I tested using 2.6.32-25 and it failed after (about) 2 hours. These are some of the errors reported: # Before this point everything was working normal.... Dec 11 22:02:54 kernel: [10420.040102] ata3.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen Dec 11 22:02:54 kernel: [10420.040113] ata3.00: failed command: READ DMA Dec 11 22:02:54 kernel: [10420.040127] ata3.00: cmd c8/00:08:4f:f5:ee/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in Dec 11 22:02:54 kernel: [10420.040130] res 40/00:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout) Dec 11 22:02:54 kernel: [10420.040136] ata3.00: status: { DRDY } Dec 11 22:03:00 kernel: [10425.410030] ata3: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0) Dec 11 22:03:04 kernel: [10430.090047] ata3: device not ready (errno=-16), forcing hardreset Dec 11 22:03:04 kernel: [10430.090061] ata3: soft resetting link Dec 11 22:03:10 kernel: [10435.290049] ata3: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0) Dec 11 22:03:14 kernel: [10440.150039] ata3: SRST failed (errno=-16) Dec 11 22:03:14 kernel: [10440.150054] ata3: soft resetting link Dec 11 22:03:20 kernel: [10445.350038] ata3: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0) Dec 11 22:03:25 kernel: [10450.210046] ata3: SRST failed (errno=-16) Dec 11 22:03:25 kernel: [10450.210061] ata3: soft resetting link Dec 11 22:03:30 kernel: [10455.410047] ata3: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0) Dec 11 22:04:00 kernel: [10485.230039] ata3: SRST failed (errno=-16) Dec 11 22:04:00 kernel: [10485.230053] ata3: limiting SATA link speed to 1.5 Gbps Dec 11 22:04:00 kernel: [10485.230064] ata3: soft resetting link Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250053] ata3: SRST failed (errno=-16) Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250062] ata3: reset failed, giving up Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250068] ata3.00: disabled Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250077] ata3.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0 Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250096] ata3: EH complete # This block was repeated many many times: Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250127] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Unhandled error code Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250131] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_BAD_TARGET driverbyte=DRIVER_OK Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250138] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 00 ee f5 4f 00 00 08 00 Dec 11 22:04:05 kernel: [10490.250153] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 15660367 # This one may be a clue: Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600172] Aborting journal on device sdc1. Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600202] EXT3-fs error (device sdc1) in ext3_reserve_inode_write: Journal has aborted Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600233] ------------[ cut here ]------------ Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600243] WARNING: at /build/buildd/linux-2.6.32/fs/buffer.c:1159 mark_buffer_dirty+0x7f/0xa0() Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600246] Hardware name: System Product Name Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600248] Modules linked in: binfmt_misc vboxnetadp vboxnetflt vboxdrv snd_mpu401 snd_mpu401_uart snd_hda_codec_realtek snd_hda Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600289] Pid: 1590, comm: amule Tainted: P W 2.6.32-25-generic #45-Ubuntu Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600291] Call Trace: Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600300] [] warn_slowpath_common+0x7b/0xc0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600304] [] warn_slowpath_null+0x14/0x20 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600307] [] mark_buffer_dirty+0x7f/0xa0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600313] [] T.892+0x57/0x80 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600316] [] ext3_handle_error+0x7f/0xd0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600319] [] __ext3_std_error+0x92/0xa0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600323] [] ext3_reserve_inode_write+0x50/0xa0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600326] [] ext3_mark_inode_dirty+0x36/0x60 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600329] [] ext3_truncate+0x4fd/0x670 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600334] [] ? journal_stop+0x1e2/0x2b0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600340] [] ? unlock_super+0x25/0x30 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600343] [] ext3_truncate_failed_write+0x29/0x30 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600346] [] ext3_write_begin+0x1c8/0x240 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600349] [] ? ext3_get_block+0x0/0x120 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600354] [] generic_perform_write+0xc2/0x1d0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600358] [] ? ext3_xattr_get+0x60/0xa0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600362] [] generic_file_buffered_write+0x73/0xd0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600366] [] __generic_file_aio_write+0x240/0x470 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600369] [] generic_file_aio_write+0x6f/0xe0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600373] [] do_sync_write+0xfa/0x140 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600376] [] ? mem_cgroup_charge_common+0x7b/0xa0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600382] [] ? page_add_new_anon_rmap+0x7d/0x90 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600387] [] ? autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x40 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600392] [] ? __switch_to+0x1ac/0x320 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600398] [] ? finish_task_switch+0x50/0xe0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600404] [] ? security_file_permission+0x16/0x20 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600407] [] vfs_write+0xb8/0x1a0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600411] [] sys_write+0x51/0x80 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600415] [] ? sys_gettimeofday+0x40/0x90 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600419] [] system_call_fastpath+0x16/0x1b Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600422] ---[ end trace cb5952a2844d83fd ]--- # Block repeated many times: Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600880] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_BAD_TARGET driverbyte=DRIVER_OK Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600883] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] CDB: Write(10): 2a 00 00 00 00 3f 00 00 08 00 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600889] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 63 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600892] Buffer I/O error on device sdc1, logical block 0 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.600894] lost page write due to I/O error on sdc1 Dec 11 22:04:10 kernel: [10495.601645] ext3_abort called. #Some "different" erros: Dec 11 22:06:05 kernel: [10611.111023] EXT3-fs error (device sdc1): ext3_find_entry: reading directory #123085 offset 0 Dec 11 22:10:27 kernel: [10872.794946] virtuoso-t[1553]: segfault at ffffffffffffffff ip 000000000079ccf4 sp 00007ffff85b Dec 11 22:12:14 kernel: [10979.603960] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Unhandled error code Dec 11 22:12:14 kernel: [10979.603967] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Result: hostbyte=DID_BAD_TARGET driverbyte=DRIVER_OK Dec 11 22:12:14 kernel: [10979.603974] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 05 7f c6 e7 00 00 08 00 Dec 11 22:12:14 kernel: [10979.603988] end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 92260071 From the link Matthew shared, I see that possibly all those reports are in 2.6.3x kernels... I tried to check the change logs from 2.6.32-24 to -25 but I can't understand many of them. I'm not sure if it may be related to my motherboard (Asus Vintage AH1, specifications are listed in: http://