Random xorg crashes

[Travis Pew]

I've been getting multiple random X crashes throughout the day and am getting dumped back to the login screen. I am on Ubuntu 12.04. I have an nvidia card -- I was first using the nvidia_current drivers that are present in the Ubuntu repositories, but am now trying the x-swap Nvidia drivers (version 295+), but it hasn't seemed to make a different. This is happening around once every one to two hours.

No obvious activity is related to the crash. Sometimes it happens while web browsing. It last happened when I hit the next button in a music player. It's also happened while editing text in VIM. Someone mentioned to me that it may be related to flash, so I currently have flash uninstalled, but it makes no difference.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: xorg 1:7.6+12ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-24.37-generic 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-24-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 295.40 Thu Apr 5 21:37:00 PDT 2012
 GCC version: gcc version 4.6.3 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.3-1ubuntu5)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu7
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,decor,regex,animation,place,neg,put,grid,session,workarounds,resize,mousepoll,imgpng,compiztoolbox,expo,wall,vpswitch,snap,gnomecompat,move,fade,ezoom,scale,unitymtgrabhandles,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sat Apr 28 15:42:57 2012
DistUpgraded: 2012-04-24 15:06:54,224 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current, 295.40, 3.2.0-24-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.1.14, 3.2.0-24-generic, x86_64: installed
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation G92 [GeForce 9800 GTX] [10de:0612] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: eVga.com. Corp. Device [3842:c873]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
JockeyStatus:
 kmod:nvidia_173 - NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current - nvidia_current (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_173_updates - NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
MachineType: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. X58A-UD3R
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-24-generic root=UUID=8e2b57eb-d024-4f05-a705-2874ffe824cf ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-04-24 (4 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 02/18/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
dmi.bios.version: FF
dmi.board.name: X58A-UD3R
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAwardSoftwareInternational,Inc.:bvrFF:bd02/18/2011:svnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:pnX58A-UD3R:pvr:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rnX58A-UD3R:rvrx.x:cvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: X58A-UD3R
dmi.sys.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.6-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu35
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.32-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.2-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.2-0ubuntu3
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu10
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.0-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau N/A

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Please collect a full backtrace on this crash - see http://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Backtracing for guidance.

[Jurjen de Vries (ubuntu-raceman)]

I have the same problem, and see this bug is still waiting for a full backtrace. When I'm using the computer remotly by SSH (commandline) everything is working fine.
When I am using X (unity/compiz or gnome), the desktop crashes randomly when I am using programs, browsing, etc. most of the times within 5 till 30 minutes. When I don't hit the computer, there is no crash.
I read the http://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Backtracing documentation, but don't understand what to do.

sudo service apport start force_start=1
is already running

/var/log/Xorg.0.log is not showing any error/warnings , also the timestap of the file is before the crash, so no new information about the crash.

files at /var/log/gdm/ only have timestamps in year 2011

Hope you can give extra information in how to collect the information and post it here. Thanks!

[Michaël Witrant (mike-lepton)]

I have the same problem. I got this backtrace:

Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
0xb492172a in ?? () from /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/xorg/extra-modules/nvidia_drv.so
(gdb) bt
#0 0xb492172a in ?? () from /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/xorg/extra-modules/nvidia_drv.so
Cannot access memory at address 0x501
(gdb)