Beware: Linux kernel 5.19.12 could damage your Intel laptop display, literally

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Oct 04, 2022,
updated Oct 07, 2022

It looks like one of the recent Linux kernel updates is causing issues with Intel laptops. Apparently the 5.19.12 update is not playing nice with Intel's graphics i915 driver and this is leading to all sorts of issues. For example, below is an example of a user who said that they were almost constantly encountering weird flashing problems. The user added they had the issue on a Lenovo laptop powered by i7-1065G7 running Fedora 35.

[...]

Over on the Framework community forum, affected users have been raising this issue for close to a week now, and it looks like an Intel Linux kernel engineer, Ville Syrjäl, had picked it up. Syrjäl says that the panel power sequencing (PPS) delay is bugged which could potentially even damage the LCD panels. He wrote:

Read on

PC Mag:

• Running Linux 5.19.2 on an Intel Laptop Can Damage the Display | PCMag

  A recent version of the Linux kernel can create a nasty flickering effect on Intel-powered laptops—to the point the problem may damage the display.

  The problem involves a bug in the 5.19.2 release for the Linux kernel. On Monday, an Intel software engineer named Ville Syrjälä noted(Opens in a new window) the software contains a “potentially bogus panel power sequencing delays, which may harm the LCD panel.”

  “I recommend immediate revert of this stuff, and new stable release ASAP. Plus a recommendation that no one using laptops with Intel GPUs run 5.19.12,” Syrjälä wrote in the Linux kernel mailing list.

  The good news is that the Linux team quickly rolled out(Opens in a new window) version 5.19.3, which seems to resolve the problem. Users can also downgrade their Linux release to 5.19.11 to prevent the flickering.

Slashdot:

• Intel Laptop Users Should Avoid Linux 5.19.12 To Avoid Potentially Damaging The Display - Slashdot

  Intel laptop users running Linux are being advised to avoid running the latest Linux 5.19.12 stable kernel point release as it can potentially damage the display.

UPDATE (WebProBusiness)

• Linux 5.19.12 Kernel May Cause Damage to Some Displays

  Linux users are being advised to skip kernel 5.19.12 due to a major bug impacting Intel machines.

3 more today:

• Linux kernel 5.19.12 may 'harm' Intel laptop screens • The Register

  A bug in version 5.19.12 of the Linux kernel "may harm" screens on laptops powered by Intel's 12th-generation Core processors.

  The Alder Lake family of chips are significantly different from earlier Intel generations, and this has caused previous problems in the open source kernel, though those were relatively modest performance degradation. This latest glitch is a bit more serious, causing displays to flash and fail to work.

• Linux Kernel 5.19.12 bug could damage Intel laptop displays

  Linux users have reported seeing weird white flashes and rapid blinking on their Intel laptop displays after upgrading to Linux kernel version 5.19.12, leading to warnings that the bug may damage displays.

• Linux kernel 5.19.12 code could cause permanent damage to some laptop displays | Ars Technica

  For desktop Linux users, updating to a new Linux kernel typically carries relatively small, contained risks: wonky drivers, GRUB pain, maybe a full wipe and reinstall. For one subset of laptop owners on rolling release distributions, however, kernel version 5.19.12 could cause actual LCD screen damage.

Phoronix has fed Microsoft-connected sites with that FUD about "LINUX WILL DESTROY YOUR LAPTOP" (the original mailing list message says it is rare). Kernel 5.19.12 is barely even used by anybody except the cutting-edge adventurists.

Sam Varghese today.

• iTWire - Linux bug in kernel version 5.19.12 said to damage Intel-based laptop panels

  Laptops which are built atop Intel's 12th generation Core processors are affected by a bug in version 5.19.12 of the Linux kernel, according to a post from an Intel Linux engineer on Tuesday.

  Ville Syrjälä said in his post: "After looking at some logs we do end up with potentially bogus panel power sequencing delays, which may harm the LCD panel."

  He suggested to Greg Kroah-Hartman, maintainer of the stable kernel line, that this be immediately reverted and a new stable release issued.

One late addition:

• Linux bug can tigger Chipzilla PC screens

  A bug in the Intel integrated graphics driver for Linux machines is triggering a power sequencing issue which, can damage the screen.

  Victims see very fast white flashes on the screen which can potentially send the panel to silicon heaven.

  Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman promptly released Linux 5.19.13 where the faulty patches for the Intel graphics driver have been reverted.