[SOLVED] MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

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onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

[SOLVED] MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#1 Post by onblm »

Good day!

I recently moved to MX Linux and I am planning to stay to it and use it as my main OS. I have been using it for like a good 2 weeks now but from time to time I am experiencing total environment freeze. At first I thought maybe it just needs a restart or whatever but it happened like 4-6 times randomly. I also read about some topics here regarding the same problem but the solutions were not that absolute and kinda like hit and miss solutions. It seems like this is a hardware problem so do you suggest that I just move to another distro? But I developed a liking to MX already and I want to fix the problem. Please help me.

Below is my system info:

Code: Select all

System:    Host: mxlinux Kernel: 4.19.0-1-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 6.3.0 Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 
           Distro: MX-18.2_x64 Continuum Apr 7  2019 base: Debian GNU/Linux 9 (stretch) 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: X455LF v: 1.0 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: ASUSTeK model: X455LF v: 1.0 serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends v: X455LF.205 date: 08/03/2015 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 18.1 Wh condition: 29.9/38.0 Wh (79%) model: ASUSTeK ASUS Battery status: Charging 
CPU:       Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i5-5200U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Broadwell rev: 4 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 17557 
           Speed: 799 MHz min/max: 500/2700 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 799 2: 798 3: 798 4: 798 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 5500 vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
           Device-2: NVIDIA GM108M [GeForce 930M] vendor: ASUSTeK driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 04:00.0 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.2 driver: modesetting,nouveau unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1366x768~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 5500 (Broadwell GT2) v: 4.5 Mesa 18.2.6 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Broadwell-U Audio vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:03.0 
           Device-2: Intel Wildcat Point-LP High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:1b.0 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.19.0-1-amd64 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: ASUSTeK driver: r8169 v: kernel port: e000 
           bus ID: 02:00.0 
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Broadcom Limited BCM43142 802.11b/g/n vendor: Lite-On driver: wl v: kernel port: e000 bus ID: 03:00.0 
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 8.17 GiB (1.8%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: HGST (Hitachi) model: HTS545050A7E680 size: 465.76 GiB 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 451.26 GiB used: 8.17 GiB (1.8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 6.00 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 54.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 3200 
Repos:     Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/antix.list 
           1: deb http://iso.mxrepo.com/antix/stretch stretch main
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
           1: deb http://ftp.hk.debian.org/debian/ stretch-updates main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
           1: deb http://ftp.hk.debian.org/debian/ stretch main contrib non-free
           2: deb http://security.debian.org/ stretch/updates main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
           1: deb https://mirror.pregi.net/mx-linux-packages/mx/repo/ stretch main non-free
           No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/various.list 
Info:      Processes: 206 Uptime: 22m Memory: 3.76 GiB used: 910.4 MiB (23.7%) Init: SysVinit runlevel: 5 Compilers: 
           gcc: 6.3.0 Shell: bash v: 4.4.12 inxi: 3.0.33
Thanks and sorry about my English.
Last edited by onblm on Sun May 05, 2019 4:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
fehlix
Developer
Posts: 10309
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:09 pm

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#2 Post by fehlix »

Welcom to the forum!
This is probably related to a nouveau driver issue. Please try adding this boot-parameter

Code: Select all

nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
to your grub-menu. You can do this using MX Boot Options (MX Tools) by adding the above kernel parameter to the existing "quiet", so the line looks like

Code: Select all

quiet nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
reboot and see whether this helps.
HTH
:puppy:
Gigabyte Z77M-D3H, Intel Xeon E3-1240 V2 (Quad core), 32GB RAM,
GeForce GTX 770, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB, Seagate Barracuda 4TB

onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#3 Post by onblm »

fehlix wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:21 am Welcom to the forum!
This is probably related to a nouveau driver issue. Please try adding this boot-parameter

Code: Select all

nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
to your grub-menu. You can do this using MX Boot Options (MX Tools) by adding the above kernel parameter to the existing "quiet", so the line looks like

Code: Select all

quiet nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
reboot and see whether this helps.
HTH
:puppy:
Yo! Thanks for your reply! I will do this and test the environment afterwards. I'll mark the post as solved if the this will do the trick! :) I am excited haha!

onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#4 Post by onblm »

Bluesguy wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:52 am In addition, hardware checks are always a good thing.

