Unusual Kernel 4.13 issue

[Cosmo.]

The case is relatively simple: Your hardware seem to work well with kernel 4.4. This is a LTS kernel, so patches for Meltdown and Spectre (as soon as available) are present. Except, that you say, that you have a special reason for upgrading to 4.13 remove this, so that you can directly boot with 4.4.

I cannot decide, if 4.13 is alone or in combination with other factors responsible for the freeze at midnight. But there are a number of reports which complain about freeze with this kernel 4.13 and older versions of VirtualBox. If there is a correlation must stay as an open question, but the suspicion is founded and it appears to me, that 4.13 is not yet prime time ready. (Users, who have problems with 4.4 must obviously live with it and hope for quick corrections; I have on the other hand the suspicion, that many upgrades to 4.13 are done by users of Mint 18.2 and 18.3 which have kernel 4.8 or 4.10 by default, both outdated in the meantime and I believe, that those users did not even think about a "downgrade" to 4.4, because the update manager does not offer it - at least not in an obvious way. So I believe, that many problems with 4.13 could easily get solved by "downgrading" to 4.4. That is the trouble with the .2 and .3 versions of Mint, which come with a non-LTS kernel; that might be fine for very new hardware, but gives trouble for others.)

If you stay with 4.4 your problem is likely solved. If you want to experiment further, do at first the following: Install Timeshift and configure it and create a restore point. Whatever you do now as system changes you can revert them by going back to the restore point. That means, that you eliminate the risk with TS. The chances, that the problem gets possibly solved with kernel 4.13 by using the microcode appears greater than by using the NVidia driver, but at the end it is a matter of trial and error. With TS you can do this; in the worst case you revert it.

Summary: It is a common misunderstanding, that the newest kernel is the best. This can be the case (mostly newer hardware), but also the contrary can be the case. If a LTS kernel works without problems you should always stay with it.

[Schallaven]

Before experimenting with different drivers and kernel versions and since you have the exact time of freeze: why not look into the syslog and look what the problem is? As others mentioned it is probably something with your GPU since REISUB works (meaning that the underlying system is actually working and responding), but for sure you should at least check it

[JamesKB]

@ Cosmo - Very strange your "extensive" reply does not show up in my original message thread. The only way I am able to see it by viewing my "Private" messages. Weird.

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I will take them under advisement.

[Cosmo.]

@JamesKB:
What do you see here in this thread?

What I see is this: Your last post is the second last on page 2, followed by a post by DaveB. On page 2 the first post is my last post, followed by a post by Schallaven. All in the original thread. Did you perhaps miss the second page of this thread?

[JamesKB]

@ Cosmo

Sigh... guess I should not be "computing" just now as I seem to have a mild case of the flu. Yes indeed I did miss the second page of the thread.

Guess I should do as I tell others now and then... "Read the entire screen."

Thanks for your time.

[Cosmo.]

Get well soon.

[JamesKB]

Well last night I installed kernel 4.4.0-109 and the NVIDIA-384 driver and all seems well, no freeze at 11:59. Now I'm considering installing the Intel-microcode, however I have a concern. I've always been told "If it ain't broke don't fix it." So... since all seems to running well now... do I need to, should I, install the intel-microcode??

Thoughts??

[Cosmo.]

Read in my post at top of page 2 of this thread the 3rd paragraph regarding TimeShift.

[AZgl1800]

Timeshift has been a great lifesaver for me.

following this thread because when I change kernels, I loose my WiFi.

[ZenBeam]

I had to completely remove the 4.13 kernels, because they kept getting selected by default when I booted. And then my system kept freezing up. There's probably a way to tell it to use a lower numbered kernel by default, but I don't know how, so deleting the higher numbered kernels was the easiest solution.