I've been dealing with CPU hard lockups on my HP Omen 15 (2020 model) for about a year now, and the only way to unfreeze my computer is with a hard reboot. I'm running Debian 13 (Trixie) with Linux kernel 6.12.57, and I haven't changed any hardware recently. It seems these lockups happen randomly, and I primarily use Linux, dual-booting with Windows for gaming and essential software. I've already tried Fedora and openSUSE, but they didn't work out either; something keeps giving me black screens. I've checked the logs, and it's showing problems like NULL pointer dereferences and watchdog detected hard lockups on various CPUs. I'm at my wit's end here, and any help would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
First thing I’d suggest is updating your kernel to a newer version, like 6.18.5. You can find it in the unstable repos, but be careful not to upgrade anything else from unstable, just the kernel and the amd64-microcode. Also, make sure your BIOS is up to date, as some manufacturers release patches that can resolve these issues.
Given that the kernel you're on is pretty new, there might be some regressions. A practical test would be to boot using an LTS kernel, maybe 6.1.x or 6.6.x, via GRUB to see if that helps improve stability. Just install it using apt and update GRUB. Also, double-check your BIOS and firmware updates; there could be fixes for power or thermal bugs.
Have you considered removing any extra memory modules? Sometimes, additional RAM can cause stability issues, especially if there are compatibility problems.
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