Ubuntu 10.10 becoming unstable and crashing
 

I have run Ubuntu on my laptop for several months. The last few weeks for an unknown reason when I click on something(nothing that seems related)I start getting many notification on the bottom panel and it just continues until I shutdown my computer but pushing down the off switch, the only way to stop it.
I have tried computer janitor and only get an error message that it can't run because it thinks synaptic or another item is running when it is not. I am TOTALLY lost when it comes to fixing issues in Linux but I like it and want to keep it on my hard drive. Where to start and remember I am an idiot when it comes to Linux.
Also some program's seem to crash for no apparent reason.

Have you ruled-out a hardware issue? For example, by playing with the live CD for a few hours and looking for similar oddities? IIRC, the CD also comes with a memory checking feature. It wouldn't hurt to let it do two or three passes to make sure your RAM and stuff is healthy.

I know it may be a little difficult but can you be a little more precise? Did you update and then notice this happening?

Try a more stable version.

...Or try a more stable distribution. ;)

When my linux distribution was unstable, I did test the memory. I had two sticks of ram at the time. Test the ram first before you go through the headache if switching distros.

Depending on how many ram sticks you have, test them one at a time. Use your linux box normally and see if it will crash.

I am not switching distros, I did run memtest86 and found no problems. You don't learn by not solving the problem.It is hard to be more precise because I don't know what's happening. It might be hardware and hard to find. I am a big fan of Linux and Ubuntu. I had ran Mandriva for a long time off and on but had to go back to the crap os for some reason. I know Feodora is the backbone of Ubuntu and thank all the people involved for giving an option to the despised OS that we have to pay for. Maybe I will start by taking everything out of the startup apps, just looking for ideas to try.

It is Debian, not Fedora.
What do they contain?
To help you better, we should have a look at your logs, after the error has happened, so please post the output of and the content of /var/log/Xorg.0.log, so that we have something to work with.

Sorry, Debian I cant tell what there are because it happens so fast. The bottom panel fills up with maybe hundreds of boxes. I just got some kernel updates, hopefully that will solve the problems. It must be hard to support so much different hardware, I trust Linux way more than any other OS though. Linux supports hardware that M$ drops for the latest and greatest which I don't want or need.
Because Linux is so stable I have not had to learn to fix problems. I could just reinstall as I backup everything but would rather work it out, just don't know where to start.

[ 22.991009] vboxdrv: Warning: 2.6.31+ kernel detected. Most likely the hardware performance
[ 22.991010] vboxdrv: counter framework which can generate NMIs is active. You have to prevent
[ 22.991011] vboxdrv: the usage of hardware performance counters by
[ 22.991012] vboxdrv: echo 2 > /proc/sys/kernel/perf_counter_paranoid
[ 22.991280] vboxdrv: Found 2 processor cores.
[ 22.992075] VBoxDrv: dbg - g_abExecMemory=ffffffffa0ef9d60
[ 22.992093] vboxdrv: fAsync=0 offMin=0x1b0 offMax=0x150c
[ 22.992781] vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'synchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
[ 22.992784] vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 3.2.8_OSE (interface 0x00140001).
[ 23.190133] input: HDA Intel Mic at Ext Front Jack as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input11
[ 23.190212] input: HDA Intel HP Out at Ext Front Jack as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input12
[ 23.190264] input: HDA Intel HP Out at Ext Front Jack as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input13
[ 23.413695] Bluetooth: L2CAP ver 2.14
[ 23.413698] Bluetooth: L2CAP socket layer initialized
[ 23.633989] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
[ 23.633999] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 23.634004] vgaarb: device changed decodes: PCI:0000:01:00.0,olddecodes=io+mem,decodes=none:owns=io+mem
[ 23.634303] NVRM: loading NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 260.19.06 Mon Sep 13 04:29:19 PDT 2010
[ 23.734764] ppdev: user-space parallel port driver
[ 23.748492] Bluetooth: BNEP (Ethernet Emulation) ver 1.3
[ 23.748494] Bluetooth: BNEP filters: protocol multicast
[ 23.913251] Bluetooth: SCO (Voice Link) ver 0.6
[ 23.913253] Bluetooth: SCO socket layer initialized
[ 24.031724] Bluetooth: RFCOMM TTY layer initialized
[ 24.031729] Bluetooth: RFCOMM socket layer initialized
[ 24.031731] Bluetooth: RFCOMM ver 1.11
[ 24.903790] EXT4-fs (sda1): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro,commit=0
[ 28.286361] Bluetooth: HIDP (Human Interface Emulation) ver 1.2
[ 32.102516] eth1: no IPv6 routers present
[ 36.236070] EXT4-fs (sda1): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro,commit=0
[ 171.107548] input: Pro|Click Mobile as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.2/usb7/7-2/7-2.1/7-2.1:1.0/bluetooth/hci0/hci0:11/input14
[ 171.108239] generic-bluetooth 0005:1532:0008.0003: input,hidraw2: BLUETOOTH HID v1.15 Mouse [Pro|Click Mobile] on 00:22:69:BF:16:5C
[ 324.612665] CE: hpet increased min_delta_ns to 7500 nsec
scott@scott-XPS-M1530:~$
This is after the last updates but I will retry the dmesg

