Linux locks-up =(
 

Hi,
I've just bought a new computer containing
MB: Asus V2A-VM HDMI
RAM: Kingston 2x1gb
HDD: Seagate Barracuda SATA 160gb
CPU: AMD AM2 4400+ X2

I've tried:
Ubuntu Server 8.04 with gnome desktop and
Slackware 12.0 and upgrade to 12.1 with KDE desktop

1 problem on both setups (ps, vista works great, but i don't wan't it)

After awhile in both systems it just hangs so i've gotta reboot. No errors, no black screens, nothing.

I've turned off HPTE in BIOS

I've reinstalled a couple of times now, ~10 lawl.. but problem persists and i'm stuck =/
(ctrl+alt+backspace of F1 doesn't work when locked up, only hardware reboot fixes it)

Hello, and welcome to LQ.

Go through the system logs and see if there's anything. System logs are in '/var/log'. Mostly 'syslog' and 'messages' will be of interest. They are timestamped to aid in knowing when the message was given. You should be able to find when it crashed or hung.

I'm assuming this does not happen on Vi$ta ?

Been running Vista for 6 days straight with high load, no errors at all =/

I'm gonna reinstall ubuntu again cuz when i installed the ati-drivers the screen goes white lawl.. Brb with those log files, oh and it's i386 versions btw.

Strange, trying to get a lock-up but it doesn't come.. only thing i did before reinstall was to choose from suspend mode thingie in the bios from S1&S3 to S1 only..

That 'suspend mode' stuff may be exactly where the problem lies. Different hardware configurations, particularly between laptops and desktops, as well as the method of suspend (to disk vs to ram) can pose problems unless/until configured properly.

As suggested earlier, start with the system logs and see if anything stands out. If the problem never occurs again since you changed the sleep mode in the BIOS, chances are good that that had something to do with it.
To experiment, change the BIOS back the way it was, and if/when the machine hangs again, reboot and check the logs right away, and you will probably see something near the end of the log(s) before the reboot.

I'm trying everything i can to make the system hang (eg. do the stuff i did when it hang before, installing CSS etc) but it won't hang =/

I will try setting it back to S1&S3 and see if it occurs again and check the logs..

PS: The system didn't hang while going into sleep mode or anything like that. It was totally random, surfing the internet with firefox for example.

Something else worth noting, as that some BIOSes, (such as my AMI BIOS on my MSI motherboard) have hidden options, which you can usually access by pressing some function key while on certain BIOS screens. These options can affect how a system operates, and possibly cause lockups or other weird behavior.
In my BIOS, pressing F4 on a certain page makes appear an option for disabling the 'C1E CPU advanced halt state' which is apparently known to not work well under some conditions. I have it disabled.
Other things to consider are overclocking (if doing so) and any other BIOS settings that may contribute to system instability.

Continue what you are doing for the time being, as this stuff is somewhat lower on the list of priorities for the time being, in diagnosing the problem, but it's just something to keep in mind for future reference..
:)

I've switched back from S1&S3 back to S1 and plugged out the eth0 cable cuz wireless is working.. what happened? Lockup, gees.

messages:
[drm] initialized drm 1.1.0 20060810
hda-intel invalid position buffer, using LPIB read method instead.

syslog:
kernel: [ 46.403901] hda-intel invalid position buffer, using LPIB read method instead.

second lock-up:
messages log file didn't get updated

syslog:
dhclient: No DHCPOFFERS received.
dhclient: No working leases in persisten database - sleeping.

I used Google and searched for that error message you posted about the hda-intel driver.
There are numerous reports/threads from other Ubuntu users, who also have VIA mainboards, and who reported similar problem to you.
Try the same: Google that error message you got, and read through the Ubuntu forum threads and the like. There may already be a patch or update for your kernel, which fixes the issue.

Let us know how you make out :)

SVA

The hda-intel message seems to be wrong, it crashed a 3rd time now and log is:
messages - nothing logged (at the time of the lock-up)

syslog:
dhclient: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 8
dhclient: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 11

that was the only 2 lines at the time of the lockup the 3rd lockup...

just for fun i plugged in the eth0 cord, wlan0 is still active, just for fun

plugged the cord in, tryiong to get it to lock-up as the previus 3 times, it doesn't.

how on earth can the system hang cuz i don't have network cable plugged in? system runs smooth now... wtf

EDIT: I did a "sudo ifconfig eth0 down" gonna reboot and unplug the cable and see what happends.

The DHCP messages are nothing indicating that they are related to the lockup, IMHO.

2 things you might try:

1) boot the machine with "noapic" or "acpi=off" on the boot command line, and see if there is any difference.

2) if there is hardware you are not using on your motherboard, such as an onboard modem, or built-in sound card, disable them in the BIOS, at least temporarily. This will at least get them out of the equation for the time being.

If the machine works fine by doing any of the above, we can begin to narrow it down to one device, or one kernel module, causing the problem.

NOTE - in reply to your post # 12, if messing with network hardware causes the problem to come and go, then maybe there is a conflict between the driver(s) being used to drive the network hardware. But you need to go about plugging and unplugging and testing, in an orderly manner :) not just randomly unplugging stuff and guessing.
If the machine is in a working state, and you cannot make it lock up, great. Note how it is configured and what is plugged in or enabled. THEN, try ONE thing at a time, and give the machine ample opportunity to lock up, before trying something else. Otherwise we will get nowhere.

that's what i'm doing =) though i don't "wait" for lock-up i'm trying to set up the machine so i can do other stuff ;) but i can't cuz i can't put the machine under the TV (HTPC) cuz of this, so when i thought the lock-ups was gone, i simply pulled out the cord to eth0 (this was not randomly, i first do cord, then the dvd, then seal the computer case, then put it back where it belongs) but at step 1, pull out the cord, it locks up fairly quickly, within 2 minutes inside gnome envirement.. atm, i've been inside for 10mins now, fully loaded with css server, vent, torrent, firefox, with eth0 cord plugged in.. i can be wrong, but that's what i'm experiencing right now heh..

:) Patience is a virtue, particularly while trying to diagnose weird issues like this.
If you are in a rush, you may as well set the machine in a state that you know works, and leave it until you have the time to mess with it.
I don't understand why you would need to have the case open for any of this though. Can you not access the ethernet cables otherwise?

Anyhow, you may also find more info than I can provide, by searching the Ubuntu forum here on LQ, or as mentioned earlier, using Google to find similar reports from other users. I don't use Ubuntu, nor do I have an HTPC, so anything very specific to those subjects could be better addressed by an experienced Ubuntu user. I prefer a more 'simple' Linux..

:)