Issues with Suspend, Reboot, and Screensaver on MEDION N155RD1-M Laptop with Kernels Newer than 5.15

Support Kernel
1

Hello community. My name is Aliet Expósito, and I am a Cuban programmer.

I am experiencing an issue with the Linux Kernel and my laptop. To provide some context, I’ve been using this laptop with Manjaro since 2020. I have used kernel versions 5.4, 5.10, and 5.15 without any issues, and I believe I have been using version 5.15 for at least 2 years.

Last week, I did a fresh install on another M2 drive, and the kernel version that was installed, 6.9.3-3-MANJARO, began to show several issues rather quickly. When attempting to suspend, about 3 out of every 10 attempts failed. The process involved trying to suspend, turning off the display as if going to sleep, and then the display backlight would turn back on without any image. The power LEDs remained on, as well as the caps lock and num lock indicators. Restarting also caused problems, albeit less frequently. When trying to restart, the system would freeze, and the caps lock and scroll lock LEDs would blink simultaneously at a frequency of less than one second per blink. Additionally, sometimes when activating the screensaver, the same freezing issue would occur, with the caps lock and scroll lock LEDs blinking.

I decided to downgrade to version 6.6.34-1-MANJARO, the previous LTS version, which still had the suspension issue but never caused a restart problem—though I may have tested it for a shorter duration. After the laptop froze twice while attempting to suspend, I downgraded to the previous LTS version, 6.1.94-1-MANJARO, which had the same errors as version 6.6.34-1-MANJARO. Each time the system froze, the magic SysRq key combinations did not work, leaving a forced shutdown by holding the power button for 15 seconds as the only alternative.

Finally, I reverted to version 5.15.161-1-MANJARO, which I had been using previously.

Here is the output of my inxi -Fazy back when I was using version 6.9:

System:
  Kernel: 6.9.3-3-MANJARO arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 14.1.1
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-6.9-x86_64
    root=UUID=a9cbf476-db13-43bc-a095-49aa2591e826 rw rootflags=subvol=@ quiet
    udev.log_priority=3
  Desktop: Cinnamon v: 6.2.2 tk: GTK v: 3.24.42 wm: Muffin v: 6.2.0 tools:
    avail: cinnamon-screensaver vt: 7 dm: LightDM v: 1.32.0 Distro: Manjaro
    base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: MEDION product: N155RD1-M v: N/A
    serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 10 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: MEDION model: N155RD1M v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required>
    uuid: <superuser required> UEFI-[Legacy]: American Megatrends
    v: 1.05.05RME1 09/23/2016 date: 09/23/2016
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 50.8 Wh (100.0%) condition: 50.8/59.9 Wh (84.8%)
    volts: 12.8 min: 11.1 model: Notebook BAT type: Li-ion serial: <filter>
    status: full
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i7-6700HQ bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Skylake-S
    gen: core 6 level: v3 note: check built: 2015 process: Intel 14nm family: 6
    model-id: 0x5E (94) stepping: 3 microcode: 0xF0
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 4 tpc: 2 threads: 8 smt: enabled cache:
    L1: 256 KiB desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB L2: 1024 KiB desc: 4x256 KiB
    L3: 6 MiB desc: 1x6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 800 min/max: 800/3500 scaling: driver: intel_pstate
    governor: powersave cores: 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 5: 800 6: 800 7: 800
    8: 800 bogomips: 41621
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling status: Vulnerable: No microcode
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT
    vulnerable
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
  Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: retbleed mitigation: IBRS
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via
    prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer
    sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: IBRS; IBPB: conditional; STIBP: conditional;
    RSB filling; PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected; BHI: Not affected
  Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort mitigation: TSX disabled
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 530 vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: i915 v: kernel
    arch: Gen-9 process: Intel 14n built: 2015-16 ports: active: eDP-1
    empty: none bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:191b class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM107M [GeForce GTX 960M] vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK
    driver: nvidia v: 550.90.07 alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm non-free: 545.xx+
    status: current (as of 2024-06; EOL~2026-12-xx) arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx
    process: TSMC 28nm built: 2014-2019 pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 8
    link-max: lanes: 16 ports: active: none empty: DP-1,DP-2,HDMI-A-1
    bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:139b class-ID: 0300
  Device-3: Chicony USB 2.0 Camera driver: uvcvideo type: USB rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 bus-ID: 1-11:4 chip-ID: 04f2:b5ba
    class-ID: 0e02
  Display: x11 server: X.org v: 1.21.1.13 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-size: <missing: xdpyinfo>
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 mapped: eDP-1-1 model: LG Display 0x046f built: 2014
    res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142 gamma: 1.2 size: 344x194mm (13.54x7.64")
    diag: 395mm (15.5") ratio: 16:9 modes: 1920x1080
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: intel iris drv: nvidia platforms: device: 0
    drv: nvidia device: 1 drv: iris device: 3 drv: swrast surfaceless:
    drv: nvidia x11: drv: nvidia inactive: gbm,wayland,device-2
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 550.90.07
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M/PCIe/SSE2
    memory: 1.95 GiB
  API: Vulkan v: 1.3.279 layers: 1 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu
    name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M driver: nvidia v: 550.90.07
    device-ID: 10de:139b surfaces: xcb,xlib device: 1 type: integrated-gpu
    name: Intel HD Graphics 530 (SKL GT2) driver: mesa intel
    v: 24.1.1-manjaro1.1 device-ID: 8086:191b surfaces: xcb,xlib
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel alternate: snd_soc_avs bus-ID: 00:1f.3
    chip-ID: 8086:a170 class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM107 High Definition Audio [GeForce 940MX]
    vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 3
    speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 8 link-max: lanes: 16 bus-ID: 01:00.1
    chip-ID: 10de:0fbc class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.9.3-3-MANJARO status: kernel-api with: aoss
    type: oss-emulator tools: alsactl,alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: JACK v: 1.9.22 status: off tools: N/A
  Server-2: PipeWire v: 1.0.7 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 8260 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:24f3 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlp3s0 state: up mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8211/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 port: d000 bus-ID: 04:00.1 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp4s0f1 state: down mac: <filter>
  IF-ID-1: tun0 state: unknown speed: 10000 Mbps duplex: full mac: N/A
  Info: services: NetworkManager, systemd-timesyncd, wpa_supplicant
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface driver: btusb v: 0.8 type: USB
    rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 bus-ID: 1-10:3 chip-ID: 8087:0a2b
    class-ID: e001
  Report: btmgmt ID: hci0 rfk-id: 2 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 4.2
    lmp-v: 8 status: discoverable: no pairing: no class-ID: 6c010c
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 1.58 TiB used: 80.33 GiB (5.0%)
  SMART Message: Required tool smartctl not installed. Check --recommends
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Seagate model: WDC WDS240G2G0B-00EPW0
    size: 223.57 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s
    tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: 0400 scheme: MBR
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 vendor: Samsung model: ST1500LM006 HN-M151RAD
    size: 1.36 TiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s
    tech: HDD rpm: 5400 serial: <filter> fw-rev: 0001 scheme: GPT
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 223.57 GiB size: 223.57 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 80.33 GiB (35.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-2: /home raw-size: 223.57 GiB size: 223.57 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 80.33 GiB (35.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-3: /var/log raw-size: 223.57 GiB size: 223.57 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 80.33 GiB (35.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
Swap:
  Kernel: swappiness: 60 (default) cache-pressure: 100 (default) zswap: yes
    compressor: zstd max-pool: 20%
  ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 512 MiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2
    file: /swap/swapfile
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 55.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 60 C
  Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A
Info:
  Memory: total: 32 GiB note: est. available: 31.16 GiB used: 2.25 GiB (7.2%)
  Processes: 294 Power: uptime: 2h 22m states: freeze,mem,disk suspend: deep
    avail: s2idle wakeups: 1 hibernate: platform avail: shutdown, reboot,
    suspend, test_resume image: 12.44 GiB services: csd-power,upowerd
    Init: systemd v: 256 default: graphical tool: systemctl
  Packages: pm: pacman pkgs: 1978 libs: 466 tools: pamac,yay pm: flatpak
    pkgs: 0 Compilers: clang: 17.0.6 gcc: 14.1.1 Shell: Bash v: 5.2.26
    running-in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.3.35

