This started a few days ago I am running 9.10 and got some updates and now every so often (not even running much) just mozilla and 2 xterminals
The machines just locks up for no reason.

I have to hard boot it to get it back.

Anyone else seeing this?

My first suggestion if you're getting regular lock ups would be to check your logs for odd entries relating to hardware and then if the logs fail to run memtest86 on the machine.

I, too, have trouble with system stall, lock-up, freeze behavior under Ubuntu Karmic (v9.10). In addition, I cannot get the kernel magic keys http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=617349 to work. My hardware is fine -- I had no troubles running Ubuntu Hardy (v8.04.3 LTS) or Jaunty (v9.04). Yes, there are warnings and errors in the boot logs, but I've never had a linux system boot without complaints during boot processing.

rweaver deserves thanks for taking the time to respond, but is this really an answer? If the hardware was good enough for 9.04 or even 8.10 or 8.04, then 9.10 complaints don't seem reasonable. Now if there are known hardware issues that affect 9.10 deployments [check the hardware compatibility and release notes] then why not say that.

Someone who posts about hard lock-up or stall or freeze behavior likely does not know what to look for in the logs either. Surely someone has guidance for such an inspection. Add to this the spreading swamp that is /var/log/* and our original poster has little idea where to look ... much less what to look for.

When my workstation locks-up, I remember the system clock from the desktop. (If the seconds display update stops, I'm pretty certain that something is really wrong.) I then use this system time to review the logs for events leading up to that time. The time is also helpful in locating the time of reboot. [I wish that logs had a better visual line in sand for each reboot -- fresh log file, separate folder, etc]

~~~ 0;-Dan

=== FOLLOW-UP ================================
For my Thinkpad laptop, I found the following:

• the Thinkpad has "SysRq" in blue on the PrtSc key-cap. Blue keys require Fn+bluekey, where
  Fn is itself a bluekey for special "functions".
• the following sequence is required:
  • press and hold ALT
  • press and hold Fn
  • tap PrtSc/SysRq while holding the above
  • tap which ever magic-key command character you want
  • release Fn
  • you can continue to hold ALT until all command keys are entered
• cannot do magic-keys with X11 running
• as a test, magic-keys work in a console CTRL+ALT+F2

I hope that this helps someone.

Hardware can fail at anytime or place it doesn't matter if you were working fine yesterday and it started doing it today and it doesn't matter if you updated recently or not or if your hardware worked fine a month ago on a different distribution. If you are getting repeated lock-ups and your dmesg, daemon, kernel, and messages logs are normal then you're likely looking at a hardware issue at some level. A kernel issue is possible (update your kernel if you think that's the issue) or something mis-configured with X can appear to be a lockup, but typically those items are at least fairly good about leaving some traces in the log or on screen.

It's ironic, you give detailed information and someone will say "don't treat people like they're idiots", you give basic information that doesn't include that detail and you get "they don't know what they're doing tell them more". Can't win... but humorously I suppose, it's rarely ever the OP complaining they just ask for clarification if needed or move on glad for the help they got.

Shrug.

That means your problem isn't X. It's a kernel freeze or hardware issue that has invoked a kernel freeze (unless of course your kernel doesn't have them defined.)

I dont believe this to be hardware as is started shortly (like minuets/hours) after i let update manager run and update some security and other critical file sets.

I did check the logs as you mentioned. dmsg /var/log etc. Nothing looks strange from a hdw point so I doubt its that.

I have a feeling something got patched and it was a bad patch. My VirtualBox system stopped going out to the internet too. I can ping the local router but cannot get any www pages to display etc. Nothing changed on that front.

So I really feel its related to a patch I got.

Did your kernel revision change and did you reboot into the new kernel yet?

this is a laptop and it did ask me to reboot after the updates. I rebooted at that time too. So yes I turn it off and on daily.

Try using a previous kernel version and see if the problems continue.

well there is definitely a driver issues as now my screen saver is all messed up too. give a bunch of line.

I am also getting hard freezes on my kubuntu 9.10_64. My hardware is ok. No idea what to do about it. It happens once a day.

yes that is what is happening to me.

My hdw works ok with xp booted so I know thats not it.

Found a bug report ...seems like our case
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ux/+bug/475010

Try disabling the screen saver and see if that helps.
Also, are you using compiz? If so disable that and see if it helps.
I read somewhere on the Ubuntu forums about some people having problems running compiz and screen savers together. I don't recall if the symptoms were hard lockups like this though.
Anyway, disabling screen savers and compiz is worth a try; and it can't hurt anything.

well i can disable the screen saver but it use to work with compiz just fine.

Also it locks up when i am using the system. email wwww or txt document does not matter.

Read that bug report, looks like they are still looking for a solution.

this is a laptop so yes it was rebooted.

as for the kernel i dont know what it was on before. I did not think to look. It is on
2.6.31-17-generic #54 Ubuntu SMP now