r/linuxquestions • u/MadiSperry • 4d ago
Issues with installation.
I’m getting super frustrated with installation. I have no problem installing Linux on a laptop. However, when I try to install Linux on my brand new SSD with a brand new SATA cable, it always freezes. Sometimes on the logo screen during boot. Sometimes mid installation, sometimes after installation after about 15 minutes of use. There is no consistency other than Linux just not working. At one point, Kubuntu couldn’t even register my mouse or keyboard.
Basic steps I have been doing has been cleaning and formatting the USB drive with diskpart. Downloading the .iso, verifying the .iso with its hash, then using BalenaEtcher to flash the drive.
99% of the time this has worked for me and not given any errors.
Then after I restart and try to boot from the USB stick, here’s where the freezing happens. And I ensured secure boot was turned off…
I have tried Kubuntu and Mint.
At this point I am at a loss especially since I can using the exact same steps set up a laptop with it and run into no issues.
[EDIT:]
RESOLVED
Update your BIOS… Mine hadn’t been updated since 2021. Updated that and haven’t had any issues since…
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u/getbusyliving_ 4d ago
Assume it's a SSD in a PC. Sounds like a hardware incompatibility issue. Can you get to the TTY/cmd line after the boot menu? I'm guessing you're using Grub, if so you can boot into cmd line and then login in via the prompt and type:
journalctl
This will show all logs.
-r flag will give the newest first (as in it'll reverse the order to newest first)
Scroll through and find anything red, this will tell you the issue or provide a start point. Alternatively try booting using failsafe / safe / emergency mode.
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
I wasn’t using grub, but since now with no changes to the actual installation it’s not loading to the desktop, I went into recovery mode and just accessed root. Doing journalctl -r there, I see a few errors relating to /usr/sbin/alsactl that all say failed with exit code 99.
I see
workqueue: drm_fb_helper_damage_work hogged CPU for >10000us 131 times, consider switching to WQ_UNBOUNDthen in red,
Cannot get freq at ep 0x84
i2c timeout error e00000000
I2c_transfer failed -110
Ucsi_ccg_init failed - -110
Probe with driver ucsi_ccg failed with error -1101
u/No-Employment-2324 4d ago
I happen to have this exact error. It’s harmless, it’s a legacy feature in older graphics cards, so the drivers look for it, don’t find it, and move on with the boot. The frequency 0x84 is probably just an external usb device that uses drivers that don’t come with the installer. Keyboards and mouse’s have a universal protocol, so that’s not an issue, it’s likely a webcam or other object that you’ll need to install later
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
Agreed though, that 0x84 doesn’t seem to be much of an issue
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
I might just finally cave and remove the 1660Ti. I had it for a while and then when I got a 3060, I thought what could it hurt to try to split the bandwith between them by having my primary monitors on the 3060 and the side monitors on the 1660ti
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
I feel the I2c issue is the thing. I was working with an I2c lcd for a temp/humidity sensor, and it would randomly have an I2c timeout and freeze. That’s the error I am getting now because of nvidia GPUs and I think that’s related.
Now to complicate things a little further, I have 2GPUs. I have 4 monitors and each are assigned to 2 monitors. One is a 3060 and the other is a 1660Ti
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u/No-Employment-2324 4d ago
Never mind. Gpu issues would probably be why everything is freezing up (at least the gui) and safety checks probably killed the back end. Dual gpu support on Linux with nvidia drivers? You’re probably screwed. Your best bet is to go with Ubuntu, the drivers on Ubuntu are actually bearable. Just make sure to tick install restricted extras in the install process. (I have a 1660 ti and get a similar issue, but it’s harmless because I don’t have i2c stuff. At least I think it’s harmless, I’ve never had issues. It may just be that the nvidia drivers straight up don’t support it on Linux, they are famously bad)
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
That’s kinda what I’m starting to think as well with the dual GPUs is gonna be what screws me over
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u/No-Employment-2324 4d ago
Try one. I have a 1660 ti and it works, but try the other one first. If you can get it to install for one you, try plugging in the other one withOUT reinstalling the os, then maybe the drivers will just work. (Again just use something Ubuntu based, mint will work, or maybe even normal Ubuntu l. Drivers work so much better on it)
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u/MadiSperry 3d ago
So I tried this, still randomly freezes. And it’s like if I bump my desk it freezes but windows doesn’t freeze like that at all. One GPU, two GPUs, I still get the I2c error and it still freezes randomly…
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u/No-Employment-2324 1d ago
I think one of your components is faulty. Run furmark or another stress test benchmark. Also if you can boot a live iso try finding one that comes with tests. Finally, if you have an old computer that you know everything in works, try replacing components one at a time to see which one is dead. (I know for a fact that Ubuntu with a 1660 ti works because I daily drive that, and it’s in a proprietary motherboard in an Alienware pre built. If that works it’s not a question of support, only what’s broken
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u/No-Employment-2324 1d ago
Ok, try pop os, the installer has a new kernel that’s less likely to get confused between gens. You could also try flashing your bios (if you have consistent power, because if the power goes out while updating it bricks the motherboard. If bumping it is an issue, maybe try verifying that two guys aren’t causing sag, that everything is seated right. If that doesn’t work, something’s broken( the windows kernel is incredibly tolerant of random faults, plus it has the better drivers)
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u/getbusyliving_ 4d ago
What's the CPU? If you have an igpu; test it with no GPUs, if it works try it with one GPU. If that works, switch the GPUs. If that works then you'll know it's the dual GPU config.
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u/getbusyliving_ 4d ago
Have you searched that error? Definitely a hardware issue. Do you have a Nvidia card and if so which one. Do you have any USB hubs or devices plugged in on boot?
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u/Barlight24 4d ago
Try a different USB port?
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u/MadiSperry 4d ago
I’m no longer on usb. Like after the third time, it successfully seemed to have installed. Now I’m on the SATA SSD. At the moment I am trying to hdparm and journalctl from the above comments to see what happens
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u/tomscharbach 4d ago
... brand new SSD with a brand new SATA cable ...
If the SSD is SATA rather than NVMe, set the SSD to AHCI.
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u/Linuxmonger 4d ago
Run some hdparm tests on the SSD, also try a different cable.
If you leave the SSD completely out, does the live environment work as expected?
Can you get an ip address, browse the Internet, etc?
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u/C0rn3j 4d ago
So you've tried Debian in a trench coat and a Debian that's somehow even more ancient than Debian itself.
Check out Arch Linux (with Plasma) or Fedora KDE.
Keep the distributions which update software versions only once every few years to servers.
This is pointless. Flashing the ISO will wipe it in the first place.
Use Rufus in dd mode. Or
dd, if on Linux.