Oneiric unpredictable crashes straight out to login screen

[Mark S]

Ubuntu 11.10 crashes on an almost daily basis, and I'm doing various different things when it does so, so I can't easily identify what's to blame. Sometimes it happens when I'm in Firefox, sometimes Thunderbird, sometimes in a Virtualbox machine running Windows Xp. But it always happens the same way: it goes instantaneously to the black screen of death (which looks like a logout) and thence to the login screen.

My Xorg.0.log.old has the following entries at the end of the log after every crash:

[ 1214.793] Segmentation fault at address 0xb2536008
[ 1214.793]
Caught signal 11 (Segmentation fault). Server aborting
[ 1214.793]
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
  at http://wiki.x.org
 for help.
[ 1214.793] Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
[ 1214.793]
[ 1214.794] (II) Power Button: Close
[ 1214.794] (II) UnloadModule: "evdev"
[ 1214.794] (II) Unloading evdev
[ 1214.796] (II) Power Button: Close
[ 1214.796] (II) UnloadModule: "evdev"
[ 1214.796] (II) Unloading evdev
[ 1214.800] (II) MOSART Semi. 2.4G Keyboard Mouse: Close
[ 1214.800] (II) UnloadModule: "evdev"
[ 1214.800] (II) Unloading evdev
[ 1214.804] (II) MOSART Semi. 2.4G Keyboard Mouse: Close
[ 1214.804] (II) UnloadModule: "evdev"
[ 1214.804] (II) Unloading evdev
[ 1214.805] (II) UnloadModule: "wacom"
[ 1214.805] (II) Unloading wacom
[ 1214.805] (II) UnloadModule: "wacom"
[ 1214.805] (II) Unloading wacom
[ 1214.812] (II) UnloadModule: "wacom"
[ 1214.812] (II) Unloading wacom
[ 1214.812] (II) AIGLX: Suspending AIGLX clients for VT switch
[ 1214.875] ddxSigGiveUp: Closing log

I have no idea if it's helpful, but my ~.xsession-errors has a lot of these errors:

     WARN 2012-02-21 11:03:27 glib.glib-gobject <unknown>:0 instance of invalid non-instantiatable type `(null)'

and a lot of these:

     WARN 2012-02-21 10:12:05 glib <unknown>:0 Unable to fetch children: Method "Children" with signature "" on interface "org.ayatana.bamf.view" doesn't exist

I'm happy to give more info, but I'd need guidance as to what's relevant.
---
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
DistroVariant: ubuntu
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
Package: xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7.1
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-16.28-generic-pae 3.0.17
Tags: oneiric running-unity ubuntu
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-16-generic-pae i686
UnreportableReason: Please work this issue through technical support channels first.
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare vboxusers

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/937706/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
When the bug happens again, please attach here, using the button below 'Add attachment or patch' the files:
/var/log/kern.log
/var/log /syslog
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Mark S (zarg-)]

Thank you Fabio. I attach versions of those files. (Since the Launchpad form says "Attachment" I assume only one attachment is allowed, so I have copied both files into one text file and clearly marked where each begins and ends.) If you need anything else please let me know.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
Try googling for this:
SYSERR(root): Cannot exec /usr/sbin/sensible-mda: No such file or directory
fix your problem then refere if this solve the relogin issue too.
Fabio
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

If you're using Precise I think that Virtualbox issue is fixed with the latest updates
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Mark S (zarg-)]

Thanks again Fabio. I'm looking into the sensible-mda issue. Some software I installed insisted on having sendmail installed but I have just removed that and also sendmail in case that's part of the issue. I'm also looking into Lucky Backup which creates a cron job that might cause email noitification issues.

With regard to the Virtualbox issue, I'm using Oneiric so perhaps that can't be solved?

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Two more crashes today. Removing sendmail and sm-mta has not solved the problem.

I attach some more information from various logs from aound the time of the latest crash. Is there any other information I can give that would help?

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
Can you follow this guide.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash
Thanks
Fabio
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
Sorry Mark, #8 not valid.
When the bgu is reproduced again, please run in a terminal
apport-collect 937706
Thanks
Fabio
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Mark S (zarg-)]

apport information

[Mark S (zarg-)]

apport information

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Hi Fabio. Ubuntu crashed again (I was saving a PDF in Evince at the time) and I lost some work yet again.

I ran the command as per your post #9.

Thank you for your help with this. I really don't want to go back to Windows but I will be forced to soon as I cannot afford to keep losing work almost every day like this, so any help is greatly appreciated.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello Mark
Can you please install xdiagnose, start it and make sure that 'Enable automatic crash bug reporting' is checked', Apply, close it.
Dont know if it can fix the problem, but it will help you to send a new complete and detailed report clicking the 'Report an Xorg bug' button.
Fabio

---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
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[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Obviously wait that the bug is reproduced again before report the new bug

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Hello Fabio
xdiagnose was already installed (version 1.6). I started it but there is no option anywhere for 'Enable automatic crash bug reporting' - please see attached screen shot.
Regards,
Mark

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Oh yes, is the old version, please sheck the two debuggin options and when the bug happens again, lauch xdiagnose and click the button to report a Xorg bug.
Thanks
Fabio
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Hello Fabio,
Another crash this morning. I really cannot afford to keep losing work like this :-(
Unfortunately the crash happened before I had checked the debuggin options. Would the report still be useful? Also, I ran xdiagnose and it said that it might be sending sensitive information such as hostname so I'm not sure whether to press the send button in Apport or not?
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Hello Fabio,

Another crash this morning. I want to report the bug but Apport is really not user friendly. It does not allow you to edit any potentially sensitive information before posting it onto the internet for everyone to see. Is there any way to report the logs without using such an inflexible service?

Sorry but I think I'm going back to Windows soon.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello Mark
no personal information are collected during apport collect.
If apport think that the logs attached contain sensitive data it automatically set the bug as private, so only few people in the world can see them.
Dont try to edit apport files, it wont work.
---
Ubuntu Bug Squad volunteer triager
http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad

[Mark S (zarg-)]

Hello Fabio
Yet another crash this morning. It's about 2 or 3 crashes every day now...
As requested I ran xdiagnose and it sent a report into Launchpad. I put this bug's number(#937706) in the subject line. Hope this is okay.
Regards,
Mark