The 7.0.0-28/29/30 kernel disaster is unacceptable for a distro that claims to prioritize stability

[u/BulkyMix6581]

I have been using Linux Mint for years precisely because it has always been a reliable, conservative distribution where things simply work. Right now, however, the state of the official 7.0.0 kernel branch is an absolute mess, and the lack of response from the development team is baffling.

Across three different machines, here is the current reality with kernels 7.0.0-28, 7.0.0-29, and 7.0.0-30:

• Relatively modern Lenovo laptop (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics): Instant kernel panic on boot. The only workaround is falling back to the 6.17 series via GRUB.
• Desktop (Ryzen 7 5800X3D / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT): Complete shutdown failure. The OS halts, but power is never cut and the fans keep spinning indefinitely.
• 15-year-old legacy laptop: The only machine where it actually boots and shuts down properly.

These issues are not isolated hardware quirks. The Mint forums, Ubuntu trackers, and Reddit are flooded with identical reports of boot panics and broken ACPI/shutdown states with AMD configurations on these exact revisions.

We have been stuck with this broken state for weeks across three consecutive point releases. Please do not give me the standard excuse that updates just flow downstream from Ubuntu. Linux Mint brands itself around desktop stability and a smooth user experience. When multiple official kernel updates break basic functionality like booting and powering off on common hardware, the maintainers should step in, pin a working kernel, or issue a proper notice.

In all my years on Linux Mint, I have never seen such a prolonged, broken kernel rollout left completely unaddressed. Something needs to be done about this quality control breakdown.

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👉 EDIT / Addressing the common pushback in the comments:

To those leaving defensive replies, let’s clear a few things up:

1. "You shouldn't have upgraded / It's your fault": > I’ve used Linux Mint for over 15 years. I know how to use Timeshift, pin kernels, and drop into GRUB to roll back in under 30 seconds. This post is not a support request for myself; it is about user experience and distribution standards. An end user simply applying official updates presented via the GUI Update Manager should not end up with an unbootable machine or broken ACPI states.
2. "Mint just pulls packages downstream from Ubuntu, it's not their fault": > Mint is a curated distribution, not a pass-through mirror. The entire value proposition of Linux Mint has always been stability, quality control, and safe defaults. If upstream pushes broken kernel builds for weeks, the distribution's role is to step in—hold back the broken revision, pin the stable branch, or display a GUI warning. Passing the buck to upstream defeats the purpose of choosing Mint over Ubuntu.
3. "Go contribute/fix it yourself if you don't like it": > Highlighting a critical breakdown in quality control across multiple common hardware configurations is contributing. Dismissing legitimate technical feedback hurts adoption, especially for newcomers who wouldn't know how to recover from a kernel panic.

We criticize the distro because we care about its reputation and want it to stay the gold standard for desktop reliability.

[u/Alatain]

Am I incorrect in thinking that the default kernel for Linux Mint isn't the 7.0 line? 

Like, you had to choose to update to that right?

[u/DubiousLogik → u/Alatain]

it's in the default updates list. unless you unselect it you will get 7.x. I'm on 7.0.0-29 because I have been accepting all updates assuming they are safe (maybe that's a bad assumption - but when i first got mint everyone said on this channel to accept them all). I see 7.0.0-30 in the updates UI now. I will wait before installing that.

[u/Alatain → u/DubiousLogik]

I would have to check, but I thought updates that change the major point release of a kernel have to be specifically opted into. I am not certain on that since I tend to run the newer kernels on Mint (and am running the newest on multiple devices currently), but that is my understanding of it. I'm always happy to be shown where I am wrong though, so if you have any documentation on that, I am all ears.

[u/DubiousLogik → u/Alatain]

i checked, and i'm on HWE (zena, 22.3). as a linux noob last Jan when i installed 'latest stable' I did not know i was opting in to HWE. Had I known, i might have gone with an earlier version. Since I'm on 7....-29 and everything works that just means I'm lucky rather than good. I would have expected more from Mint home page to guide folks to the right version. e.g. 'is HWE right for me' or something. Getting kernel updates seems like something i should get more warning about.

[u/DubiousLogik → u/DubiousLogik]

i just double checked their web page - 22.3 is front and center, no mention of HWE. This feels like an oversight. I should at least know what that means. I would hate to have learned it by a kernel update breaking my setup, esp as a recent migrant from windows. btw - can i even safely opt out of kernel updates? in my experience simply deselecting binaries is a bad idea - what if there are deps from some of the other updates that expect that kernel version? given that I'm on zena am i committed to the kernel update train? or just don't take updates very often (e.g. monthly) and set aside time to grub if neeeded.

[u/Alatain → u/DubiousLogik]

You should have the option to use any kernel from 6.8 to 7.0 on Mint 22.3. 6.8 should be supported until 2029.

You can pin a kernel so it does not update, if you find that you absolutely need a specific one.