So...why won't it work? (Gaming computer trying to drive Linux Mint)

[Casey Jones]

Bought a used gamer's computer...an Asus FX507...three years old, but this one is optioned to the max. Has 64gb of RAM. That was an aftermarket, not-really-supported, upgrade - and yes, this motherboard and box is upgradable, I checked online. Brave AI says it's not clear if the 64-gig upgrade is validated with maker's data.

Anyway...got an Intel processor (series 7, whatever it is, now...most of my recent boxes have had AMDs) and shipped with Windoze 11. My first exposure to it, and hopefully my last (ads even in working the OS, separate from the browser). And I don't think it's hacked - I bought it at a pawn shop I trust and they had wiped it. Verified, in that the user account is the shop's name and there's no activity older than 45 days ago.

So. I put Linux on it, and that wasn't smooth. Which surprised me, because this is my fourth Asus computer and they all just love Linux. I bought this because I sometimes push the system hard with three, four video pages up, when falling down the rabbit hole. I don't like having to bookmark pages and close them (especially not video links) and then having to cleanse the bookmarks later. I can be audio-stripping one file, watching another, with about a dozen browser pages open and maybe two browsers (I handle money and email on Chromium; general surfing on Brave, and isolated tasks I might do once a month, that don't entail money, on Firefox). That's my security - I don't track crumbs from my bank websites to this site, or to a video link.

It works well on this box, with about 16gb of RAM, but this one will crash after many days not shutting down. AND...this computer is almost six years old. Best time to buy a new computer is before you need it, right? Have all the links and PWs already prepped.

Problem is, this one is freezing on routine tasks. Just now it froze on a (small) order with Bezoszon.

That's beyond inconvenient. It's un-manageable. That was about the third freeze, requiring reboot, in a day's use.

Brave AI is not much help. It and Search steered me to a few Reddit and Linux forums, and the consensus is, flashing the BIOS and making changes in the BIOS settings that I don't understand.

Anyone have any inspiration or clarification? Brave AI suggested Fedora Linux is better suited to Asus models - my good experience with Mint makes me wonder if that's true - but also, Fedora is a commercial product. Not eager to rush out and BUY, as ordered by our AI gods.

Thoughts?

 

[Voodoo]

Its been a long time since I messed with computer OS too much. Does sound like a Memory issue and since you said it has an aftermarket amount, I think it more likely you have an issue with too much / non-supported memory.

 

[Casey Jones]

That is an even longer story...buckle up your gaming-chair belt. But the Executive Summary is...the Sytem Information box in Mint, shows all the memory, 67gb, there. Likewise, the System Monitor, which shows used and available RAM (and memory, and processor use, etc) shows it all.

Here's why this got to my attention: I had a Mint bootable flash drive, it's how I installed Mint on the last three boxes. Had it made for me about three, four years ago. I know the OS is out of date, but the plan was to load the old OS in, and then update online.

I booted it up, started Installing, and it stopped. I have 1 TB of hard drive space on it, but it only saw 6 GB of hard-drive space.

Well, at great inconvenience, I made another bootable flash, with the current Mint Cinnamon distro. It did read the HD correctly (and the internal key pad and touch pad, something that the old distro couldn't do.

But it didn't go in smoothly. Graphics were distorted, in the first booting-up on this flash...unlike the older drive, where graphics at least were correct. But I got the loading going, until it crashed when trying to install various required codecs.

Let's try again. This time it did boot up correctly and finish. BUT, right off, I was told, it had a PROBLEM...UNDERSTANDING its Linux/Unix instructions.

The install went in; and I started loading and setting to taste. I was having a hard time with the Standby mode, it didn't like it, either. So I did the searching and found that there was some disagreement as to how much RAM was supposed to be in there and if it was supported.

The machine was sold me with that RAM - and yes, with Windoze, it showed it was in there. I didn't test it - Windoze today is no more secure than a Stupephone. As secure as a public-access library computer. I used it to make the new bootable flash drive, with online freeware...just in that one simple task I was innuated with ads, and somehow LOST the Progress window of the formatting of my flash-drive.

Microsquish garbage. Some things never change.

So...sad to say, the whole system is wonky. That it's not working out as intended, I can accept. But repeated freezes and crashes, just make it useless to me.

