Ubuntu
intel-microcode package

  1. Bug #1759920
  2. Comment #50

Comment 50 for bug 1759920

Revision history for this message
Justa Guy (nginus) wrote : Re: intel-microcode 3.20180312.0 causes lockup at login screen(w/ linux-image-4.13.0-37-generic)

>> Gordon Lack (gordon-lack) wrote 23 hours ago:

>> >> Installing or removing intel-microcode only runs update-initramfs for the latest kernel

>> I eventually noticed that too.
>> So it means that the problem follows the microcode - nothing to do with the kernel version.

Well, 4.13.0-32 seems to be unaffected...

On my Dell Inspiron 5559 laptop, with Ubuntu 16.04.3 installed, I had been running linux-signed-image-4.13.0-36-generic, then it wouldn't boot after installing Thursday's intel-microcode update. It would however boot into linux-signed-image-4.13.0-32-generic, after which I tried installing linux-signed-image-4.13.0-37-generic to see if that would solve the problem, but it didn't. As it stands I can only boot using the linux-signed-image-4.13.0-32-generic kernel option in grub manually.

In both cases, the actual boot process varied in how far it would get before failing.

The first time, trying linux-signed-image-4.13.0-36-generic, the console text with the green <OK> column on the left proceeded to after loading what appeared as completely, then remained stuck with a steady (not flashing) grey cursor in screen position 0,0. I waited maybe 4 minutes for it to load the desktop, but no. As opposed to when booting into linux-signed-image-4.13.0-32-generic, the mouse pointer appears approximately 5 seconds after the point where it would hang, with a whole desktop following maybe 30 seconds afterward.

The first time I tried the linux-signed-image-4.13.0-37-generic kernel, it wouldn't proceed past the loading bluetooth part of the console text with the green <OK> column to the left. The reboot after this seemed to get just past the part with the cursor stuck at 0,0, in this case with it disappearing- I thought a mouse pointer was just about to appear, but it stopped. Waited only a minute or 2 here before rebooting again. The third try at linux-signed-image-4.13.0-37-generic got stuck where linux-signed-image-4.13.0-36-generic had previously, with the cursor at 0,0.

Not sure about the official workaround as is posted in the bug description, as I've been using linux-signed-image-4.13.0-32-generic since. I don't know why this one works, or if this is a safe alternative.