openbox on older computer ?

[melodie]

also i have done the command for the /var/log/messages and this can been seen here;

http://pastebin.com/hd1U6yaw

Hi,

Have you got this output just after a reboot following a freeze ? This is the way it should be done. I look at the output.

[Muppet]

hello Melodie,

uhmmm.... i am not sure if i have done the output direct after a freeze. i have had many today so maybe in this one there is something that needs attention. if i have in any case a new freeze i will do another output.

i have put the noirqpoll to the kernelline. had another freeze and have done after that a complete new install and added also noapic nolapic in addition to noirqpoll.

perhaps all this together gives me a more stable computer.

unfortunate no replies yet in the nvidia forum.

regards,

Willem

[melodie]

Hi,

I suggest you unplug the USB Hub, remove the second hard drive, and use one only. And check that all the connectors of the IDE cables which are plugged in : in the hard drive, in the ATAPI / Cdrom drives are either the last one on the cable or anyhow be sure none of the last connectors of each one hangs out. (It should not act as an antenna).

I have not seen anything very significant in your /var/log/messages at the moment, except that there is a USB hub and several internal peripherals connected. Two hard drives at same time might be too much for the power supply unit. You also could try another PSU if you can have one.

Else, I have gone to the Via website and looked for a new bios for your machine : none available, the eldest are for P4 machines. :-/

I have seen little things in the "messages" in fact, but before saying anything I would like to be sure it is a part of the "messages" taken just after a reboot which occurred after a freeze.

While I'm here, instead of doing a hard reboot with the button, you may want to use the magic keys:

Alt+Shift with the left hand, and press at same time the "PrintScr" key with the right hand, hold all and then one after the other, with another finger do "R+E+I+S+U+K+B".

This has for name "SysRq" : system rescue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SysRq

[djohnston]

While I'm here, instead of doing a hard reboot with the button, you may want to use the magic keys:

Alt+Shift with the left hand, and press at same time the "PrintScr" key with the right hand, hold all and then one after the other, with another finger do "R+E+I+S+U+K+B".

That should be R+E+I+S+U+B (no K).

[melodie]

That should be R+E+I+S+U+B (no K).

Hi,

I have used it that way for several years, it works ok. I just did a research to know more about each one key:
http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Documentation/sysrq.txt

what do you think ? Maybe it is not useful, however I think it can't hurt.

[djohnston]

what do you think ? Maybe it is not useful, however I think it can't hurt.

Thanks. I'd never seen that before. I copied that documentation.

'k'     - Secure Access Key (SAK) Kills all programs on the current virtual console

I don't think it would hurt at all.

[Muppet]

Hi,

today at first startup, after 15 minutes i was still browsing in midori, but i saw that the clock in the taskbar was left behind in time , i knew that system was stalled in some way. so i could execise the suggestion for alt+shift ect. the sysrescue.

this went ok and after a new reboot i have paste the output for the var/log to pastebin;

http://pastebin.com/XYXxW7Zj

perhaps there is some newinfo.........

i don't have a external usbhub connected, it is an internal fabrication that was deliverd.

to disconnect one drive is for me as last resort. i have windows98se on this and all my history is on there.

well, i see that while typing this message the clock has already stopped again, so probably already again a soft reboot...........

another pastebin after this new reboot;

http://pastebin.com/48Wqghfj

sysrescue comes in handy this morning.....

regards,

Willem

[djohnston]

today at first startup, after 15 minutes i was still browsing in midori, but i saw that the clock in the taskbar was left behind in time , i knew that system was stalled in some way. so i could execise the suggestion for alt+shift ect. the sysrescue.

If you were still able to browse in Midori, regardless of the system's time, your system was fine. It's beginning to sound like the battery on your motherboard is about worn out. Has the battery ever been replaced? Do you know how old it may be?

[Muppet]

hello djonhston,

the weird thing if i am browsing and see that the clock has stopped already and can still do things in that browser. but at the end i can not close it anymore or open or close any other programms. all is dead . or if i am not browsing and have terminal on, this freezes at a certain moment complete and i can't open any other program anymore. the same with filemanager ect.
programs freezes and nothing responses anymore, only a reboot is left to do............

no the battery is the one that has come with this system, years ago. but yesterday evening i could have worked in openbox for 45 minutes and had no issue of what so ever. that is what i find so strange about it.....no stalling, freezing, halting......

regards,

Willem

[djohnston]

This sounds more and more like a hardware issue. Try going with a new battery first. That's the cheapest option. You'll probably have to take it out to know what the replacement battery number is. The battery will be about the size of a quarter, round and silver.

