Often system freezes

[Muhammad Gelbana]

I've been experiencing very often system freezes, specially when I close my laptop lid. I can't reproduce this issue, it just happens at random times. My laptop is new and I highly doubt it's a HW problem, it must be a graphics driver issue.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: xorg 1:7.7+1ubuntu6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-15.23-generic 3.11.10
Uname: Linux 3.11.0-15-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.12.5-0ubuntu2.2
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
Date: Sun Jan 26 01:07:45 2014
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: saucy
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 fglrx, 13.251, 3.11.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.2.16, 3.11.0-14-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.2.16, 3.11.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:0572]
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Chelsea LP [Radeon HD 7730M] [1002:682f] (rev ff) (prog-if ff)
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-11-16 (70 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Inspiron 7520
MarkForUpload: True
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.11.0-15-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=fdebe919-101f-4bc7-84c1-f209c05c18c8 ro quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux plymouth:debug splash quiet drm.debug=0xe acpi_backlight=vendor
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 11/15/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A09
dmi.board.name: 0PXH02
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: A09
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA09:bd11/15/2012:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron7520:pvrA09:rvnDellInc.:rn0PXH02:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrA09:
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 7520
dmi.product.version: A09
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.10+13.10.20131011-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.46-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.2.1-1ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.2.1-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.14.5-1ubuntu2~saucy1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.2.0-0ubuntu10
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.904-0ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.9-2ubuntu1

[NLR (nilsleroux-gmail)]

I'm also facing this issue with the exact same computer (Dell Inspiron 7520).
I guess it appears just after adding "acpi_backlight=vendor" to boot options (/etc/default/grub). Unfortunately, this option is the only way to be able to increase or decrease backlight.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[NLR (nilsleroux-gmail)]

Maybe a workaround :
# echo "blacklist dell_laptop" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

It seems that dell_laptop is conflicting with something.

Source : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2192865

[Muhammad Gelbana (m-gelbana)]

I've uninstalled AMD's propriety drivers. I'm using the i915 intel driver now. This is very frustrating, I thought Linux would be much more stable and robust !

You can use xdiagnose to collect your logs and open an xorg bug like I did. I'm not sure if the developers will still care to fix this bug after I've removed the driver that was installed when I faced this issue.

[NLR (nilsleroux-gmail)]

This issue seem to appear using fglrx (which is a proprietary driver, not under xorg's responsibility) and after altering some backlight parameters (such as closing lid).
You may try to update your BIOS to last revision (A10) and blacklist dell_laptop module as I wrote in my previous post. I didn't noticed any freeze since I've done that and I'm still using fglrx-update package as driver.

However, there is still plainty of boring issues under Linux distributions with this laptop : fan always at high speed which is noisy and useless (can be fixed using i8kutils), slow boot (~3 minutes) when using power-saving GPU (Intel Chip) and fglrx(-update), backlight broken (can be fixed adding acpi_backlight=vendor to boot options, and you've done that considering your logs). USB3 behavior seem weird also.
Dell Inspiron 7520 is a special edition, and there must be too few users to really interest devs. They have other priorities

[Muhammad Gelbana (m-gelbana)]

NLR, you have given a lot of useful information already, thanks a lot.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Muhammad Gelbana, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Saucy reached EOL on July 17, 2014.
See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Is this an issue on a supported release?

[Muhammad Gelbana (m-gelbana)]

Unfortunately I can't decide because I don't use the proprietary drivers anymore.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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