Hi

For some reason now whenever I run Linux, lots of programs die with a segmentation fault without actually getting anywhere. If I call a program from the KDE menu, it will just sit there in the task bar with the egg timer and after about 5-10 secs dissapear. KDE programs (Konsole, Konqueror, etc) will run until I try and type in any input, and then they die. The only reason I know it is a segmentation fault is because I can run Eterm, and anything I run from there sits, waits for about 5-10 seconds, and then dies with a segmentation fault.

Programs that don't work include:
-KDE programs (run but die when I type anything)
-OpenOffice
-Evolution
-Emacs, XEmacs
-Mplayer (loads but dies when I try to open a file)

Programs that do work include:
-Terminals besides Konsole
-Mozilla Firebird
-XMMS
-Superkaramba
-Mandrake Control Centre

I am running Mandrake 9.1 with KDE 3.1.
I also have plenty of space on all partitions (I've heard that when / gets low random wierd stuff can happen), although I dont know how to find info on my swap partition, although I think it is at 256MB and I have 256MB of RAM). I do not think this is a hardware problem as I dual boot with Windows XP (although off a different Hard Drive) and it runs fine.

Any ideas?

thats really odd. Have you tried other distributions? Have they caused problems? Have you tried reinstalling?

9.1 isn't that old, but you could try upgrading to the latest 9.2 beta.


Try looking at your logs in /var/log to see if anything strange comes up.

Looked in /var/log/syslog and /var/log/messages, wasnt really sure to look so looked here, both were filled with the lines...

kernel: keyboard.c: can't emulate rawmode for keycode 272
kernel: keyboard.c: can't emulate rawmode for keycode 272
kernel: keyboard.c: can't emulate rawmode for keycode 273
kernel: keyboard.c: can't emulate rawmode for keycode 273
kernel: keyboard.c: can't emulate rawmode for keycode 272
last message repeated 16 times
last message repeated 10 times
last message repeated 15 times

just going on repeating a form similar to that for 100s of lines

Everytime I open a KDE program that segfaults it adds a few more lines of the same... However when something like Evolution segfaults, nothing is added.
I have been using 9.1 for a few months now and this problem only just started occurring, I dont remember installing anything wierd before it started occuring either...

Any ideas? Should I look elsewhere in /var/log ?

Edit: I have since realised that XMMS dies if I try to look at the file info (although I can add/remove files from the play list freely). Firebird will also segfault randomly...

Have you recently updated your kernel from urpmi? I remember mandrake released a broken kernel a month ago, and it caused a lot of problems.

Try reinstalling the default kernel RPM that came with your CDs. If that doesnt work, try downloading a new kernel from the net, or compile your own.

No, I havent touched the kernel, it is 2.4.21-013mdk which is what came with 9.1


I have found that if I run programs as root, the segfault does not occur... This is becoming a real pain, has no-one experienced this before?

Well I just re-installed Xfree86 and my Nvidia driver.... I did this because no terminal programs got the segfault...

Well, it seems it was for nothing, I still get the segfaults...

I also dont think it is KDE, as I loaded into TWM and the segfaults still occur...

What is going on?! I agree it seems like a kernel problem or something, but I havent touched it!

Not that I have changed any config files, but can changing config files coz a problem like this?