today, the last Ubuntu LTS, Lubuntu, and now am on Linux Mint 19.1 Xfce Edition instead of Cinnamon. Each time I experienced at least one freeze at some point, and had more problems like random Wi-Fi drops (Wi-Fi connection stops working, i disable it, enable it again and now the computer won't find any nearby connection until I reboot the computer, just like if it was disabled). Another point is it seems to happen more frequently when the battery charger is plugged, but not exclusively.

I must say Mint is the one I like the most and seems the most stable for now but still experiencing random freezes that might be risky for work.

Does anyone have any idea about what I can do now ? If anyone has any answer for my question about sharing syslog and kernel logs two posts ago please let me know

.

Many thanks again

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Fri Feb 01, 2019 4:09 pm

What does this command say:

Code: Select all

cat /sys/module/intel_idle/parameters/max_cstate

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 4:40 am

Hello,

Thank you for your answer, this command returns 1.

Any clue ?

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 5:56 am

Toww wrote: ⤴Sat Feb 02, 2019 4:40 am Hello,

Thank you for your answer, this command returns 1.

Any clue ?

That proves that you've successfully applied the c-state change necessary for Bay Trail CPU's.

1. Disable all visual effects in your Xfce:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... html#ID5.3
(item 5.3)

2. If you use Firefox as web browser, switch to Chrome or Chromium. That seems to help on one of my laptops with Bay Trail CPU.

3. For troubleshooting your flaky WiFi, please provide the output of:

Code: Select all

iwconfig

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 6:37 am

Hello,

Just disabled the visual effects in Xfce and switched to Chromium as you suggested, I had freezes even without Firefox being launched but that might still be a good thing to do

.

About the wifi, here is the answer to iwconfig :

Code: Select all

lo        no wireless extensions.

enp1s0f2  no wireless extensions.

wlp2s0    IEEE 802.11  ESSID:"free_wifi"  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: 0E:78:2C:A1:45:5C   
          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power=22 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on
          Link Quality=57/70  Signal level=-53 dBm  
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:215  Invalid misc:44863   Missed beacon:0

Thanks again for the help.

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:15 am

OK, now turn off power management for your WiFi, like this:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID9
(item 9)

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:46 am

Ok, I just turned off the power management for the Wi-Fi as explained in your link, it is off now.

As it happens randomly I'll tell you as soon as I know if freezes or Wi-Fi drops happen again, thanks !

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:15 am

Hello again!

For now there is no freeze on the computer but it still can happen sometime soon, I will let you know.

The Wi-Fi keeps dropping though, when it happens all connections are visible and it writes me as connected but the internet has stopped working. Whenever I disable and re-enable Wi-Fi via the interface, all connections disappear and the icon changes from Wi-Fi to Ethernet, and it can't find any connections even if there are plenty around me.

I also tried the command :

Code: Select all

service network-manager restart

The result is the same as disabling / re-enabling Wi-Fi via the interface. Do you have any idea of what I could do ?

Thank you for your website, it is very helpful for new users like me

.

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:21 am

Strange....

Please generate an overview of your system like this:
- Launch a terminal window (this is how to launch a terminal window);
- make the terminal window full screen, to avoid chopped lines;
- Copy/paste this command into the terminal:

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz

(if you type: the letter F is a capital letter)

Press Enter.

Copy/paste the output in your next message.

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:33 am

Here is the inxi :

Code: Select all

System:    Host: b-mo Kernel: 4.15.0-45-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.3.0 Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 
           Distro: Linux Mint 19.1 Tessa base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Notebook product: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C v: N/A serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Notebook model: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C v: V1.0 serial: <filter> UEFI [Legacy]: American Megatrends v: 5.6.5 
           date: 12/02/2014 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 28.8 Wh condition: 29.3/32.6 Wh (90%) model: Notebook BAT status: Discharging 
CPU:       Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Pentium N3540 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Silvermont rev: 8 L2 cache: 1024 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 17326 
           Speed: 1417 MHz min/max: 500/2666 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1415 2: 1416 3: 1257 4: 1394 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:02.0 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.6 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1366x768~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Bay Trail v: 4.2 Mesa 18.2.2 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series High Definition Audio vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: snd_hda_intel 
           v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.15.0-45-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast/Gigabit Ethernet vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK RTL810xE driver: r8169 
           v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: e000 bus ID: 01:00.2 
           IF: enp1s0f2 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel Wireless 7260 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: e000 bus ID: 02:00.0 
           IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 11.33 GiB (10.1%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Kingston model: SV300S37A120G size: 111.79 GiB 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 109.53 GiB used: 11.33 GiB (10.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:      Processes: 192 Uptime: 27m Memory: 3.74 GiB used: 954.8 MiB (25.0%) Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.3.0 
           Shell: bash v: 4.4.19 inxi: 3.0.27

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:42 am

A shot in the dark, but try whether this helps:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... .html#ID10
(item 10)

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:21 am

Thank you,

I just followed the instructions and will give you some news about random drops and freezes if it happens or in the next days if everything went well as both happens randomly

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Thu Feb 07, 2019 11:39 am

Hello again,

Wi-fi drops keep happening even on a different connection this time, so it doesn't seem to come from the network I was connected to in any way.
The drop still happens randomly, and last time I had an error message saying that the Wi-Fi was disconnected, usually it just stops working without any message. I still have to reboot for it to work again.

It seems to happen more often when the battery is charging but it might be completely unrelated.

Any idea ?

Many thanks again.

Pjotr · Post by **Pjotr** » Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:17 pm

Worth a try:

1. Check the support section of the website of your laptop maker, for a BIOS update. When available, install it.

2. Update Manager - panel: View - Linux kernels. Install the latest kernel from the 4.18 series. Then reboot.

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:21 pm

Thank you very much, I will try it as soon as I can and let you know if it helped

Toww · Post by **Toww** » Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:51 pm

Sorry about the double post but I am having trouble updating the BIOS and want to be sure I am doing everything right.

I am trying to find the motherboard model to be sure to pick the right bios as the laptop was assembled by a different manufacturer (LDLC) than the classic ones (Dell, Hp, Lenovo, Asus...). When I launch hardinfo I have this info in the DMI section, but searches on the internet doesn't really help :

Code: Select all

-Product-
Name		: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C
Family		: To be filled by O.E.M.
Vendor		: Notebook
Version		: Not Applicable
-BIOS-
Date		: 12/02/2014
Vendor		: American Megatrends Inc. (American Megatrends, www.ami.com)
Version		: 5.6.5
-Board-
Name		: W54_W94_W955TU,-T,-C
Vendor		: Notebook
Version		: V1.0
Serial Number		: (Not available; Perhaps try running HardInfo as root.)
Asset Tag		: Tag 12345
-Chassis-
Vendor		: Notebook
Type		: [10] Notebook
Version		: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Serial Number		: (Not available; Perhaps try running HardInfo as root.)
Asset Tag		: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

The laptop is an LDLC Aurore, but can't find any details about the motherboard on manufacturer's website.

The vendor is marked as Notebook, which doesn't really help. I don't really know if it is safe to update the BIOS straight from American Megatrend's website, and not sure about the one I should choose..?

Is it possible to change the kernel (step 2 of your post) without updating the BIOS first, and is there a chance it would help ?

As usual, many thanks and sorry to bother you again

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