HP ZBook 15 G6 - Linux Hard Freezes Related to AC Power Transitions - ACPI Firmware Issue

[RixJones]

There is a persistent and critical issue with my HP ZBook 15 G6 Mobile Workstation that occurs when running Linux. The system experiences random, hard freezes where the display locks up and input devices become unresponsive. The only way to recover is a forced shutdown.

This issue has been observed across multiple Linux distributions, including:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (installed and Live USB)
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Live USB)
Kubuntu 22.04 LTS (Live USB)

However, Windows, installed on a separate NVMe drive on the same hardware, runs perfectly stably without any freezing issues. My guess is the problem lies in the interaction between Linux and the system firmware (BIOS/UEFI).

I have identified a correlation between these freezes and changes in the AC power source. Freezes have occurred shortly after plugging in the AC adapter and also shortly after unplugging it.

Kernel logs (dmesg and journalctl) show ACPI-related errors early in the boot sequence:

ACPI BIOS Error (bug): AE_AML_BUFFER_LIMIT, Field [CAP1] at bit offset/length ... exceeds size of target Buffer ... (Node _SB.OSC)
ACPI BIOS Error (bug): AE_AML_PACKAGE_LIMIT, Index (...) is beyond end of object (length ...) (Node _TZ.GETP)
ACPI BIOS Error (bug): AE_AML_PACKAGE_LIMIT, Index (...) is beyond end of object (length ...) (Node _TZ.CHGZ._CRT)

These errors may be potential bugs with the HP BIOS firmware's ACPI implementation, specifically related to power management, thermal zone handling, and/or OS capability negotiation.

I have updated the BIOS/UEFI to the latest version available from HP Support as of May 4, 2025 and also tested with factory default settings, but the issue persists. Memory and storage have been ruled out as potential causes through Memtest86+ and SMART checks. The issue occurs even when using only the Intel integrated graphics, with all Nvidia drivers removed and the dGPU disabled in the BIOS.

Attempting to work around this with Linux kernel parameters like acpi=off, acpi_osi=..., intel_idle.max_cstate=1, pcie_aspm=off, and nolapic either failed to resolve the freezing or introduced other critical issues.

Given that Windows runs stably on the same hardware, my guess is that there are bugs in the system's ACPI firmware that are not handled correctly by the Linux kernel.

I would greatly appreciate it if any others have a solution to this incompatibility with Linux.

My System Specifications:

Laptop Model: HP ZBook 15 G6 Mobile Workstation
BIOS/UEFI Version: 1.32.00 Rev A
Operating System (Problematic): Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Kernel 6.8.0-59-generic and 6.8.0-40-generic)
Operating System (Stable): Windows 11 24H2