Arch Linux

leyendecker

Member

Registered: 2025-09-01

Posts: 9

[SOLVED] fb -22 error in Xorg log after Precision 3470 reboot

Hello!

Everything was running flawlessly until, well, it wasn't. Haha

The only other times Xorg has had beef starting up were also times that I'd accidentally let the poor thing's battery drain to ~ 0%,
but the errors in the log were different and the solutions that ended up working elude my memory.

Best I can tell, something in xorg.conf.d is now meddling with the modesetting driver. Whatever may have caused the conflict
between Xorg and the hardware when all that changed was a recent battery critical moment, I haven't the foggiest. Maybe something ACPI-related.

Being unable to check systemd's journal is also vexing. Dunno if that's an XY problem or not.

$ uname -r
6.13.8-arch1-1

$ pacman -Q | grep linux
archlinux-keyring 20250716-1
linux 6.15.7.arch1-1
linux-api-headers 6.15-1
linux-firmware 20250708-1
linux-firmware-amdgpu 20250708-1
linux-firmware-atheros 20250708-1
linux-firmware-broadcom 20250708-1
linux-firmware-cirrus 20250708-1
linux-firmware-intel 20250708-1
linux-firmware-mediatek 20250708-1
linux-firmware-nvidia 20250708-1
linux-firmware-other 20250708-1
linux-firmware-radeon 20250708-1
linux-firmware-realtek 20250708-1
linux-firmware-whence 20250708-1
linux-lts 6.12.39-1
linux-lts-docs 6.12.39-1
util-linux 2.41.1-1
util-linux-libs 2.41.1-1

 $ lspci -k | grep -A 3 -E "(VGA|3D)"
lspci: Unable to load libkmod resources: error -2
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Alder Lake-P GT2 [Iris Xe Graphics] (rev0c)
    Subsystem: Dell Device 0bc1
00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Alder Lake Innovation Platform Framework Processor Participant (rev 02)
    Subsystem: Dell Device 0bc1

 $ journalctl -xb -p 4
Failed to check if we are in the 'systemd-journal' group: No such process
-- No entries -- 

 $ grep -e Log -e tty Xorg.0.log
[        8.728] (==) Log file: "/home/<user>/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log", Time: Mon Sep 1 16:03:59 2025
[        8.732] (––) controlling tty is VT number 1, auto-enabling KeepTty

(the pertinent lines from Xorg.0.log; the error from the subject line continues ad nauseam for however many hundred lines):

[        8.900]  (**) Option "config_info" "udev:/sys/devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input3/event3"
[        8.900]  (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "AT Translated Set 2 keyboard"  (type:  KEYBOARD, id 8)
[        8.900]  (II) event3  - AT Translated Set 2 keyboard:  is tagged by udev as: Keyboard
[        8.900]  (II) event3  - AT Translated Set 2 keyboard: device is a keyboard
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  (EE) modeset(0):  failed to set mode: Invalid argument
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22
[        8.902]  failed to add fb -22

etc.

It then goes on to remove the power button, sleep button, and keyboard. Perhaps because of this, systemd-logind becomes paused,
which might explain the absence of journalctl.

Thanks very much for any help offered in advance.

Last edited by leyendecker (2025-09-02 14:52:22)

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 71,585

Re: [SOLVED] fb -22 error in Xorg log after Precision 3470 reboot

YouÄre booting an old kernel, likely because you forgot to mount the /boot partition before updating or because you mounted a spurious partition into /boot.
Checm "cat /proc/cmdline" to see where you're actually booting from (if the initramfs shows up in relation to a /boot path, you're booting from the root partition)

Since you'll likely lack the vfat module to boot the /boot partition now you'd then have to fix this offline (ie. from an installation iso and then arch-chrooting into the system. Make sure to mount everything into place, re-install the kernel, pay attention to any errors, reboot)

---

How to upload text · How to boot w/o GUI · Disable Windows Fast-Start! · Fix your xinitrc

leyendecker

Member

Registered: 2025-09-01

Posts: 9

Re: [SOLVED] fb -22 error in Xorg log after Precision 3470 reboot

Aha!

$ cat /proc/cmdline
            File: /proc/cmdline
     1      initrd=\initramfs-linux.img root=UUID=39b8a0dc-bea7-4864-b386-6345408ff76e ro rootfstype=ext4 systemd.log_level=debug i8042.unlock=1

Well, that explains some things.

I swear, the amount of times I'm holding the magnifying glass the wrong way around.

After mounting, reinstalling the kernel w/ Pacstrap and then # pacman -Syu just for good measure, the kernel's now up-to-date and Xorg's behaving. On to bigger and better bugs! haha

Thank ya kindly, sir.

Out of curiosity, is 'fb -22' some flag for the frame buffer for use by 'fbdev' in Xorg?