Suspend only works once, fails second time

[rewound]

Ubuntu 14.04 (trusty) Kernel 3.13.0-44-generic
HP laptop Compaq nx6325
A working suspend via Applications Menu/Log Out results in power switch green LED blinking on/off every few seconds.
The laptop will do this the first time after a reboot but then every second attempt to suspend results in power switch green LED staying on.
Screen goes black and no key sequences that respond can be found.
The only option is to hold the power switch down for several seconds to do a hard reset.
On restart it says...
System program problem detected
Report problem
Clicked above several times, nothing happens, eventually pop up(s) go away.
After this a dmesg doesn't seem to give clues - it does not contain the word suspend for instance.
Following the reboot the laptop will now suspend correctly once, wake up ok but then fail to suspend when asked the second time.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-44-generic 3.13.0-44.73
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-44.73-generic 3.13.11-ckt12
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-44-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.6
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: andymc 1845 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: andymc 1845 F...m pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'iw'
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Fri Jan 30 10:30:07 2015
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=de825ed2-1246-47c2-972c-2b7f1e2b28e0
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-04-08 (661 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Peppermint 3 "Three" - Release i386 (20120423)
MachineType: Hewlett-Packard HP Compaq nx6325 (RU594ES#ABU)
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
ProcFB: 0 radeondrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-44-generic root=UUID=e7ea9b58-d3f1-4937-ab62-c05f1769367f ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-44-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-44-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.11
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-08-22 (160 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 12/21/2006
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: 68TT2 Ver. F.06
dmi.board.name: 30B0
dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.board.version: KBC Version 40.15
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: CNU7030G9D
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvr68TT2Ver.F.06:bd12/21/2006:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPCompaqnx6325(RU594ES#ABU):pvrF.06:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn30B0:rvrKBCVersion40.15:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.name: HP Compaq nx6325 (RU594ES#ABU)
dmi.product.version: F.06
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard

[penalvch (penalvch)]

rewound, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. As per http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=1849084&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=2104 an update to your computer's buggy and outdated BIOS is available (F.07). If you update to this following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate does it change anything? If it doesn't, could you please both specify what happened, and provide the output of the following terminal command:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette .

Please note your current BIOS is already in the Bug Description, so posting this on the old BIOS would not be helpful. As well, you don't have to create a new bug report.

Once the BIOS is updated, and the information above is provided, then please mark this report Status Confirmed.

Thank you for your understanding.

[rewound (rewound)]

penalvch: We discovered in Bug #1175504, also relating to HP Compaq nx6325, you kindly suggested to Tobiasz "As a potential WORKAROUND, are you able to hibernate following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PowerManagement/Hibernate ?"
Following your link we had success with hibernate using...
sudo -s
echo shutdown > /sys/power/disk
echo disk > /sys/power/state
although we had no joy encapsulating this into a script to be called from a desktop icon.

Also from http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2014/04/enable-hibernate-ubuntu-14-04/
sudo pm-hibernate
This has worked several times in succession and takes about 60 seconds to resume with zero battery drain whilst hibernated, so is ideal; better for us than suspend. Although the author goes on to give a method to 'Enable Hibernate in System Tray Menu' it was easier just to put the "sudo pm-hibernate" directly into a desktop launcher or script.

Regarding BIOS upgrade http://www.mwiacek.com/www/?q=node/103 says that the change from BIOS F06 to F07 was to 'provide support for AMD processors' and this Compaq nx6325 does contain a 'Mobile AMD Sempron(tm) Processor'.
The HP BIOS link you gave
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=1849084&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=2104 allows download of e.g. sp35894.exe that is a DOS/Windows executable! Maybe the method by Richlv http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and-Software/BIOS-upgrade-with-Linux/td-p/296487 will work.

As the laptop and Xubuntu is now working perfectly I would rather not upgrade the BIOS, with the inherent risk of upgrade, at this point although I realise it might help discover the problem with suspend.
We may attempt a BIOS upgrade some day when the laptop is not so depended on.

Having got hibernation working a few times I realise I only tried for suspend as the hibernation option in Ubuntu 14.04 was missing. It is a pity this cannot be re-enabled simply by clicking a setup box. Hopefully in future upgrades the missing hibernate can be default enabled as before.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]