I would appreciate any assistance in identifying the problem, debugging it, finding any relevant messages, or determining the cause. If possible, I would like to resolve the issue or at least detect if it is a bug related to my hardware support.

Thank you very much.

2

In general it is the communication between the kernel and the UEFI firmware. In most cases you will see messages like BUG in the kernel messages (dmesg) about the ACPI if there is a problem. Just check journalctl.

I see you decided to use the emulated BIOS mode on the UEFI, therefore access is different. Newer kernels, as I know, shift to pure UEFI access method and older methods will be replaced. Therefore on older hardware use older kernels. There is a reason why LTS versions exist.

Probably try the UEFI mode (complete reinstall of grub needed). Maybe that change something.

3

There is a lot of things you can do - these are just ideas - not requirements …

Boot a live ISO and run RAM tests

What is your definition of suspend - in the sense - what do expect to happen

  • is it an idle situation - s2idle - suspend to ram
  • is it a deeper power save - suspend to disk (hibernation)

Blinking leds is sign of kernel panic

Kernel panic is the kernel’s way to deal with instructions which could lead to corruption of data or data loss.

Despite the name - the cause can be either kernel or userspace.

Since you already know what can trigger the issue, I suggest you start a process of elimination

Is your system using the Intel or Nvidia GPU when it happens ?
If you disable your display manager - boot to CLI - login and use systemctl to test - what happens then ?

System Commands:
  is-system-running                   Check whether system is fully running
  default                             Enter system default mode
  rescue                              Enter system rescue mode
  emergency                           Enter system emergency mode
  halt                                Shut down and halt the system
  poweroff                            Shut down and power-off the system
  reboot                              Shut down and reboot the system
  kexec                               Shut down and reboot the system with kexec
  soft-reboot                         Shut down and reboot userspace
  exit [EXIT_CODE]                    Request user instance or container exit
  switch-root [ROOT [INIT]]           Change to a different root file system
  sleep                               Put the system to sleep (through one of
                                      the operations below)
  suspend                             Suspend the system
  hibernate                           Hibernate the system
  hybrid-sleep                        Hibernate and suspend the system
  suspend-then-hibernate              Suspend the system, wake after a period of
                                      time, and hibernate

If you cannot trigger a kernel panic with these - you may have elminated the base system.

Try switching to unstable branch - test the latest linux66 and linux69

You may also compile a kernel to deduce whether the Manjaro patches are affecting your system. There is various kernel buildscripts for Arch based distributions available with AUR.

1 Like
4

Sorry for the delayed response; we have electricity issues here, and I have been without power for half the day. I used Legacy mode out of habit, I suppose, old habits die hard.
I have now switched to UEFI. I am going to upgrade the kernel version again, as I am currently using version 5.15, which works perfectly.

The boot log does show error messages regarding the BIOS firmware:

DMAR: [Firmware Bug]: Your BIOS is broken; bad RMRR [0x0000000067800000-0x000000006fffffff]
BIOS vendor: American Megatrends Inc.; Ver: 1.05.05RME1 09/23/2016; Product Version: Not Applicable                  
DMAR: [Firmware Bug]: No firmware reserved region can cover this RMRR [0x0000000067800000-0x000000006fffffff], contact BIOS vendor for fixes

but this is the latest version of that BIOS, and it cannot be updated further. In a post on an Ubuntu forum, I found a response about this error message:

"Yes, it is the BIOS that is giving the kernel information that is incorrect (i.e., does not follow the specification).

