MX Linux freezes at startup.

[chamane2025]

Hi,

I've never had this kind of problem so far, but now when I start MX, it gets to the logo but right after I get a whole black screen. Nothing happens from there.

Any help welcomed.
Thanks.

[xaol]

if you can post the Quick System Info (in the menu) even from a live usb, it may help figure out what is going wrong with the installed system.

are you able to switch to a different tty with the key combination Ctrl+Alt+F# (where F# is one of F1 - F7) to get to a text login screen?

(edited for clarity)

[Eadwine Rose]

Please refrain from using many colors in your posts, it makes them harder to read. Thanks.

[chamane2025]

if you can post the Quick System Info (in the menu) even from a live usb, it may help figure out what is going wrong with the installed system.

are you able to switch to a different tty with the key combination Ctrl+Alt+F# (where F# is one of F1 - F7) to get to a text login screen?

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I tried many ctrl+halt+different keys but nothing happened. From a live USB MX, here is my Quick System Info:

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 6.1.0-25-amd64 [6.1.106-3] arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/antiX/vmlinuz quiet splasht nosplash
  Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 5.27.5 wm: kwin_x11 vt: 7 dm: SDDM Distro: MX-23.4_KDE_x64 Libretto
    September 15 2024 base: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP EliteBook 850 G3 v: N/A serial: <superuser required> Chassis:
    type: 10 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: HP model: 8079 v: KBC Version 85.79 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: HP
    v: N75 Ver. 01.52 date: 04/20/2021
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 32.0 Wh (96.1%) condition: 33.3/46.5 Wh (71.7%) volts: 12.6 min: 11.4
    model: Hewlett-Packard Primary type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: not charging cycles: 386
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i7-6600U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Skylake gen: core 6 level: v3
    note: check built: 2015 process: Intel 14nm family: 6 model-id: 0x4E (78) stepping: 3
    microcode: 0xEA
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 2 tpc: 2 threads: 4 smt: enabled cache: L1: 128 KiB
    desc: d-2x32 KiB; i-2x32 KiB L2: 512 KiB desc: 2x256 KiB L3: 4 MiB desc: 1x4 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 1000 min/max: 400/3400 scaling: driver: intel_pstate governor: powersave
    cores: 1: 1000 2: 1000 3: 1000 4: 1000 bogomips: 22399
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling status: Vulnerable: No microcode
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX unsupported
  Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
  Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: retbleed mitigation: IBRS
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: IBRS; IBPB: conditional; STIBP: conditional; RSB filling;
    PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected; BHI: Not affected
  Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort mitigation: TSX disabled
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] vendor: Hewlett-Packard EliteBook 840 G3
    driver: i915 v: kernel arch: Gen-9 process: Intel 14n built: 2015-16 ports: active: eDP-1
    empty: DP-1, DP-2, HDMI-A-1, HDMI-A-2 bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:1916 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: Chicony HP HD Camera type: USB driver: uvcvideo bus-ID: 1-9:6 chip-ID: 04f2:b51c
    class-ID: 0e02
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 with: Xwayland v: 22.1.9 compositor: kwin_x11 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1366x768 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 361x203mm (14.21x7.99") s-diag: 414mm (16.31")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: ChiMei InnoLux 0x15c5 built: 2014 res: 1366x768 hz: 60 dpi: 101
    gamma: 1.2 size: 344x193mm (13.54x7.6") diag: 394mm (15.5") ratio: 16:9 modes: 1366x768
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 Mesa 23.1.2-1~mx23ahs renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 520 (SKL GT2)
    direct-render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard EliteBook 840 G3
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel alternate: snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_pci_intel_skl bus-ID: 00:1f.3
    chip-ID: 8086:9d70 class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.1.0-25-amd64 status: kernel-api tools: alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.0 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse status: active
    2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin 4: pw-jack type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-LM vendor: Hewlett-Packard EliteBook 840 G3 driver: e1000e
    v: kernel port: N/A bus-ID: 00:1f.6 chip-ID: 8086:156f class-ID: 0200
  IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Intel Wireless 8260 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel modules: wl pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:24f3 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 1-7:4
    chip-ID: 8087:0a2b class-ID: e001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 2.1 lmp-v: 4.2
    sub-v: 100 hci-v: 4.2 rev: 100
  Info: acl-mtu: 1021:4 sco-mtu: 96:6 link-policy: rswitch sniff link-mode: peripheral accept
    service-classes: rendering, capturing, object transfer, audio, telephony
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 935.22 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
  SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Western Digital model: WDS100T2B0B-00YS70 size: 931.51 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 20WD
    scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 type: USB vendor: Generic model: Flash Disk size: 3.71 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 8.07 scheme: MBR
  SMART Message: Unknown USB bridge. Flash drive/Unsupported enclosure?
Partition:
  Message: No partition data found.
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 40.0 C pch: 33.5 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos:
  Packages: pm: dpkg pkgs: 2496 libs: 1337 tools: apt,apt-get,aptitude,nala pm: rpm pkgs: 0
    pm: flatpak pkgs: 0
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
    2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list
    1: deb https://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bookworm main non-free
    2: deb https://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bookworm ahs
Info:
  Processes: 209 Uptime: 2m wakeups: 2 Memory: 15.5 GiB used: 2.03 GiB (13.1%) Init: SysVinit
  v: 3.06 runlevel: 5 default: graphical tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 alt: 12
  Client: shell wrapper v: 5.2.15-release inxi: 3.3.26
Boot Mode: UEFI

[j2mcgreg]

The release date for your CPU, August 2015, makes your laptop nine years old. If your Western Digital SSD is original equipment, you should check it's SMART status in the bios as a first step (although I would do that regardless of whether it is OEM or not).
Second, run memtest via the Grub screen and let it run for a few hours to see if any of your ram has gone sour. You can also remove / replace the ram sticks in case you are a victim of chip creep.

[Kermit the Frog]

Have you tried to boot with an older kernel? (via "Advanced Options" on Grub) or with systemd ? (... or the default init if you're already using systemd).

Also, when on live session check whether the partition(s) got full.

(Meanwhile, when did it start? After what ?)

[chamane2025]

I ran a memtest and checked the hard drive, both are fine. Also I ran Gsmartcontrol from the live usb and nothing wrong. Any other suggestion is beyond my knowledge. Are there any utilities from the live usb that I can use to check or repair the system?

[CharlesV]

Ctrl+Alt+F4 gives you a terminal and prompt or does nothing?

If you get a terminal prompt, then try renaming this file:

~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/displays.xml to displays_old.xml

and then reboot.

[Kermit the Frog]

Code: Select all

Desktop: KDE Plasma

try renaming this file:

~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/displays.xml to displays_old.xml

and then reboot.

[xaol]

Any other suggestion is beyond my knowledge.

do you see a graphical menu when you boot the installed system? if so, that may have an Advanced Options submenu (as previously mentioned). if you use the arrow key to move down to that entry then hit enter there may be more options. sometimes trying some options from there can be helpful in situations like this.