Screen randomly turns black with only mouse showing

Troubleshooting a Black Screen with Mouse Cursor on ThinkPad T14 Gen 1: A Linux and Windows Dual-Boot Perspective

Introduction

Experiencing display issues can be frustrating, especially when your screen randomly turns black, leaving only your mouse cursor visible. This problem can disrupt your workflow and may be difficult to diagnose, particularly on a dual-boot system running Linux Mint and Windows 10. In this article, we will explore potential causes and troubleshooting steps for resolving the issue on a ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 with modern hardware.

System Overview

The user’s setup includes:

• Laptop Model: ThinkPad T14 Gen 1
• Operating Systems: Linux Mint 22.2 (latest version) and Windows 10
• Hardware Specifications:
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX Vega 6
• Memory: 32 GB RAM
• Battery: Recently replaced with an aftermarket unit believed to be of good quality

Symptoms

The primary issue observed is that the display intermittently turns completely black, leaving only the mouse cursor visible. Notably, during these episodes, users are unable to switch to virtual terminals (via Ctrl+Alt+F keys), indicating that the system may be unresponsive or the display freeze is persistent across different contexts.

Initial Observations and Considerations

• Hardware-related factors, such as recent battery replacement, rarely cause display issues but are worth considering.
• The problem occurs on Linux Mint with minimal customization, using KDE Plasma on Xorg, which suggests a possible driver or kernel compatibility issue.
• The inability to access tty suggests a system-level freeze or a driver crash affecting display rendering.

Potential Causes

1. Graphics Driver Issues: AMD Radeon GPUs can sometimes encounter compatibility issues with certain kernel versions or driver configurations.
2. Kernel or Xorg Misconfigurations: Updates or system changes can lead to instability.
3. Hardware Problems: While less likely, hardware faults in the GPU or display components could cause similar symptoms.
4. Power Management Settings: Aggressive power management might lead to display sleep or freeze states.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check System Logs

Access logs after a black screen event to identify any errors or warnings related to graphics. Since Ctrl+Alt+F keys aren’t responsive during the black screen, try switching to a virtual console before the issue occurs, or boot into