System hangs/crashes/sometimes reboots

Support
21

Try running the command last (or last | less if the first command has too many entries).

If you want to leave out the waking from suspend entries and see only system boots, then run:

last | grep boot

or

last | grep boot | less

22

I just checked the live boot and it’s 6.6.25 kernel.

I don’t understand either why the live boot works fine but fresh install from this live boot does not. I just let it run throughout the day/night. It’s an extra computer I want to use for a media center.

23

On the chance that there might be a hardware incompatibility, it may be prudent to rule that out before going much further: Linux Hardware Database.

A full scan shouldn’t take very long, and can potentially save wasted time.
If the results are OK, then at least you can tick that box.

Cheers.

24

Wait a second, did you install with a 11 month old 6.6 Kernel ISO?

This could be the problem then, download the latest ISO:

And prepare a new Bootstick and install again with a fresh ISO.

It is not recommend to install a Rolling Release Distro with outdated files.

2 Likes
25

Ah yes, didnt realize it had been that long since I re-imaged my USB stick. Okay just got the fresh USB image and fresh re-install (it came with 6.10). Will report back.

26

Good idea except this is a system76 computer. They specialize in Linux systems.

27

It ran fine for an hour then I checked and it had rebooted again. This may sound weird but i wonder if it’s something with the display? I left a monitor plugged up to it for the first hour, then I turned the monitor off. I’ve noticed when I turn the monitor back on is usually when it crashes/reboots. The output on this mini-pc is an HDMI. Sometimes when I turn the monitor back on by the time it wakes up I see it rebooting. Other times like this case it had an up time of 2 minutes 30 seconds after I turned the monitor back on and checked.

[will@meerkat ~]$ last | grep boot
reboot   system boot  6.10.11-2-MANJAR Sun Oct 13 10:22   still running
reboot   system boot  6.10.11-2-MANJAR Sun Oct 13 08:23   still running
[will@meerkat ~]$ date
Sun Oct 13 10:31:58 AM CDT 2024
[will@meerkat ~]$ uptime
 10:31:59 up 9 min,  3 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.04, 0.02

Guess one of the next things ill try is leaving a monitor connected and powered on. Not really the setup I want but let’s see how long it last with a display connected.

28

I would first use this new Live Boot version and find out if this is running stable, while you had monitor off.

But its possible that your problem maybe is related to energy savings (GPU or CPU Powerstates).

1 Like
29

The live boot even the older kernel has been fine with monitor on or off. It’s been running since my last post now issues. Ill give a few days and report back.

30

I know that version 6.6 live boot running stable, you reported that. But i think its worth to find out, if the recent changes between 6.6 and 6.10 lead to your system restarts.

Thats why i recommend to do the same test with the NEW Live Boot.

31

I will try that as well. New live boot w/ 6.10, monitor off, and see what happens.

1 Like
32

Noted;
however, it might also indicate whether something is failing.

Are you aware of Ventoy as an alternative to creating a new USB for every downloaded ISO?

The beauty of using a Ventoy USB is that nothing else is needed. Simply copy/drag any bootable ISO to the Ventoy USB, and you’re done. :eyes:

Boot with a Ventoy USB and ISO files are automatically listed in the Ventoy menu, and can be booted directly. A 32GB capacity USB should allow ample space to store several ISOs of your choice.

The Ventoy (CLI) is available from the Manjaro repository;

sudo pacman -S ventoy

See also: Ventoy (Repo); Ventoy (GitHub);

1 Like
33

Thanks. I wasn’t sure how Ventoy worked but that is very helpful. I made a Ventoy USB. I haven’t switch over to the live USB yet as requested. I will do that soon.

For what it’s worth it has been running two days now without any crash just long as I leave this monitor turned on. That’s interesting. I wonder if I could disconnect the HDMI from the back of this mini PC and if that would help it not crash. If it booted up without any monitor at all? I will go back to the live USB though as requested to check that out.

1 Like
34

This is the command I typically use when creating a UEFI Ventoy USB; I note you already created one; but this might help others who found this thread:

sudo sh ventoy -i -r 100 -S -g -L VOLUME /dev/sdX

Enable -s or disable -S Secure Boot.

  • Substitute VOLUME for a volume label name to use.
  • Substitute /dev/sdX for the location of your USB device.
  • Preserve some space on the target device (example allows 100mb).

I could only guess; I really don’t know what is causing this crashing.

Still, I suppose in the worst-case scenario (considering you only want to use it as a media server), you could ultimately connect to the system via SSH; and not use a monitor at all.

I can only wish you luck.

Cheers.

35

I have an idea what might be causing the crashing. But it’s just an idea:

At least with VGA (don’t know about HDMI but guess this is also the case) the computer supplies a voltage to the monitor when it’s off, in order to power and read its EDID etc. — so, if the monitor and computer don’t share the same power strip, for example, there might be a dip or spike in respective ground levels when the monitor is switched off/on, or a related issue with double-insulated (non-grounded) devices. This might be enough to cause a reset?

2 Likes
36

I don’t think this is the problem here with his PC.
Because why is his system running stable within a 6.6 Live Boot Environment or in Bios.

That doesn’t really fit together, right?

37

True, but is the monitor also being turned off/on whilst in the live session? I’ll have to re-read the OP’s posts. :wink:

Another idea: impending disk failure?

38

Well if OP changed in background some variables, this topic can’t be solved then :upside_down_face:

A disk failure that lead to a system reset? Im not sure if that could be possible.

I would normally expect a freeze or crash, but a reset? :thinking:

But when his system is running stable with the new ISO Live Boot, as it does with ISO Liveboot 6.6

He may can also mount his Disks in Live Boot and play around with with Monitor and then he may see how the stable live boot, switched from stable to unstable.

1 Like
39

Went back to the live usb (6.10) this morning and turned off the monitor. Turned it back on maybe an hour later and the computer rebooted. It does tend to reboot when I turn the monitor back on but sometimes it will stop responding to pings from my laptop while the monitor is off.

Also worth mentioning since the reboot, leaving the monitor on so far (maybe 30 minutes) and it hasn’t rebooted or anything.

40

Okay summary:

Live Boot 6.6 stable while Monitor on
Live Boot 6.10 stable while Monitor on
What about your installation, while Monitor on?