And I overpaid for the thing. I wanted the excellent graphics (which it has) and the memory (which means nothing if it freezes anyway)...I'm not a happy camper.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

It came with windoze 11?
windoze 11 has a UEFI device requirement so that may be the problem. Good to know about Linux install, though.
Here's the run down —

UEFI Secure Boot is a critical security standard that ensures a computer boots using only software trusted by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). It works by verifying the digital signatures of early-stage boot software—including firmware drivers, EFI applications, bootloaders, and the operating system kernel—against a database of authorized keys stored in the motherboard's firmware. If a component is unsigned or has been tampered with, the system blocks it from executing, effectively stopping rootkits, bootkits, and malicious code before the OS can even load.

 

[pmbug]

...
It works well on this box, with about 16gb of RAM, but this one will crash after many days not shutting down. ...

Some program that use periodically likely has a memory leak (doesn't release memory properly) and eventually, that will cause the computer to crash. Shutting down the computer (or restarting/rebooting it), clears out the memory leak build-up. Save what you need to save and reboot once in a while.

 

[Casey Jones]

Some program that use periodically likely has a memory leak (doesn't release memory properly) and eventually, that will cause the computer to crash. Shutting down the computer (or restarting/rebooting it), clears out the memory leak build-up. Save what you need to save and reboot once in a while.

Oh, yeah, but it's deeper.

The Toob of Eww, seems to infect the system. Use it a few times, and it's okay; but use it a few moar, and I find I start losing features. On this box I'm using right now, it's the Bluetooth program that gets unhappy - I use Bluetooth for everything, since the speakers on this laptop are like a kazoo. I have a standalone speaker, and headphones; but once the program gets destabilized, I lose those, and have to use an audio jack and wired headphones.

If it gets bad enough, I lose that, too. In a moar severe bind-up, I have to reboot several times.

Other things can do it, too...seems memory related. Like, moving files on external drives. Something I have to do a lot (choose to do) because I have an extensive audio library and quite a few pirated movies (thank the old LimeWire for that). Trying to organize. Although now it's looking moar like that won't matter much...

Get the RAM demand up there, and get the Swap File involved, and a crash is inbound.

The greater resources of a gaming computer were to avoid this; but now it looks like I just bought a truckload of problems.

 

[Casey Jones]

It came with windoze 11?
windoze 11 has a UEFI device requirement so that may be the problem. Good to know about Linux install, though.
Here's the run down —

I'd seen reference to that, in my cursory reading/searching. I didn't understand a bit of it.

So it's Windoze poison that's doing this?

I can completely wipe Windose off the face of the drive...I didn't want to; I wanted a dual-boot (what I have in there now) but if I cleanse everything of that Seattle virus, will it likely then work?

Is there a less-drastic way? Windoze is what everyone wants...including any buyers, if I have to re-sell this thing. Take the Dumboze 11 off the system, and nobody will be interested.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

No, the UEFI device is on the mother board.
I have no idea what OS the chip will approve of but it also stops 'unknown' programs from executing.

Here's moar than you ever wanted to know UEFI

 

[Casey Jones]

Judas Priest.

I gotta become a Lecktikal Injun-ear just to use an alternative OS.

And of course, my go-to guy on this sort of thing, Unca Walt...he's gone to be big cannon yard in the sky.

I'm to the point, where I'm gonna conclude we're in a point of Diminishing Returns. This recent purchase was to be on standby when this current box, about five years old, goes rubber-pads up.

Maybe when it happens, I'll have to reduce to library computers. I don't think I can deal with the Woke, Corporate, advertising-imbued Microsquish slop.

 

[Joe King]

But repeated freezes and crashes, just make it useless to me.

How is the airflow through it? On my laptop I can feel air coming out of the vent when it's on. If there is dust and dirt blocking it, it can cause overheating and exactly the type of behavior you are describing.

Excess heat will cause random freezes and lock ups similar to what you are describing.

And I overpaid for the thing

What'd you have to give for it, if you don't mind me asking?

Get the RAM demand up there, and get the Swap File involved, and a crash is inbound.

I checked, and that machine has two slots. Try pulling both sticks and test them one at a time.
Check for any dust or debris when reinstalling.

