I'm trying to install Proxmox 8 on a Lenovo M720q with an i3-9100T, 16 GB of RAM, a 256 GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe drive running firmware 2B2QEXM7, and a 65 W power adapter. The system reboots unexpectedly during installation, usually while creating logical volumes around 3%, although it has occasionally reached about 45%. The same thing happens with both Rufus-written and Ventoy installation media. Ubuntu and Debian live environments also crash when booted normally.
Debian 13 will boot using its failsafe option and installs successfully to the NVMe drive, but selecting the normal Debian entry afterward displays one line of text before the computer restarts. I have tried boot parameters including nomodeset, pcie_aspm=off, and nvme_core.default_ps_max_latency_us=0. I also tested different RAM configurations, including single 4 GB, single 16 GB, and 2x4 GB modules. The SSD reports approximately 94% health. What could be causing these reboots, and what should I test next?
2 Answers
That hardware is generally known to work well with Linux and has been used successfully for small Proxmox nodes, so the behavior is unusual. I’d first rule out the installation media by trying a different USB drive and recreating the image with another tool. It would also be worth checking the NVMe in detail, updating the system BIOS, and testing with another SSD if available.
As a troubleshooting step, try installing Proxmox with ZFS selected instead of the default filesystem. If the installation still reboots at a similar point, that helps narrow the problem away from the filesystem configuration.
Thanks, I’ll try the ZFS option and compare the result.
I already tested Ventoy, Rufus, and Balena, but the behavior was the same. I’m starting to suspect the NVMe drive or its controller, so I’ll update the BIOS and then try another NVMe if necessary.