Wow. Seek on the Internets... and ye shall find. 1) Need to add "nouveau.modeset=0" to the Linux line on Grub. [URL] 2) How to do that? Here's an article about how to edit your Grub menu: [URL] So I did those things... and my system has been stable now for ~30 minutes, and have been able to do all sorts of things with it that crashed it before. So I guess this is the magic incantation.
I can run Linux from a USB stick, but, when I try to reload or shut down the laptop, I get messages like these: If I keep it on (until my patience lasts, lol), I will get multiple messages like the second line (with varying numbers), and the only way to turn the computer off is by long-pressing the power button.  I don't want to install it on HDD at this time (neither as dual boot, nor as the sole system), just need to run it off the USB pen drive (VM & WSL are not options). All I want is to be able to run a proper Linux distro (Ubuntu, Fedora, or Debian) off the stick with persistence. Currently, these distros will run off the live USB, but won't close. The OEM's Windows 10 works without a slightest problem (it's blazing fast, Optane+HDD). Are there any processor settings in the BIOS that should be tweaked, to enable normal reload/shutdown for Linux, or is this a hardware defect (I should be able to run Linux properly, right)?Any thoughts are welcome, thank you!
Inspiron 7786 - Hard and soft lockup on reload/shutdown