ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM

[Jim Beard]

HP Envy dv7 laptop product C2H85UA#ABA, a quad-core intel 7 cpu, Intel on-
board graphics. (The machine supposedly can run nvidia but attempts to
use it long ago failed and I have ignored it.) Machine purchased in
2013, and rarely used; may go a couple of months or more between updates.

Mageia 6 updated for the first time since June I think. Gnome desktop
with gdm.

The updated kernel is 4.14.62 desktop, but others e.g. 4.14.50 tried and
behavior the same.

I boot to run level three but when I use startx to start x11, the cursor
appears, changes to my custom cursor, and then the desktop hangs as
blank. I can move the cursor around, but no background image, no ability
to do anything.

When I use Cntl-Alt_Bkspace to get out of the blank desktop, I see the
error message ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM

dmesg shows a similar warning during boot.

ACPI Warning: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM Argument #4
type mismatch - Found [Buffer\, ACPI requires [Package], (20170728/
nsarguments-100)

I tried adding acpi=off to the grub2 boot command during boot. No effect.

I tried startxkde and startkde (as my usual user id) and that likewise
failed. I did su - to root and tried startkde (or maybe startxkde) and
that did get a desktop but things got very flaky, I could not get out of
the desktop until I used alt-prt-R S E I U B (years since I have needed
that) and at one point the hp bios complained my pc was malfunctioning or
somesuch and I let it try to fix itself. That seemed to work, and the
machine does boot to Windows 8.1 properly.

I have searched the web for the subject error message, and it seems to
indicate a driver bug, but I found no remedy nor any specifics on exactly
what the bug was.

Can anyone provide a fix? A kluge? A work-around?

Cheers!

jim b.

[Doug Laidlaw]

Post by Jim Beard
When I use Cntl-Alt_Bkspace to get out of the blank desktop, I see the
error message ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM
dmesg shows a similar warning during boot.

Far too "deep" for me. I was in Gnome recently before I reinstalled,
and experienced nothing like it. Currently running kernel
4.14.62-desktop-2.

I am currently running the nvidia graphics. I need it for games;
nouveau graphics are too slow.

Gigabyte H170M-D3H mobo, Intel Core i5-6400, 750 Series video card. Xfce.

Doug.

[Jim Beard]

Post by Doug Laidlaw

Post by Jim Beard
When I use Cntl-Alt_Bkspace to get out of the blank desktop, I see the
error message ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM
dmesg shows a similar warning during boot.

Far too "deep" for me. I was in Gnome recently before I reinstalled,
and experienced nothing like it. Currently running kernel
4.14.62-desktop-2.
I am currently running the nvidia graphics. I need it for games;
nouveau graphics are too slow.
Gigabyte H170M-D3H mobo, Intel Core i5-6400, 750 Series video card.
Xfce.

Too "deep" for me as well. Details included in hope someone would
recognize and understand them. Stuff I found on the web sort of implies
it is a driver issue affecting the display.

My attempt to get a desktop as root was intended to kill two birds with
one stone, make sure permissions problems were not the cause, and test a
second user. As mentioned, I did get kde to load for root, but not work
properly.

My thinking at the moment is that I need to create a new user and see
what that will do.

My second thinking is that the machine is supposed to have both an intel
and an nvidia graphics capability. I was never able to make the nvidia
capability work when the machine was new, but I could take another try at
it.

It will be a while before I try all that, though. I am going to the
dentist this morning, and expect a molar will be pulled. When recovered
from that, I have two or three tasks I have been procrastinating on, so
if you see no more from me for days or even weeks it does not mean my
problem was solved, just that I have not pursued the things I have
already thought of.

Cheers!

jim b.

[Doug Laidlaw]

Post by Jim Beard

Post by Doug Laidlaw

Post by Jim Beard
When I use Cntl-Alt_Bkspace to get out of the blank desktop, I see the
error message ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM
dmesg shows a similar warning during boot.

