Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
This kind of problem can be caused by hardware problems, such as over heating. I would suggest you get a live distro, and run it for a while. If there are no problems, then you probably have a software problem. If it does freeze, then you know its hardware related.
Run memtest, it available for most distros. Look for some way to display the temperature
of your CPU(s). Some systems can do it in BIOS, and there are tools you can install in software to monitor the heat.
When was the last time you had the covers off to clean the fans and heat sink?
Yes. I don't run Fedora, so I do not know if they supply a copy, or have it in their repos. I have seen it included on a lot of installation dvd's and on some live distros.
I was able to get memtest86 working from Hiren's Boot CD. Ran it for 12 hours with no errors. I guess in the AM, I'm going to crack the case and reseat the memory. CPU as well, if it's not soldered on.
Most of the hard freezes I've had were X locking up. Although not really frozen as you could ssh into the machine and kill X to recover. Assuming that you're running an ssh server and have another machine on the same network.
You could monitor your system if the crash is predictable. RAM usage, temperatures and such. There might already be helpful log entries in the /var/log/ files. If there is you might have a terminal open running "tail -f /var/log/syslog" and another running "tail -f /var/log/dmesg", which might provide on screen insight when the system does it again. Unless it is a hardware issue.
Distribution: Cinnamon Mint 20.1 (Laptop) and 20.2 (Desktop)
Posts: 1,671
Rep:
Quote:
My box is a Dell Inspiron 11 3147.
...which is a laptop so hardware wise it's likely to be an overheating issue as camorri has indicated above. This is caused by dust and fluff blocking the fins of the heat exchanger, you may be able to clear this using an air can spray but if you've already decided to open the case and dig down to the CPU, remove the heatsink/heatpipe/exchanger fin assembly and give it a good clean. Clean any old silicon heat paste from the heatsink and CPU and renew it before reassembly. Clean the fan and check it spins freely as well.
A point to watch... When you remove the screws from the case, they may not all be the same length so beware! Fitting a long screw where a short one should be could cause shorts on the motherboard or damage the case when replaced and tightened.
Well, Soadyheid, the patient is still on life support. I thought things were going swimmingly, but then... Frozen. Locked up tight. Couldn't SSH into it either.
If you copy and paste dmesg.1.gz and unpack in /home/killingthemonkey and read it with a text editor. The last few lines also. You may get lucky and find what is killing your gear also.
I went through this on my dead asus micro atx box after a brownout and had to use a live cd to access my logs on what happened. The brownout killed my cpu. I turned that box into a parts box instead of fixing it. Because after replacing the cpu. The problem moved on to the mobo.
Yhe unit was not worth fixing for me as I get free computer replacement desktops from the city.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.