Update Manager window often freezes and is invisible when computer is left on for a while

[Tristan Schmelcher]

I have a System76 Serval Pro (serp7) and very often Update Manager will hang on it. This happens when I leave the computer on for a day and the periodic check for updates occurs. When I come back the next day, I can see in the Unity launcher that Update Manager is open with pending updates, but I often cannot switch to it. Clicking on it in the launcher does nothing, nor does using Alt+Tab to select it. If I minimize all other windows, Update Manager is still nowhere to be seen. It is also not visible in Compiz Scale. To fix the problem I have to manually kill the process and re-run it.

I have multiple Ubuntu computers but I only experience this issue on this one.

I have checked the process stack traces but there does not seem to be an obvious hang:

(gdb) thread apply all bt

Thread 3 (Thread 0x7f687c24f700 (LWP 7796)):
#0 0x00007f6883b37b03 in poll () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#1 0x00007f6882c1eff6 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#2 0x00007f6882c1f45a in g_main_loop_run () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#3 0x00007f687ca9098b in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libdconfsettings.so
#4 0x00007f6882c409a5 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#5 0x00007f6884d51e9a in start_thread () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0
#6 0x00007f6883b434bd in clone () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#7 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()

Thread 2 (Thread 0x7f687a9dd700 (LWP 7797)):
#0 0x00007f6883b37b03 in poll () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#1 0x00007f6882c1eff6 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#2 0x00007f6882c1f45a in g_main_loop_run () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#3 0x00007f68825482c6 in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgio-2.0.so.0
#4 0x00007f6882c409a5 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#5 0x00007f6884d51e9a in start_thread () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0
#6 0x00007f6883b434bd in clone () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#7 0x0000000000000000 in ?? ()

Thread 1 (Thread 0x7f6885162700 (LWP 7789)):
#0 0x00007f6883b37b03 in poll () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#1 0x00007f6882c1eff6 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#2 0x00007f6882c1f45a in g_main_loop_run () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0
#3 0x00007f6880e4632d in gtk_main () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgtk-3.so.0
#4 0x00007f688227ca14 in ffi_call_unix64 () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libffi.so.6
#5 0x00007f688227c435 in ffi_call () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libffi.so.6
#6 0x00007f6883124a59 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libgirepository-1.0.so.1
#7 0x00007f6883125e0e in g_function_info_invoke () from /usr/lib/libgirepository-1.0.so.1
#8 0x00007f688335ed48 in ?? () from /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/_gi.so
#9 0x000000000042ecbc in PyEval_EvalFrameEx ()
#10 0x00000000004317f2 in PyEval_EvalCodeEx ()
#11 0x000000000042a998 in PyEval_EvalFrameEx ()
#12 0x000000000042abe2 in PyEval_EvalFrameEx ()
#13 0x00000000004317f2 in PyEval_EvalCodeEx ()
#14 0x000000000054b171 in PyRun_FileExFlags ()
#15 0x000000000054b7d8 in PyRun_SimpleFileExFlags ()
#16 0x000000000054c5d6 in Py_Main ()
#17 0x00007f6883a7276d in __libc_start_main () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
#18 0x000000000041b931 in _start ()
(gdb)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: update-manager 1:0.156.14.4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-24.39-generic 3.2.16
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-24-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu8
Aptdaemon:

Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Jun 2 10:55:07 2012
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/update-manager
GsettingsChanges:
 com.ubuntu.update-manager first-run false
 com.ubuntu.update-manager launch-time 1338647817
 com.ubuntu.update-manager show-details true
 com.ubuntu.update-manager window-height 621
 com.ubuntu.update-manager window-width 600
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
InterpreterPath: /usr/bin/python2.7
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: update-manager
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-04-28 (35 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Blanca Mancilla (mancilla)]

This happens to me too. At first it was in an old machine where I installe 12.04, but left it alone thinking that there was something clashing because of old hardware. Now it is happenning in a new HP laptop 8460p with 12.04 as well.

[Thomas Majewski (thomasjmajewski)]

Exact same problem on my Toshiba L300D system running 12.04. An update icon appears showing upgrades available but icon does not respond if clicked. Current workaround is to kill update-manager and relaunch it from a terminal.