Far too "deep" for me. I was in Gnome recently before I reinstalled,
and experienced nothing like it. Currently running kernel
4.14.62-desktop-2.
I am currently running the nvidia graphics. I need it for games;
nouveau graphics are too slow.
Gigabyte H170M-D3H mobo, Intel Core i5-6400, 750 Series video card.
Xfce.

Too "deep" for me as well. Details included in hope someone would
recognize and understand them. Stuff I found on the web sort of implies
it is a driver issue affecting the display.
It will be a while before I try all that, though. I am going to the
dentist this morning, and expect a molar will be pulled. When recovered
from that, I have two or three tasks I have been procrastinating on, so
if you see no more from me for days or even weeks it does not mean my
problem was solved, just that I have not pursued the things I have
already thought of.
Cheers!
jim b.

On a Bumblebee forum:

"The ACPI warning messages are harmless."

https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/bbswitch/issues/99

On "failed to evaluate _DSM", what sounds like a major redesign job:
https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/159939/

The version of the v7 laptop I found had nVidia graphics installed, but
there seem to be several different models.

Doug.

[Jim Beard]

Post by Doug Laidlaw

Post by Jim Beard

Post by Doug Laidlaw

Post by Jim Beard
When I use Cntl-Alt_Bkspace to get out of the blank desktop, I see
the error message ACPI: \_SB_.PCI0.PEG0.PEGP: failed to evaluate _DSM
dmesg shows a similar warning during boot.

Far too "deep" for me. I was in Gnome recently before I reinstalled,
and experienced nothing like it. Currently running kernel
4.14.62-desktop-2.
I am currently running the nvidia graphics. I need it for games;
nouveau graphics are too slow.
Gigabyte H170M-D3H mobo, Intel Core i5-6400, 750 Series video card.
Xfce.

Too "deep" for me as well. Details included in hope someone would
recognize and understand them. Stuff I found on the web sort of
implies it is a driver issue affecting the display.
It will be a while before I try all that, though. I am going to the
dentist this morning, and expect a molar will be pulled. When
recovered from that, I have two or three tasks I have been
procrastinating on, so if you see no more from me for days or even
weeks it does not mean my problem was solved, just that I have not
pursued the things I have already thought of.
Cheers!
jim b.

"The ACPI warning messages are harmless."
https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/bbswitch/issues/99
https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/159939/
The version of the v7 laptop I found had nVidia graphics installed, but
there seem to be several different models.

That seems possible, given my further experiments.

I tried using acpi=off in the kernel boot command line, disabling acpi in
mcc's system setting, and booting to run level 3 and killing everything
involving acpi, and none of that made any difference. The acpi message
is probably irrelevent.

I found that I could use startx /usr/bin/startkde and get a working
desktop. Not what I wanted, but serviceable.

startx /usr/bin/startgnome_classic would bring up a desktop but no
toolbar, no icons, and the only menu I could find was launched by
clicking the right mouse button. I could get firefox by clicking Open.

startx /usr/bin/startgnome did not work, as before.

All that now seems to be history. A bunch of drak tools were updated.

Having tinkered with the drakx11 settings in trying to get a desktop
earlier, I loaded drakx11 and first tried for nvidia with the proprietary
driver for that card. That failed, when I tried the test. I waited 10
or 15 seconds and got reversion to a working screen (still in run level
3, mind you).

I then configured the intel 810 or later card. Test worked.

Rebooted to run level 3 and started trying out desktops.
startx with .desktop providing DISPLAYMANAGER=gdm and DESKTOP=GNOME
worked properly. I then tried the other desktops, and all worked.

startx /usr/bin/startgnome_classic
startx /usr/bin/starticewm
startx /usr/bin/startkde

Commands kstart, kstart5, and kstartupconfig5 were available, but it has
been several years since I used kde and things have changed since
introduction of Plasma. I simply ignored them. Gnome is working and
that suffices for me.

Cheers!

jim b.

--

UNIX is not user-unfriendly, it merely expects users to be computer-
friendly.