Crashes - how to diagnose

[pcgc1xn]

I am running Edgy, and have a problem that at random intervals, my computer locks up hard. No mouse movement, no keyboard, the sound starts repeating a 1/2 second fragment in a nasty parody of rap... Ugly stuff.

Can someone help me learn how to diagnose what is causing it. I have looked in the log viewer, and can't see anything, but don't know how to use it.

I expect that somewhere there will be logs or reporting I can use to find the problem, but I don't know where to look.

Thanks

[Lindy]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

Just off hand I'd say you may be having an issue with a soundcard driver. You can try disabling the sound system in Control Center/ Sound System and see if that has any effect. You can find log files in /var/log . Do you have more than one soundcard, like an onboard card + another?

[penguin.ch]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

I don't know where to look.

One point to start from (at least): http://www.penguin.ch/dokuwiki/doku....core_log_files

[Thulemanden]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

I the sound starts repeating a 1/2 second fragment in a nasty parody of rap.

I just experienced that after NVidia recompiled my kernel for their prop. graphics driver.

I had an external soundcard (USB) and onboard (disabled) and one PCI card.

I removed the external to the other PC, remov ed th PCI card and enabled the onboard in BIOS. That fixed it. I was able to connect both PC's out cable to the USB box and enjoy sound from both PC's by choice, and can use either speakers or headphones as both are plugged in to the box. :P

[pcgc1xn]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

Thanks for your help with this.

I had a look through the log directory, and had a look at all of the files which had changed just before it crashed.
These were:
syslog
daemon
boot
messages

I didn't see anything glaring in there, but I did see that for some reason there was bluetooth running. I have killed that as I have no use for it. Is there something in particular I should be looking for. I just looked for things which looked like an error a few minutes before the end of the file.

Thanks to the guys suggesting it might be my sound card. A couple of questions though, and some background. This machine is my mp3 player. It sits in the living room playing tunes whenever we are home & also is used as a filesever and a few other things. It is a Via Mini-itx, running with the onboard soundcard only. I have not had any problems with it previously, this only started when I upgraded to edgy.

What about the symptoms suggest the soundcard (trying to learn how to troubleshoot myself)?

The advice to to turn off sound is not very palatable, as that is what the machine is for. I have turned the sound from autodetect to ALSA & crossed my fingers.

Thanks for your help.

[pcgc1xn]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

Just an update, it just crashed again, after I made the changes described. >

If it is the soundcard, how can I confirm/exclude this while retaining use of the soundcard?

Thanks

[Thulemanden]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

Just an update, it just crashed again, after I made the changes described. >

If it is the soundcard, how can I confirm/exclude this while retaining use of the soundcard?

Try downgrading from Edgy - you can probably select the previous kernel to boot from the menu.

[pcgc1xn]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

I can't downgrade, as I installed Edgy on a new HD, and the old one is now in use elsewhere...

Well, I guess I could downgrade by reinstalling the thing.

Question while we are on the "try a different version" tack. Is it worth me trying the Feisty Beta? Given that I don't know squat about Linux, I expect that all of the little bugs in the beta will take me many times longer to figure out than others, so if it is way out on the bleeding edge it probably isn't a good idea, but if it is mostly a matter of install it and go, then it might be worth a crack.

[Thulemanden]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

=Is it worth me trying the Feisty Beta?

Yes, definitely worth it for you. It's very close to final, meaning there will be few changes the last 10 days.

I also recall some fancy solutions like moving the PCI cards around and not using the first beneath the AGP slot. (Next we'll be sacrificing a chicken!)

[Kuroyume]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

what kind of net connection do you have? if youare using wireless, ndiswrapper can cause something like what you are describing...

[pcgc1xn]

Re: Crashes - how to diagnose

Thanks for the continuing suggestions, answers:

what kind of net connection do you have? if youare using wireless, ndiswrapper can cause something like what you are describing...

No wireless, just the built in network port, through a router to the cable modem.
Are there things enabled by default that I could remove? I was surprised to see bluetooth support there, I don't recall asking for it in installation.

I also recall some fancy solutions like moving the PCI cards around and not using the first beneath the AGP slot. (Next we'll be sacrificing a chicken!)

There are no cards in the machine, so I think we can rule that one out, the chickens will be happy

BTW, I was amazed at how easy and well the wireless works on my other box, good work there!

As far as the Beta goes, am I correct in assuming that if I download it now, then in a week or so, when it goes live, then I will just have a few packages to update (which will work through adept as normal), and will then have a fully normal fiesty build on my machine. I don't want to have to either install the whole deal again or go for the next year or so as the only guy around running a year old beta.

Thanks again