Random crashes on Ubuntu - HP Compaq nc6320 laptop

[Craig Gilding]

Hi all, I'm sorry I can't be more specific than this, my laptop is a HP Compaq nc6320 and every now and again I seem to get a crash. I have managed to take a picture of the screen with my phone to show what this looks like. My sound suddenly starts going mad and the screen has lines that jump everywhere.

I cannot identify what triggers it off as sometimes I am in a browser, other times I am in a picture viewer. I am using Ubuntu 8.10. This has actually been a problem back in Hardy as well, though I can't remember if I had it in Gutsy and before.

Screenshot can be found at the link below

http://i36.tinypic.com/3446rfo.jpg

I have even tried Linux Mint (latest version) and the bug exists in that too. The easiest way to reproduce it, would be to open a picture, any picture, in the gnome picture viewer (don't get any ideas, this program doesn't cause it as it happens in others too, and it's not always when i use the scroll wheel, but this is the easiest way I have found to reproduce the bug) and use the scroll wheel to zoom in really far, to say, 800%, then zoom out again, and keep zooming in and out until it crashes.

I have attached a video of what the crash screen looks like because it is hard to explain. Excuse the quality, I used my phone as a video camera.

From lspci I get;
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

It's really annoying and really strange. I'm posting this from a PCLinuxOS Live CD at the minute, because my Ubuntu just keeps getting worse and worse for some reason.

If any other info can be used, please let me know and I will do my best to get it.

Thanks

Craig

[Chris Crisafulli (itnet7)]

This seems to be the same issue as in an older bug, I am going to mark this a duplicate I suggest you try the fix mentioned in the older bug, editing your xorg.conf file and adding the parameters that they recommend.

[Craig Gilding (slasherx2)]

It may be a dupe, if it is, sorry about that - I didn't have a clue what to search for to check it. I will try the fix and report back within the next few hours, once I have reinstalled Ubuntu.

Thanks for pointing that out.

[Craig Gilding (slasherx2)]

Adding the greedy option appears to have fixed the issue, thank you and sorry again about the dupe.

[Craig Gilding (slasherx2)]

Ok, I dont think this is a duplicate after all, I am still having the issue it seems.

Here's why I don't think it's a dupe;
1) The system completely freezes up and I can't do anything, I can't even take a screenshot
2) The lines always seem to be to the right of the screen, like an excel spreadsheet where every other cell is filled black or multiple colours, then to the left of that column, the same thing, but the lines are not next to each other. Look at the picture, you will see what I mean. The lines jump up and down and if I have sound playing at the time it will just make a juddering sound. I can't ctrl, alt, backspace out, I have to hard power off and back on again.

If I can provide anymore information, let me know please, I'll do my best.

[Craig Gilding (slasherx2)]

It did it again recently. I took a video with my phone to show - if you listen, you will hear the sound it makes as well when it crashes.

I still have no idea what might be causing this, although it may be down to the way memory is handled or something because, as you can see, there was a lot of things running at the time of the crash (KGet crapped out and opened loads of windows).