Sometimes a laptop CPU runs too hot due to the CPU heat sink fan exhaust being clogged or fan not functioning ... this certainly can be one of the causes of the "freeze" symptoms you're experiencing ... You can check this in your terminal by running:
$ sudo sensors-detect
This program will help you determine which kernel modules you need to load to use lm-sensors most effectively. It is generally safe and recommended to accept the default answers to all questions. In other words, just press ENTER for each question until the sensor script is set up. After that's done, type "sensors" in the terminal and you'll get the output ... tells you if the CPU is within a safe temperature range.

A hot, malfunctioning drive can also be a culprit ... this can be checked using GSmartControl found in your apps Menu under System ... gives info about the health and temps of your drive(s).

These are some basic hardware checks you can use from time to time. Lastly, try a memtest from your boot options ... it takes a long, long time, but the health status of your memory modules will be verified.
Yo! Thanks for the inputs. For the memtest, I've tried it before installing the OS and I got no issues. For the hardware too hot issue, I think it is not the case because I encountered a freeze after just logging in. Around 2 minutes after logging in. Thanks for the suggestions and I will look into them :)

User avatar
timkb4cq
Developer
Posts: 3186
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:05 pm

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#5 Post by timkb4cq »

And if those measures don't fix the issue, there is a BIOS update (from 12/2016) for that motherboard. Those are often released to fix instability issues - although Asus hasn't released any information I can find why this update was released.
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onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#6 Post by onblm »

timkb4cq wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:45 pm And if those measures don't fix the issue, there is a BIOS update (from 12/2016) for that motherboard. Those are often released to fix instability issues - although Asus hasn't released any information I can find why this update was released.
I am currently testing my computer with the added configs in the boot option. If all else fails, do you mind if I ask you how do I update the BIOS? Thanks!

User avatar
JayM
Qualified MX Guide
Posts: 6793
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:47 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#7 Post by JayM »

onblm wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 10:58 pm
timkb4cq wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:45 pm And if those measures don't fix the issue, there is a BIOS update (from 12/2016) for that motherboard. Those are often released to fix instability issues - although Asus hasn't released any information I can find why this update was released.
I am currently testing my computer with the added configs in the boot option. If all else fails, do you mind if I ask you how do I update the BIOS? Thanks!
You can download the manual from https://www.asus.com/Laptops/X455LF/HelpDesk_Manual/ which should explain how.
Please read the Forum Rules, How To Ask For Help, How to Break Your System and Don't Break Debian. Always include your full Quick System Info (QSI) with each and every new help request.

onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#8 Post by onblm »

JayM wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:04 pm
onblm wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 10:58 pm
timkb4cq wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:45 pm And if those measures don't fix the issue, there is a BIOS update (from 12/2016) for that motherboard. Those are often released to fix instability issues - although Asus hasn't released any information I can find why this update was released.
I am currently testing my computer with the added configs in the boot option. If all else fails, do you mind if I ask you how do I update the BIOS? Thanks!
You can download the manual from https://www.asus.com/Laptops/X455LF/HelpDesk_Manual/ which should explain how.
Thanks a lot!

onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#9 Post by onblm »

fehlix wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:21 am Welcom to the forum!
This is probably related to a nouveau driver issue. Please try adding this boot-parameter

Code: Select all

nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
to your grub-menu. You can do this using MX Boot Options (MX Tools) by adding the above kernel parameter to the existing "quiet", so the line looks like

Code: Select all

quiet nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
reboot and see whether this helps.
HTH
:puppy:
UPDATE: The said fix did not do the trick :(

I don't know if I entered the correct kernel parameters but here is what I have:

Code: Select all

quiet splash nouveau.modeset=0 modprobe.blacklist=nouveau
I will try the other suggestion which is to do BIOS update. Will return after doing it and performing some tests.

onblm
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:57 am

Re: MX Linux 18.2 Continuum Freezes from time to time

#10 Post by onblm »

I was wondering if there are any log files which can be read to pinpoint the cause of the problem? If anyone knows it please do tell. I'm willing to take some time to do some research and fix the issue. :)

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