Windoze is what everyone wants...including any buyers, if I have to re-sell this thing

This recent purchase was to be on standby when this current box, about five years old, goes rubber-pads up.

Ok, this sounds as though you will have it awhile. Like several years.

If your current one is five years old and this new one was to be it's replacement when it finally goes tits up, then I wouldn't give two shits about keeping winslop 11 on it.

Even if your current machine dies later this year, that means you'll likely use this newer one for at least five or six years.

With Linux, you can a lotta years of web surfing out of an old PC.
....and by that time it won't matter if it still has winblows on it or not.

I would say turn off secure boot and all the TPM shit, and just let Linux format the drive and be done with it.

Winslop doesn't play nice on a dual boot machine anyways. The Braxman (computer security guy) made a vid about how windows 11 deleted his Linux partition without even asking first.

It's possible that just having Redmond's shit on the drive might just be the cause of your problems with the thing.
.....but if you just have to keep the Winslop working, do you perhaps have a spare HD you could swap it for and see if the problem goes away?

Edited to add: might have missed it in your posts, but does it exhibit any of the issues you are having when booted into windows?

 

[Bottom Feeder]

Overheating, yeah, that is a good suspect also.
I looked up your Asus FX507 on gurgle and Ho-Lee-Shit!! Everyone and their next door neighbor has a u-toob or disassembly instructions on that laptop. Your laptop has prolly been 'enhanced' by some previous teenage gamer.

 

[Casey Jones]

How is the airflow through it? On my laptop I can feel air coming out of the vent when it's on. If there is dust and dirt blocking it, it can cause overheating and exactly the type of behavior you are describing.

Excess heat will cause random freezes and lock ups similar to what you are describing.

Airflow is/was fine (it's at the geek shop right now; minimum $75...) I could hear/feel the fan, and in the cooling slots and around the keys, no dust buildup.

That especially is noticeable in that Asus, for years now, has come to depend on thermal paste for cooling. Like this machine, my five-year model. Look ma, no fan!

I'm always afraid it'll overheat, but it hasn't so far. Of course that could be what causes those sound-card or Bluetooth freeze-ups...who knows?

What did I pay for it? I'm ashamed to say, but I will. $650. One third its new retail price. Keep in mind that gaming boxes are still in demand...not so much netbooks or utility computers, but gaming boxes.

The geeks think all is probably well...they're gonna evaluate the hardware and rule out that possibility; and then we're either gonna wipe the HD and do a clean install (Linux distro to be determined) or re-load both, loading the Linux first, and THEN Windoze.

There's two reasons I want Windoze available: First, at odd times I've come across a software need - like a scanner, or, what's that program that allows you to sign email documents?...that doesn't run with Linux. Others as they pop up, which now is getting more rare.

The other is, as I say, when the time comes to sell. It may be a long time. Yeah, old boxes are where Linux really helps - puts new life into good-but-obsoleted hardware. I get it.

The need right now is that I may be traveling a bit this fall, and will need to take a tether computer with me. Email, all that rot.

My mini-netbook doesn't like modern email, and chokes up (1gb RAM) with one browser window open. It's not a good choice.

Take my utility laptop with me, and then it gets broken...I B skreuet. Have to buy and set up a new/used machine based on WHAT IS AVAILABLE AT THAT MOMENT.

Have THIS, which is no gem - it's been loved a lot for three years, USB plugs are worn - and if IT drops or breaks, o-frikkin-well. The inconvenience of being out for a few days or weeks with no other computer, is all it will be. Get home and pick everything back up.

 

[Casey Jones]

It's possible that just having Redmond's shit on the drive might just be the cause of your problems with the thing.
.....but if you just have to keep the Winslop working, do you perhaps have a spare HD you could swap it for and see if the problem goes away?

I'd thought about that, but I'd have to buy a new/newer-used HD. SSHDs are not that cheap.

We may go that route. My geeks were going home at noon today - I dropped the machine off just after posting the thread. Got in there twenty minutes before they were locking up (visions of firecrackers dancing in their autistic brains).

They'll check for hardware failure on Monday, and Monday late in the day we'll decide what to do. A new solid-state HD may be the easiest, and best way to go.