Hey everyone! I'm having a pretty frustrating issue while trying to install Linux on my desktop. I'm sick of dealing with Windows' sluggishness, but every distro I've tried—like Debian, Linux Mint XFCE 22, LMDE 6, and even Puppy Linux—freezes up after a short time. For instance, Linux Mint XFCE can't even finish installing as it freezes after about 10 minutes, and both Debian and LMDE 6 seem to last around 30 minutes before they crash. It's weird since the hardware isn't the issue—Windows 10 runs perfectly fine, even with heavy usage and gaming. I'd really love to get past this and switch to Linux. By the way, I haven't tested these distros in a VM yet, but I might try that soon. Here are my specs: CPU i5-2400 3.1 GHz, GPU Nvidia GT 240, 12GB RAM, and my motherboard is a GoldenTec H61 M2.
5 Answers
My guess is bad memory could be the culprit. Try reseating the RAM and see if that helps it a bit. Sometimes even new memory can have issues!
Just a thought—make sure your BIOS is up to date! Also, if you’re a fan of Debian, you might want to give MX Linux XFCE a shot, it's also based on Debian and might work better for you.
I think it might be a compatibility problem with your hardware. Could you share the details about your GPU and motherboard? It’d help others steer you toward the right troubleshooting steps.
Ok, I edited it to include my specs.
Are you using an HDD or SSD? Either could be failing. If you haven't already, run memtest86+ to check your memory and gsmartcontrol for storage issues. You might also try booting with *nomodeset* to see if the GPU is causing it. Make sure to check for dust buildup and consider reapplying thermal paste if it’s applicable—could be overheating. Do you notice the freezes during live USB sessions too?
It's an HDD, and memtest86+ found no issues when I ran it. Yes, I do experience freezes while using a live USB. The system seems clean, and my CPU isn’t overheating. Crystaldiskinfo shows everything is fine too; I’ll keep an eye on gsmartcontrol results.
First off, what boot device are you using? Is it from a USB or a CD? Also, you might want to check if it’s a power-saving issue or possibly some hardware overheating. Sometimes, a bad capacitor or resistor can cause these kinds of failures after a while. Just throwing some ideas out there!
Booting from USB.
Well, I’ll try that out. The memory is actually pretty new.