[Muppet]

hello djohnston,

thank you for your answer. i will look up what type of battery is in the computer and see if i can get a replacement in town. overhere pure computershops are rapidly vanishing. too bad actually, only retailshops are left behind with little knowledge of the inside of computers. since i am an amateur on computers, but always curious to learn something about these things, i found myself very comfortable with these type of specialized shops in town.

about the usbhub, i have a router in between, could these function as a usbhub as mentioned by Melodie and cause perhaps trouble ?
perhaps a new install without the router and direct connected to the internet instead ?

regards,

Willem

[melodie]

Hi,

Willem, just change the battery, and also do a memtest to be sure there is no problem with the memory. I didn't know your hub is internal. But you can unplug your hard drive containing Windows, for the time of the tests, this won't hurt the datas which are inside. I think there might be a problem with the power supply when 2 hard drives are connected : your machine is old, do you only know what type of PSU is in it ?

And also check that the end of the flat cables don't hang out:

Flat connector scheme, to try to show you what I mean:

Good:
Motherboard |========|a connector|==========|last connector plugged in a device (hard drive, atapi drive...)]

Bad:
Motherboard |========|this connector plugged in a device (hard drive, atapi drive...)|==========|last connector plugged to nothing ]

[melodie]

About the logs:

Lines 99 and 100:

Oct 14 09:17:13 localhost klogd: Performance Events:
Oct 14 09:17:13 localhost klogd: no APIC, boot with the "lapic" boot parameter to force-enable it.

I would try what it says.

Lines 256 and 257:

Oct 14 09:17:13 localhost klogd: ide-gd driver 1.18
Oct 14 09:17:13 localhost klogd: ide_generic: please use "probe_mask=0x3f" module parameter for probing all legacy ISA IDE ports

You can also try that.

Line 334:

Oct 14 09:17:14 localhost klogd: via686a 0000:00:07.4: base address not set - upgrade BIOS or use force_addr=0xaddr

This also deserves thinking. What about writing to the Via company to ask if they would have an update for your BIOS somewhere ? (and add force_addr=0xaddr to the kernel boot line in the meanwhile)

Line 424, I don't quite like this message, but didn't find clues I can understand, on the web:

Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: Notice: NX (Execute Disable) protection missing in CPU!

maybe someone else would be more clever and find out what it is about ?

Lines 545 to 554

Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x000ca800-0x000cbfff] has been reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x000f0000-0x000f7fff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x000f8000-0x000fbfff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x000fc000-0x000fffff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x3fff0000-0x3fffffff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0xffff0000-0xffffffff] has been reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x00000000-0x0009ffff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:00: [mem 0x00100000-0x3ffeffff] could not be reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:02: [io  0x03f0-0x03f1] has been reserved
Oct 14 09:45:02 localhost klogd: system 00:02: [io  0x04d0-0x04d1] has been reserved

what about doing a memtest ? (no idea why these can't be reserved... )

I suggest you first take care of the hardware, and consider these last informations just after.

[Hootiegibbon]

Mel,

lines 99 & 100 are caused by the bootline

Oct 14 10:02:59 localhost klogd: Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=2f83f9a2-d3f3-4c09-ac8e-f574c6107b9a  quiet nokmsboot vmalloc=256M acpi=on resume=UUID=be2f5222-f4ce-447b-a355-82bb9188d50e splash=silent vga=788 noapic nolapic noirqpoll

Line 334 is indeed highlighting that that that it is suspected that a bios update is required - however I would never suggest a bios update unless absolutely necessary - I even lost a machine last weekend due to the bios flash going bad...

Line424 appears that this is an older CPU possibly a K7 based or similar although more likely an early p3 / celeron or prior 

Lines 545-554

The system via the bios has reserved these memory locations, this can mostly be for shadowing purposes but other function as well.


Muppet,

I am unconvinced this is a hardware issue, I would suggest disabling ZRAM and then running teh system for a while, there are a couple of other things that we could check, although atm - to me - that is the most likely starting point for troubleshooting the only other bootcodes I would consider trying are

clocksource=acpi_pm (most likely clocksource I think)

ide-pci-generic.all-generic-ide << this may just freeze your system
 
before you try those bootcodes I would switch off ZRAM and reboot

if you could post the results of 'lscpu' please it would help identify the correct clocksource

Jase

[Muppet]

Hi,

i have removed the old cmos battery for a new one today.

how could i perform a memorytest on my computer to check if there are no issues with it ?

Willem