Is this an Nvidia graphic card glitch or is it my computer getting too old?

[loveLM]

Hi all,

I've been using LinuxMint for a while and my last installation was LinuxMint 18.1. However in recent months after some kernel updating I have experienced such issues:
sometimes the screen will have weird glitches for a few seconds;

the screen might freeze suddenly, it might recover after 1 minute or 2, or it might require forced restarting;
sometimes it would suddenly become black screen and restart itself;
when it went "sleep" after a while, when I pressed enter the lock screen disappeared and a new login screen would be there, whatever I had done previously were all lost (such as opened web pages etc)

Today I've updated to LinuxMint 18.2, made sure the Driver Manager has the "recommended" one installed. But the above problem remained. This wasn't happening for quite a while until recently, and I don't know when exactly. I wonder if this is an Nvidia graphic card issue with Linuxmint or was it just my computer getting too old?
Some information:
HP Elitebook 8540w
Nvidia Graphic card Quadro FX 1800M
Driver: nvidia - 340.102 (recommended)

[Amii_Leigh]

I've actually had an issue really similar to that with an old monitor. Actually, I think it's your video card giving you problems. Make sure the fan is working on it. If it isn't, it is possible (as long as you have a desktop computer) to use a wire clothes hanger to prop up a case fan to blow into the non-functioning video card. I know it's possible, because I'm doing it now.

[Hoser Rob]

... after some kernel updating ...

That's a big clue. Have you tried reverting the kernel to one that worked?

[loveLM]

@Amii_Leigh
I also suspected the graphic card problem. This is a workstation laptop not a desktop, but I did try using laptop fan to cool it down and problem remains. So I guess perhaps it's not caused by fan or sth.

@Hoser Rob
Since I didn't notice WHEN it started to happen exactly, I have no idea which version of kernel update might have caused it. That's why I updated the computer to the latest 18.2 in the hope all the problem will disappear... but it seems it still remained. Meanwhile I also tried installing Nvidia's official driver which is 340.104 (instead of 340.102 recommended by Linuxmint), and even Bumblebee etc, but those attempts created even more issues... which was another reason that I eventually decided to reinstall the system (from 18.1 to 18.2) since after all the "fixes" I tried it just got worse to the point that I only got the lowest resolution.

So far I just try to comfort myself when glitches happen - after all, we don't get to see those "computer created art" so often do we? lol

[BG405]

I'd hazard a guess that this looks like faulty graphics memory but it may be worth trying the latest kernel from the 4.4 series, if you haven't done so already.

[loveLM]

@BG405

I think I'm pretty up to date with that. Currently I think I have 4.10.0-38-generic (<--- is this kernel version?)

[BG405]

You are correct re. that being the kernel version. The 4.10 kernel might be the cause of your issue (driver regression?) which is why I suggested trying the latest of the 4.4 series; 4.4.0-98 at the time of posting. You could also try 4.11. The 4.8 series is EOL now IIRC.

Setting the following in /etc/default/grub will make it easier for you to test as you can hit ESC (or left SHIFT if that doesn't work) during the countdown & select the kernel you want, which will be remembered on boot-up until you select a different one:

Code: Select all

GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=4
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=false

You might want a longer timeout, it's up to you.

You'll get a message along the lines of "Setting GRUB_TIMEOUT to a non-zero value when GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT is set is no longer supported; this may be sorted by setting GRUB_TIMEOUT to zero or commenting it out. Note I have not tried this & it doesn't appear to cause any issues anyway.

Note that I do not have an Nvidia card installed in any of my machines so it's a bit of a shot in the dark I'm afraid.

[Amii_Leigh]

I thought I might bring up again that it's possible that your monitor could be going bad. Just to find out, try the monitor in question on any other computer you have available.
The monitor that I had, had done it with me done it once, then went to working well for a few months, then started doing the same thing all over again, but this time, no matter how many times I rebooted the computer or disconnecting or reattaching it to my computer would make it start working again. It finally went totally black. After that happened, I figured I'd get another monitor.
Let's keep our fingers crossed yours doesn't suffer a similar fate. Or maybe, just maybe, the guys here hit on the right solution to fix your problem.

[loveLM]

@Amii_Leigh
I think you might be right too. We just got another brand new monitor (not for this laptop but for other work) and we're going to plug in and test for a while.

It could be just both reasons: the graphic card doesn't work well, and the monitor is getting old/bad, or other stuff in there as my laptop is really old... who knows.

[loveLM]

Hey Guys,

just wanted to update. The glitch got definitely less when I use external monitor, however my computer still freezes at times. I figure that must be multiple problems inside, and I don't know which caused what. Opening the laptop doesn't provide any clue to me either. We decided to let it go and get a new laptop instead. Thank you for your help!

[noscail]

Hey Guys,

just wanted to update. The glitch got definitely less when I use external monitor, however my computer still freezes at times. I figure that must be multiple problems inside, and I don't know which caused what. Opening the laptop doesn't provide any clue to me either. We decided to let it go and get a new laptop instead. Thank you for your help!

Hey loveLM!

I'm pretty sure that is a classic sign of a dying graphics card, happened to my old nvidia card.

[loveLM]

@noscail

Thank you for the double confirmation. Hope this would be useful for other people who encounter the same situation!