I've got a little problem with a Redhat 8 installation that keeps hanging on me. The system boots into X without problems. Then, after a while the system will hang. I can't find a pattern for what might be causing this. There is nothing in /var/log/messages and nothing in the default X log.

I have done some searching and found possible problems with cron, memory and crashes with bad blocks on the disk, so my recent rebuild formatted the disk with a surface check. I have disabled cron. I ran memtest86 for a couple of hours last night without it finding any problems. No change - the system still hangs on me

I'd like some help tracking down the source of the problem. How can I work out whether the crash is in X or in the underlying OS? What's the best way of then determining exactly where the problem lies?

System: Redhat 8 (fails with stock 2.4.18.14 kernel and after upgrading to 2.4.18-19.8.0
Pentium 3 800Mhz
256Mb RAM
Asus CUSL2 motherboard

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks ....... Pete

its probably a hardware problem (ram or some pci device)

OK, fair enough. Any pointers to how I go about tracing the offending piece of hardware?

Pete

Do you have Nvidia drivers installed? I am having the same problem, but only if I run the Nvidia drivers.

I have had the Nvidia drivers installed, but the most recent rebuild, which crashed last night is using the standard "nv" driver included with XFree86 4.2

Pete

Sorry Pete, I was playing with my system this morning & managed to fix my lockup problem by inserting Option "NvAGP" "0" in my XF86Config file under the nvidia driver section. This disables AGP. Not the best, but at least X doesn't hang. I will try some of the other options later. Can you boot to Windows as well? How is it running? How does X hang? My windows lock, but the mouse curser still moves around fine, it just doesn't function. This leads me to believe that X is the problem, not the OS.

A question for anyone else...... Can you get out of X if it hangs without rebooting?

Windows works fine (ironically enough)!

I get the same kind of lock. Mouse still moves. XMMS still carries on playing a ShoutCAST stream too, if I'm listening to one at the time. I left it for 10 mins once to make sure it wasn't just the buffer.

I'm gonna try upgrading to X 4.2.1 to see if that makes things any better. The standard included Nvidia driver seem to have better support.

Failing that, installing the Nvidia drivers again but disabling AGP shouldn't be too much of an issue for me. Its not like I push it too hard. Did you try forcing to AGP x2 before disabling completely?

Pete

I would try to install Gnome or KDE windows to see if the problem go away.

Well the upgrade to XFree86 4.2.1 failed miserably. I get unresolved symbols in libextmod.a messages in the /var/log/XFree86.0.log file.

Any thoughts?

Pete

Since Windows works fine, you can bet that this is not a hardware issue.

I have to assume that my problem lies with the NV AGP driver. My system will not run AGPGART, I think because it's very new (VIA KT400 chipset). The no AGP option works for me as well. All I need to do is run TuxRacer, etc.

I haven't tried the KDE suggestion yet, sounds like a good idea.

I ran a Mandrake system on a CUSL2-C board for 2 years with no Nvidia problems at all. I use a TNT2 Model 64 board. What board are you using?

It appears I have the same problem...however I have Voodoo3 (generic) device installed. Could someone walk me through the options in the XF86Config file. Would I write:

"NvAGP" "0"

under the Section "Device"? including the quotes? I'm a very newbie and I just want to run redhat 8 without all these lockup problems that just seemed to start occurring with the redhat 8 install.

thanks

The other thing that I forgot to mention is that the problem (crashes and lock ups with graphical whiteouts,,,,memory....) first was noticed with my screensaver becoming frozen, although I could move the mouse and all the other applications on the system seemed to be running fine while these freezes happenned...so I turned off the screensavers, then I would come back later to a frozen screeen, except for the mouse could move, so I left the computer logged out, at the login graphical screen and things are okay there....but then occasionally I have to do some work on the darn thing and KABOOM!!!!

To exit out of X, try CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE.

Also, what kind of mouse / keybord are you using? I had simular issues and the final fix was to use a USB to PS2 converter for my (micro$oft) mouse, and the freezes stopped.

Well, its a Microsoft USB Intellimouse explorer. It is plugged into the ps2 port with the green extension although I could plug it into the usb port. Should I try that? This same mouse worked well with redhat 7.2., oh wait it's already using the usb to ps2 converter....

Hmmmm, M$ Intellimouse Explorer here too. Using the USB to PS2 converter.

Is there a pattern emerging?

Pete