Stuck on kernel 6.6 due to nvidia?

Support Graphics & Display
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I’m using kernel 66 and proprietary nvidia 550.120 with X11 and KDE. My laptop is a Dell G15 5530.

I’m not using hybrid because I’ve gave up on it. It was impossible, quite unstable.

The nvidia-only setup works fine with kernel 6.6, but I’ve never manage to upgrade it to 6.9 or now to 6.10, and I cannot understand why.

I’ve tried today the new linux-meta package and it also didn’t work.

I have on my /etc/default/grub, and on /etc/mkinitcpio.conf the following lines:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="nvidia_drm.fbdev=1 nvidia_drm.modeset=1"

MODULES=(nvidia nvidia_modeset nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm)

These were recommended on Manjaro tutorials and forum. I’ve run sudo update-grub and sudo mkinitcpio -P after editing these files.

If I try kernel 6.10, the system sometimes boots, but freezes after a short while. It’s random. Sometimes it freezes during boot, sometimes at the login screen, sometimes I manage to login, but it freezes after a short while. Every time it freezes after boot, the mouse pointer still moves, but nothing responds I have to restart but forcing a power-off holding the power button.

I understand that kernel 6.6 is still the LTS and I should relax. But fresh installs use kernel 6.10 and breaks my system. I like to format and start fresh every now and then, and this issue is making it hard to do it. Please don’t tell me not to format it, because it is the way I like to clean my system: keeping home on its own partition and cleaning the rest.

Is there still a known issue moving beyond kernel 6.6 with nvidia? Or is it a problem in my setup?

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A small reminder that 6.10 is marked EOL and should not be used anymore.

Without a proper inxi report and a log of the crash, there is not much to go on.

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You can always install a 6.6 kernel via a chroot at the end of the install phase. :man_shrugging:

2 Likes
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Forum Release Announcements include 3 minimal ISOs with different kernel versions

I like to format and start fresh every now and then
Please don’t tell me not to format it

“Your system under your control”

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An oft touted philosophy is “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”…

Kernel 6.6.x (LTS) is probably the most reliable and compatible at this time. If it works for your system I’d simply suggest staying with it.

Non-LTS kernels seem to be short-lived by comparison. If you feel strongly enough that a newer kernel is needed, consider waiting for the next LTS.

My understanding is that kernel 6.12 (LTS) will be available sometime in November:

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I know I can always use kernel 6.6. But even with this kernel, I still have problems with sleep/restart/poweroff. It often fails to wake up, or trying to restart/poweroff it crashes the gui and I have to CTRL+ALT+DEL and click on poweroff/restart on the login screen again.

I did some research and it seems that this is a huge problem with my notebook model. It is a Dell G15 5530. The best link I’ve found is in Portuguese:

https://plus.diolinux.com.br/t/dell-g15-5530-travando-constantemente-no-linux-mint/66264/10

It comes with Ubuntu, but if you upgrade Ubuntu, it already breaks as well. Manjaro is also giving me trouble. The overall suggestion is to stay with Debian or LMDE.

I’ll be busy for the next week, but two weeks from now I’ll test Fedora, Debian or LMDE to see if it makes any difference. Some people say that Fedora is handling nvidia better for this notebook model. But since my heart is with Manjaro, I’ll post here the outcome of these tests because in the future I want to keep using Manjaro and not Fedora or Debian/LMDE.

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It was a suggestion for the interim; with any luck kernel 6.12 (LTS) might prove more stable with your machine.

I recall seeing others with similar troubles; especially with older laptops originally intended for the Windows market.

I’m presuming you’ve kept your BIOS updated, but if not, check with the manufacturer website. An updated BIOS provides security updates, adds new features, and sometimes addresses faults with previous versions. It can be worth the effort.

While this may be true, there are also recent Manjaro issues which might be contributing. Please see the items listed under Known issues and solutions of Stable Update 2024-10-10.

Specifically, look for the following headings:

  • System freeze on suspend
  • KDE Plasma hangs on Shutdown, Restart and Logout (Note that this item only applies to KDE; you haven’t mentioned which DE is used)

Additionally, in case others might spot something useful, please provide some detailed system information:

inxi --admin --verbosity=8 --filter --no-host --width

At the proverbial end of the day you must do whatever it is that works for you (Debian has always been a rock solid distribution).

If any of the current suggestions keep you on Manjaro a little longer, at least it will save you some inconvenience.

Good luck.

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Power Management issue around Nvidia is a widespread issue that i saw in this forum. Its maybe worth checking this help topics around Nvidia cards and Powermanagement.

alt+shift+f12 (reset compositor) maybe fix it.

crlt+alt+backspace probably let you use your desktop again without a restart.

Edit:
@soundofthunder
You right, i remove my link… no need for double post :wink:

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I’ve installed a couple of days ago the nvidia-open-beta from AUR and now everything is perfect!

Now I’m running flawlessly:

  • Kernel 6.10.13-3-MANJARO
  • nvidia-open-beta 560.35 on hybrid mode with intel
  • kde on wayland
  • dual head laptop + hdmi
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You still use the EOL Kernel. :stuck_out_tongue:

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That’s ok, I’ll upgrade later to 6.11 or the next LTS when possible. The point is that this wasn’t a kernel issue, but an issue with the proprietary driver on the stable channel. Once I’ve moved to the new open driver, it fixed it all. I’m confident it will also work with 6.11 and 6.12… but I have to work, so I’ll test upgrades only when I get some free and safe time for tests.

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