Strange screen-freezing issue
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I've been having a strange recurring issue with the Ubuntu desktop images, including the most recently posted version 23.04 dated 20230508.
If I create a new user account for myself and log into that account, any attempt to either shutdown, reboot, or even simply to log out causes the UI to freeze. I can remotely log in via SSH, but even if I issue a manual "shutdown -h now" command, nothing happens. It's like there's some graphical subsystem process that can neither be terminated or restarted.
I've been trying to diagnose this for a few weeks, and I've reflashed images many times. It was just today that I realized that the problem doesn't manifest as long as I use the default "coolpi" account. I'm curious if anyone else has run into this issue, or if there are any recommendations for further diagnosis. I'd love to do anything I can to help fix this for myself and others.
Cheers!
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@murraytodd I just tested the image of 22.04 and 23.04, and there was no phenomenon you described. Whether creating a new user with a shell or using the image interface, it was normal. After logging in, the new user can operate the system normally, including restarting, logging out, and other operations.
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@george Thanks for checking. That's really strange. At first I thought the issue was associated with the monitor—some HDMI compatibility glitch—but was able to get the same behavior across three different televisions. I've done it with both the 20230424 and 20230306 Ubuntu 22.04 images as well as the new 23.04 image. I've even installed the image on both the SSD care and the built-in eMMC.
I've also kept syslog and dmesg logs open (on an SSH session) and I'm not seeing any messages that make sense. All I know is that the instant I hit the OK button to log out or restart or shutdown, the screen freezes and the mouse pointer doesn't move. But it doesn't happen with the built-in default "coolpi" account.
If anyone has any theories or ideas of what I might capture to further diagnose, let me know.