Linux Mint 19 keeps freezing

Question

My Linux Mint installation (new installation since 2 weeks) keeps freezing at random moments. It seems to happen only when I'm using the laptop, such as watching a video or opening a new browser tab. Suddenly (between 10 minutes and 3 hours after startup) the mouse is unresponsive and the only solution is restarting the machine. I was looking in the logs and saw that this message is popping up all the time (but I don't know what it means:

toshiba_acpi: Unknown event received 93

Does it have something to do with the problem? I'm running a Toshiba SATELLITE L10W-B-102, with a slow Intel Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics & Display.

Solution

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-lts-xenial/+bug/1546092

As pointed out in this thread the error is a proprietary error message generated by the firmware's WMI object.

According to this bug report there is a workaround at least for ubuntu:

"For those with this same toshiba satellite L15W-Bxxx and have constant freezing,

I have a work around for you.

sudo nano -w /etc/default/grub

pass these kernel arguments:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="acpi_osi=Linux acpi_call intel_idle.max_cstate=1 intel_pstate=enable video=i915"

well, the most important two is intel_idle.max_cstate=1 intel_pstate=enable intel_idle.max_cstate=1 will allow your baytrail processor to idle, some reason the kernel doesn't know how to idle the CPU properly so it runs on full speed at all times, and bursting to its turbo speed under load hastens the overheating, with no way to keep the core cool, even when there is nothing really running, just ends with a frustrating hard lock, and resetting the power is the only way to recover, but there is nothing in the dmesg, kern.log, fail.log, etc. using MCE logs, it only says a thermal hardware event occurred.

intel_pstate=enable this will allow you to set scaling frequency using thermald, sensor and tlp, (several guides on how to set these up, I can't sensors and pwm to detect any fans so if anyone has figured that out, let us know), but with these packages, my processor, when nothing intensive is going on it can scale between 500mhz to 2.16ghz on battery, and 1.5ghz-2.6ghz with ac in, and is able to shut down cores as need be as well. I set powersave mode for when its running on battery and performance mode when ac is plugged in.... I have not had a single issue with lock up and freezing anymore. So that ended my 6 months of frustration.

But I still get "toshiba_acpi: Unknown event received 93" nonstop, but now my system isn't freezing within 15-180 minutes after bootup anymore, in that regard i'm pretty stoked."

Comments

[MatthewRock]

I love the title!

[DarkMatter]

@JoDavid Glad to hear that the answer from that Ubuntu bug post fixed your issue! If you think this answer fixed your issue please mark it as accepted. It may then be helpful to others facing the same issue.

[JoDavid]

I can’t, because my score is not recorded as my reputation is too low. But thanks for the help!

[JoDavid]

Actually, the CPU is still running hot. I'm monitoring the teperature but it seems I have no way of lowering the CPU clock speed (possibly the cause of the sudden crashes). The CPU is running at around 60 degrees Celcius when I use the laptop.

[DarkMatter]

cpufreq-utils package <-- try to you use this to limit your CPU?

[JoDavid]

In a somewhat newer version of Linux Mint it stopped happening for now. I installed the cpufreq-utils package which gives some information about the current state of my CPU. Problem solved, I guess. \( - )/