[gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Grant]

My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
do you troubleshoot something like this?

- Grant
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Mark Knecht]

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 9:26 AM, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:
> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
>  and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
>  is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
>  do you troubleshoot something like this?
>
>  - Grant

It's a bit hard with a laptop but there are some things you can do.

1) Does it freeze under no load? Just boot it and wait. don't log in, etc.

2) Does it only boot once logged in? What's running?

3) From another machine can you ssh in and then watch from there? Is
the laptop dead or is it just not responding to its own keyboard? If
it's still alive what's in the log files?

Probably there are lots more things to do but these are the sort of
things I'd try first.

Good luck,
Mark
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Ale]

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2008/3/31, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com>:
>
> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
> do you troubleshoot something like this?
>
> - Grant
>
> --
> gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list
>
>
Which logs didi you check? For sure you will get something there. Do you
have syslog-ng running or something similar?
laptop? arch?
Di you tried to run a live cd, for example?

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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Willie Wong]

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 09:26:34AM -0700, Grant wrote:
> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
> do you troubleshoot something like this?

The first thing to determine is that whether it is freezing of the
user interface or the underlying kernel. For desktops I often compile
the kernel with the option that it flashes the keyboard LEDs when it
is panicking, so I can see at a glance that the omelette has hit the
fan. 

So: 
  a) This freezing behaviour, does it manifest only in X, or does it
happen if you boot into a non-graphical environment?
  b) If both, is it possible to have your laptop on a private network
with ssh/telnet listening? If so, please see if after the freezing
behaviour, you can still telnet/ssh into the laptop? If you can, can
you run top from the terminal and see if anything is just taking up
100% resource? 

Other things to check:
  c) could your laptop be overheating? 
  d) is this a new phenomenon or something that has happened
consistently since the dawn of time? i.e. did you update any software
recently or is this something that just happened right out of the box
with your spanking new hardware? 
  e) If this is a spanking new machine, and if it comes with one of
the bastard OSes pre-installed, does this also happen running that
operating system? (Maybe you are due a refund?)

HTH, 

W
-- 
Willie W. Wong                                      wwong@math.princeton.edu
408 Fine Hall,  Department of Mathematics,  Princeton University,  Princeton
A mathematician's reputation rests on the number of bad proofs he has given.
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Steven Lembark]

Grant wrote:
 > My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
 > and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
 > is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
 > do you troubleshoot something like this?

There's a decent troubleshooting HOWTO on the wiki
for "stability". I'm not where I had it bookmarked
but try to locate the thing and if you can't I'll
send back the link.

-- 
Steven Lembark                                          +1 888 359 3508
Workhorse Computing                                       85-09 90th St
lembark@wrkhors.com                                 Woodhaven, NY 11421
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Willie Wong]

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 12:36:40PM -0400, Willie Wong wrote:
> The first thing to determine is that whether it is freezing of the
> user interface or the underlying kernel. For desktops I often compile
> the kernel with the option that it flashes the keyboard LEDs when it
> is panicking, so I can see at a glance that the omelette has hit the
> fan. 

On second thought, I am not sure if the keyboard flashing is
optional... every desktop that I've come across that kernel panic'd
did flash the LEDs, that and the fact the last time I built my desktop
kernel is over a year ago  makes me a non-authority on kernel options.

W
-- 
Willie W. Wong                                      wwong@math.princeton.edu
408 Fine Hall,  Department of Mathematics,  Princeton University,  Princeton
A mathematician's reputation rests on the number of bad proofs he has given.
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Joseph]

On 03/31/08 09:26, Grant wrote:
>My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
>and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
>is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
>do you troubleshoot something like this?
>
>- Grant

Start with "ls_sensors" and monitor CPU and motherboard temp.  

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#Joseph
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Dale]

Willie Wong wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 12:36:40PM -0400, Willie Wong wrote:
>   
>> The first thing to determine is that whether it is freezing of the
>> user interface or the underlying kernel. For desktops I often compile
>> the kernel with the option that it flashes the keyboard LEDs when it
>> is panicking, so I can see at a glance that the omelette has hit the
>> fan. 
>>     
>
> On second thought, I am not sure if the keyboard flashing is
> optional... every desktop that I've come across that kernel panic'd
> did flash the LEDs, that and the fact the last time I built my desktop
> kernel is over a year ago  makes me a non-authority on kernel options.
>
> W
>   

I would like to know where this is to if it is a option.  Never heard of 
this before.

Thanks

Dale

:-)  :-)

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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:31:50 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:

> 1) Does it freeze under no load? Just boot it and wait. don't log in,
> etc.
> 

I'd also try booting from a Knoppix CD to see if it still happens. It is
doesn't, the problem is in software, not hardware.