DMAR is mainly used for GPU passthrough to a Windows virtual machine. If you do not use this, you can ignore this bug; otherwise, you will need to look for a BIOS update."

I am not sure if this is relevant to my case or if it is the same issue. This message appears with version 5.15, so whatever it is, it is not affecting suspension in this kernel version.

5

By suspension, I mean suspension to RAM; I don’t use hibernate. I am going to run some memory tests and will provide more information afterwards.

I use Optimus Manager in Hybrid mode, mostly relying on the integrated graphics except for the applications I want to run with the dedicated video card, which I execute with prime-run. Generally, when I suspend, only Xorg is using the Nvidia card, as it always does in Hybrid mode since the session starts.

I spent a few months on the unstable branch, but the internet here is not great, so I had to switch back to the stable branch, where I update approximately once a month. It would be difficult for me to stay on the unstable branch. However, I will test the kernel versions with the UEFI boot change and the commands you provided. I am confident that any kernel version higher than 5.15 will fail to suspend to RAM.

Once I test the RAM with Memtest+, I will report the results.

6

Hello, after extensive testing with memtest86, it appears that the second RAM slot is defective. Both DIMMs pass all tests without any issues in Slot A, but both fail at the same point, in the same test, at the same address in Slot B:

Result summary
Test Start Time	2024-07-14 01:28:21
Elapsed Time	1:37:21
Memory Range Tested 	0x0 - 48F000000 (18672MB)
CPU Selection Mode 	Parallel (All CPUs)
CPU Temperature Min/Max/Ave 	57C/93C/74C
# Tests Completed 	23/48 (47%)
# Tests Passed 	20/23 (86%)
Lowest Error Address	0x26106EF5C (9744MB)
Highest Error Address	0x26106EF5C (9744MB)
Bits in Error Mask	0000000004000000
Bits in Error	1
Max Contiguous Errors	1
CPUs that detected memory errors	{ 6 }

Test 	# Tests Passed 	Errors
Test 0 [Address test, walking ones, 1 CPU] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 1 [Address test, own address, 1 CPU] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 2 [Address test, own address] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 3 [Moving inversions, ones & zeroes] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 4 [Moving inversions, 8-bit pattern] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 5 [Moving inversions, random pattern] 	1/2 (50%) 	19
Test 6 [Block move, 64-byte blocks] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 7 [Moving inversions, 32-bit pattern] 	1/2 (50%) 	73
Test 8 [Random number sequence] 	1/2 (50%) 	3
Test 9 [Modulo 20, ones & zeros] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 10 [Bit fade test, 2 patterns, 1 CPU] 	2/2 (100%) 	0
Test 13 [Hammer test] 	1/1 (100%) 	0
Last 10 Errors
2024-07-14 02:37:20 - [Data Error] Test: 8, CPU: 6, Address: 26106EF5C, Expected: 74967C73, Actual: 70967C73
2024-07-14 02:26:04 - [Data Error] Test: 7, CPU: 6, Address: 26106EF5C, Expected: FF7FFFFF, Actual: FB7FFFFF
2024-07-14 02:10:49 - [Data Error] Test: 5, CPU: 6, Address: 26106EF5C, Expected: D77F233E, Actual: D37F233E

I am back on kernel version 6.9 to see if switching to UEFI, as @megavolt suggested, changes anything. If the issues persist, I will revert to version 5.15 and consider the problem resolved.

I am not sure why the defective RAM slot affects suspension in versions higher than 5.15 but not in version 5.15. However, with a hardware issue, it is very difficult to get anywhere.

Thank you very much, and have an excellent day.

7

That is bad - but good you found the issue.

It is impossible to say - any comment would be an unqualified gues.

8

I have an update: Switching to UEFI boot did not resolve the issue with the newer kernels, so I am reverting to version 5.15. Since the second RAM slot has problems, not much can be done with hardware issues. Everything works well with version 5.15, so I will stick with that version. Thank you very much for the assistance.

9

This topic was automatically closed 3 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.