I tried to post the content of /var/log/Xorg.0.log but could not, just keep hitting post quick reply nothing happened.There are older files but could not open them

I am wondering if my blue tooth mouse is malfunctioning and sending the same input over and over very quickly. I have the sys monitor running and I can see my cpu running high when it crashes.

About the other distos and slackware, there are many good distros but I am slow to learn. I may try to install another on a flash drive and I do like to learn but many are to technical for me. I am an older disabled person and I am slow to learn new tricks. But it is fun and that's what I love about Linux is the various distros, there is something for everyone. Redhat and Mandrake where the first and I learned a little bit from them.I don't have the patience to learn new versions but like to look at them from time to time and need a spare hdd.I do believe that Linux can change the world(getting people away from MS is in a way changing the world)and making the feature a more SECURE place for tech. Most people don't have a clue how insecure there computer is and that money is the main motive behind most big company s and not there security.

[ 23.913253] Bluetooth: SCO socket layer initialized
[ 24.031724] Bluetooth: RFCOMM TTY layer initialized
[ 24.031729] Bluetooth: RFCOMM socket layer initialized
[ 24.031731] Bluetooth: RFCOMM ver 1.11
[ 24.903790] EXT4-fs (sda1): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro,commit=0
[ 28.286361] Bluetooth: HIDP (Human Interface Emulation) ver 1.2
[ 32.102516] eth1: no IPv6 routers present
[ 36.236070] EXT4-fs (sda1): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro,commit=0
[ 171.107548] input: Pro|Click Mobile as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.2/usb7/7-2/7-2.1/7-2.1:1.0/bluetooth/hci0/hci0:11/input14
[ 171.108239] generic-bluetooth 0005:1532:0008.0003: input,hidraw2: BLUETOOTH HID v1.15 Mouse [Pro|Click Mobile] on 00:22:69:BF:16:5C
[ 324.612665] CE: hpet increased min_delta_ns to 7500 nsec
[ 4454.656499] show_signal_msg: 24 callbacks suppressed
[ 4454.656504] evolution[2054]: segfault at 7fc613df10e0 ip 00007fc5e3d55936 sp 00007fffda8de1b8 error 4 in libc-2.12.1.so[7fc5e3c28000+17a000]
[ 4478.273623] evolution[2069]: segfault at 7ff756ab50e0 ip 00007ff728539936 sp 00007fffa8f45478 error 4 in libc-2.12.1.so[7ff72840c000+17a000]
[ 4502.704456] evolution[2084]: segfault at 7f1ea24320e0 ip 00007f1e72394936 sp 00007fff889ee728 error 4 in libc-2.12.1.so[7f1e72267000+17a000]
[ 4541.592761] evolution[2101]: segfault at 7f397c9470e0 ip 00007f394c8b8936 sp 00007fff8caebee8 error 4 in libc-2.12.1.so[7f394c78b000+17a000]
scott@scott-XPS-M1530:~$
Mail would not open and here is some info. Maybe I do have bad memory?

Try this?
 

Just a thought, but I had one of my five Ubuntu 10.10 systems start to do strange things with X windows. The system would hang using 100% CPU in X, but with no discernible trigger.

I went into Synaptic and checked "mark for reinstallation" for everything related in any way to X-windows, then let it fly for about 10 min. and rebooted.

This seemed to cure the problem - I am assuming that it was a bad write somewhere along the way.

Certainly easy to try.