Running memtest86 wouldn't be a bad idea either.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Do not merely believe in miracles; rely on them. * Finagle

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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Eric Martin]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Joseph wrote:
| On 03/31/08 09:26, Grant wrote:
|> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
|> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
|> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
|> do you troubleshoot something like this?
|>
|> - Grant
|
| Start with "ls_sensors" and monitor CPU and motherboard temp.
+1 to that.  I had a laptop that was doing the exact same thing.  I
installed lm_sensors and saw that at rest my temp was generally 40C
(that's with powersave enabled).  When I compiled the temp would go up
to 75C...I think the highest I ever got it was 77C.*  A /little/ over 40
is too hot...

*For the Americans (like me) the easy way for C -> F is double it,
subtract 10% and add 32.  So the temps would be 104F, 167F and 171F.

- --
Eric Martin
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Grant]

>  |> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
>  |> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
>  |> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
>  |> do you troubleshoot something like this?
>  |>
>  |> - Grant
>  |
>  | Start with "ls_sensors" and monitor CPU and motherboard temp.
>  +1 to that.  I had a laptop that was doing the exact same thing.  I
>  installed lm_sensors and saw that at rest my temp was generally 40C
>  (that's with powersave enabled).  When I compiled the temp would go up
>  to 75C...I think the highest I ever got it was 77C.*  A /little/ over 40
>  is too hot...
>
>  *For the Americans (like me) the easy way for C -> F is double it,
>  subtract 10% and add 32.  So the temps would be 104F, 167F and 171F.

The laptop has stopped freezing now.  Not sure what was going on.
Thanks a lot for all the help and I'll refer back if I need to.

- Grant
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Dale]

Grant wrote:
>>  |> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30 minutes
>>  |> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but there
>>  |> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.  How
>>  |> do you troubleshoot something like this?
>>  |>
>>  |> - Grant
>>  |
>>  | Start with "ls_sensors" and monitor CPU and motherboard temp.
>>  +1 to that.  I had a laptop that was doing the exact same thing.  I
>>  installed lm_sensors and saw that at rest my temp was generally 40C
>>  (that's with powersave enabled).  When I compiled the temp would go up
>>  to 75C...I think the highest I ever got it was 77C.*  A /little/ over 40
>>  is too hot...
>>
>>  *For the Americans (like me) the easy way for C -> F is double it,
>>  subtract 10% and add 32.  So the temps would be 104F, 167F and 171F.
>>     
>
> The laptop has stopped freezing now.  Not sure what was going on.
> Thanks a lot for all the help and I'll refer back if I need to.
>
> - Grant
>   

Do you recall what you did?  Recompile a package?  Blow out some dust 
bunnies?  Cross your toes?

Just curious.

Dale

:-)  :-) 
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Grant]

> > >  |> My Gentoo laptop keeps freezing.  It will stay up for about 30
> minutes
> > >  |> and then stop responding altogether.  I've checked the logs but
> there
> > >  |> is nothing informative there.  I'm all up to date with packages.
> How
> > >  |> do you troubleshoot something like this?
> > >  |>
> > >  |> - Grant
> > >  |
> > >  | Start with "ls_sensors" and monitor CPU and motherboard temp.
> > >  +1 to that.  I had a laptop that was doing the exact same thing.  I
> > >  installed lm_sensors and saw that at rest my temp was generally 40C
> > >  (that's with powersave enabled).  When I compiled the temp would go up
> > >  to 75C...I think the highest I ever got it was 77C.*  A /little/ over
> 40
> > >  is too hot...
> > >
> > >  *For the Americans (like me) the easy way for C -> F is double it,
> > >  subtract 10% and add 32.  So the temps would be 104F, 167F and 171F.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > The laptop has stopped freezing now.  Not sure what was going on.
> > Thanks a lot for all the help and I'll refer back if I need to.
> >
> > - Grant
> >
> >
>
>  Do you recall what you did?  Recompile a package?  Blow out some dust
> bunnies?  Cross your toes?

I believe it stopped freezing after it's periodic ext3 filesystem
check after a reboot, but it didn't report any type of error after the
check.  Another possibility was upgrading to xscreensaver-5.05 from
5.04.  Overall I'm puzzled but happy.

- Grant

>  Dale
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Re: [gentoo-user] Laptop keeps freezing

[Dale]

Grant wrote:
>> Dale said this part.  o_O
>>  Do you recall what you did?  Recompile a package?  Blow out some dust
>> bunnies?  Cross your toes?
>>     
>
> I believe it stopped freezing after it's periodic ext3 filesystem
> check after a reboot, but it didn't report any type of error after the
> check.  Another possibility was upgrading to xscreensaver-5.05 from
> 5.04.  Overall I'm puzzled but happy.
>
> - Grant
>
>   
>>  Dale
>>     


Sounds good.  At least if someone else runs into this and takes the time 
to search, they can find something to check/try before posting.

Glad it is working for ya tho.

Dale

:-)  :-) 
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