system crashes after 3-8 minutes

[Peter Wagner]

* system stops / freezes after 3-8 minutes
* actual user activity is not relevant for crash (crash happens if system is alone)
* crash independant of running applications
* in log-on screen the system is stable
* in the Windows partition the system is stable (so computer might be OK)
* first crashes occurred yesterday (Jan-15-2008)
* no new software, no new hardware during last days, only automatic updates
* after last update system ran ca. 2h before first crash
* Ubuntu is being used from Sept 2007 (most actual version)

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Jan 16 08:37:29 2008
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 7.10
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/yelp
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: yelp 2.20.0-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcCmdline: yelp
ProcCwd: /home/petr
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=cs_CZ.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: yelp
Uname: Linux petr-desktop 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Tue Dec 18 08:02:57 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

[Peter Wagner (o-petris)]

Inbetween I have
* disabled compiz
* disabled powernowd
* disabled smp
without success.

After a look on the syslog, I'm sure it had something to do with the update of 01/14/2008. Immediately after the first reset after this update, the system didn't cease freezing.

[Felipe Venegas (fvenegas)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. This bug did not have a package associated with it, which is important for ensuring that it gets looked at by the proper developers. You can learn more about finding the right package at [WWW] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage . I have classified this bug as a bug in yelp.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks for your comments. This does not appear to be a bug report as such. We appreciate the difficulties you are facing, but it would make more sense to raise your question in the support tracker. http://launchpad.net/support

[Peter Wagner (o-petris)]

Dear Mr. Bacher,

thank you for your initiative. I just want to tell you that before I
have raised my "bug report", I have gone thoroughly through the reports
of other members of the community on ubuntuforums.org and tried out
anything which is accesable to my knowledge of Linux/Ubuntu (which isn't
much). I don't know what is Nvidia, apic, smp, compiz, inbetween I've
learned what is REISUB, kernel, GRUB etc.

Going through the discussions is uneasy:
* You have to find out which user (within a certain discussion) has the
same trouble like you, because some have problems with their sound card,
some with a dual core, and within one thread, and their solutions match
different conditions. During the discussion you have to filter out those
participants who share your problem and ignore the other ones. Sometimes
you learn later on that also a "co-patient" has differing symptoms from
yours.
* Mostly I have no idea how to realize the suggested solution, it is
like "I have installed the 6.22 kernel and got rid of the freeze", but
where do I find that? And a week after the user rejoins the debate stating
that it didn't help anyway.

Following your recommendation I have checked also the solutions presented
on launchpad.net/support. The comparision with other members of the
community has strengthened my feeling that it's really a bug I'm confronted
with. From the bugs listed there the following resemble most to my case
(with comments about the differences):
* Bug 5537 has different symptoms (mouse still running, additional strange
behaviour I don't experience)
* Bug 23525 has different symptoms (drive going mad)
* Bug 18942 and 13252 looks the same, but it is already "answered" (without
solution)
* Bug 25485 has different symptoms (mouse still running)
* Bug 11848 has different symptoms (freeze right after start)
* Bug 14634 has different symptoms (freezes much less regularly)

I'm firmly persuaded, that my freezes come from something very basic.
My system has been running perfectly for three months, and the freeze
occured suddenly without any change from my side (as I know). The point
of no return happened on Jan 14. I have just clicked the "recommended
software update" asterisk, and after two hours intended to leave my
office. I've forgotten something, so I rebooted the machine, and from
then I have these crashes within ten minutes after start, without any
exception. I'm sure it is something basic, because I don't need to run
any applications, just logging in and watching the screen, and the system
hangs within 5-10 minutes, reliably.

In the following weeks I had a lot work to do so I just intermediately
switched back to the XP partition, reloading some data there. From that
date I'm using the internet surface instead of Evolution for mailing,
which is not comfortable neither fast. Chaos is rising concerning which
version of my files are more actual - the ones on Windows or on Ubuntu).
Frequently I need something from a mail stored in the Ubuntu partition
in Evolution, which means a reboot to Ubuntu and another one back to
Windows, and to be fast before Mr. Freeze comes. I hope something can
be done to enable my return to Linux, I don't know what to sa...