12

I got an Ultrabook 2 weeks ago, cleared out Windows 10 and installed Ubuntu 17.10. UI and system are great, but it keeps freezing on me, and I was forced to hold the power button to shut it down. I have tried the following fixes:

  1. Run:

    sudo nano /etc/default/grub

  2. There is a line in that file that says:

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

    I replaced it with:

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash intel_idle.max_cstate=1"

  3. Saved the file using CTRL+O.

  4. Updated GRUB:

    sudo update-grub

  5. Restarted PC:

    sudo reboot

I got this fix from another StackOverflow question: Ubuntu 15.10 and 16.04 keep freezing randomly

However it only worked for the first few days and then it started the freezing craze all over again.

Then, I tried to upgrade the kernel to the latest stable kernel, 4.13.10.

But the problem still persists. It locks up every so often and I am forced to shut it down. I have a Dell XPS 13 9360, and the day I got it, I removed Windows and installed Ubuntu 17.10.

Is there a certain fix for this?

BeastOfCaerbannog
  • 14,585
William Kwan
  • 171
  • my personal experience w/ Ubuntu 17.x is so extremely bad I first would try U18.x. No joke, I regard to be the 17s to be very buggy.

    I have some stability and success with this grub config line:

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="plymouth:debug drm.debug=0xe"

     – opinion_no9 Jul 01 '18 at 09:20

5 Answers5

1

I've had a similar issue to this where random freezing would occur with my mouse, this was after and upgrade from 16.04.

A lot of probing and research later, I found out it was linked to a problem with my display manager (gdm3) not being able to start Wayland. Using lightDM has fixed this issue for me.

Hope this helps

sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm

James Read
  • 11
  • Switching to lightdm didn't fix Wayland not loading for me, but I'm glad you posted. I didn't even realize wayland wasn't loading. Incidentally, for others who want to know if Wayland is running, do loginctl to get your session number, then loginctl show-session <session#>. Then see if Type=Wayland. If it's x11, Wayland isn't loading. – labyrinth Dec 02 '17 at 13:30
0

I would run a memtest on your machine. Bad memory can sometimes remain undiscovered on windows but manifest quickly on linux.

Paul M
  • 181
0

As a general tip for random freezes, power management issues on Linux or difficulty installing, I always suggest that you upgrade your motherboard firmware.

BIOSes/UEFI are mostly only tested with Windows and many bugs show up and are caught after release. Sadly few people ever think to update their firmware.

As an example, on my work desktop, I upgraded from the ~4-year-old A01 version to A19. This not only got network PXE booting correctly but also took approximately 3 minutes off the POST time.

Liam Proven
  • 566
0

I've disabled Wayland because that's the only way I could PRIME Synch. work on my laptop with a designated card.

I experience random freezes as well. So probably because of wayland not loading, but don't know how to fix it. I doN't want to load it either...

IST
  • 11
  • 1
    Welcome to Ask Ubuntu! I recommend to [edit] this answer to expand it with specific details about how to do this. (See also How do I write a good answer? for general advice about what sorts of answers are considered most valuable on Ask Ubuntu.) – David Foerster Dec 12 '17 at 23:50
  • you might try an even numbered Ubuntu LTS edition: 16, 18, 20, etc. They tend to be more stable. Here's why: https://ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle – mondotofu Feb 07 '21 at 01:50
0

It is likely drivers. In my case, I went to Dell.com, downloaded the BIN file that was the driver package for Linux and then ran it. They have specific ones for some other distros but the generic Linux one worked for me. So far no lockups.

Mark Battey
  • 1
  • Would you be so bold as to [edit] this answer to provide clarity as to what file you installed and how you installed it? And whether you also have a Dell Xps 13 9360? As it is (at least I and perhaps others also ) find it impossible to ascertain exactly what you are taking about. – Elder Geek Jan 08 '18 at 19:17