My computer randomly freezes

joanmanel · 2019-11-29 13:24:36

I am using ArchLinux (of course), Gnome. The cpu is a AMD Ryzen 7 1700 and the graphic card is GeForce GTX 1060. I use it for work, no gaming.

The problem I have is that the computer works OK, but sometimes it randomly freezes, and the only thing I can do is to reboot it. When it freezes, it doesn't go to any screen or anything, it just stop reading any inputs from keyboard or mouse, or doing anything at all. This happens randomly. Sometimes it can be 1 in a month, sometimes twice the same day. It has been happening for the last year or so. It is difficult to track when it fails.

There are the last lines of journalctl -b -1. The computer was started around 13:05, and it crashed around 13:12. I did nothing, I just opened Firefox and checked some websites:

Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Started Sound Service.
Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Reached target GNOME Sound sample caching handling.
Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 pulseaudio[936]: E: [pulseaudio] bluez5-util.c: GetManagedObjects() failed: org.freedesktop.systemd1.NoSuchUnit: Unit dbus-org.bluez.service not found.
Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 dbus-daemon[909]: [session uid=1000 pid=909] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.Tracker1' unit='tracker-store.service' requested by ':1.52' (uid=1000 pid=1210 comm="gdbus call -e -d org.freedesktop.DBus -o /org/free")
Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 gnome-session-binary[938]: Entering running state
Nov 29 13:05:18 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Starting Tracker metadata database store and lookup manager...
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Started GNOME RFKill handling.
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Reached target GNOME RFKill handling.
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Reached target GNOME Session.
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Reached target GNOME X11 Session (session: gnome).
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Reached target Current graphical user session.
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 dbus-daemon[909]: [session uid=1000 pid=909] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.Tracker1'
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Started Tracker metadata database store and lookup manager.
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 tracker-store.desktop[1210]: (uint32 1,)
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gsd-media-keys[1072]: Failed to grab accelerator for keybinding settings:rfkill
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gsd-media-keys[1072]: Failed to grab accelerator for keybinding settings:playback-random
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gsd-media-keys[1072]: Failed to grab accelerator for keybinding settings:hibernate
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gsd-media-keys[1072]: Failed to grab accelerator for keybinding settings:playback-repeat
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gnome-shell[951]: GNOME Shell started at Fri Nov 29 2019 13:05:18 GMT+0000 (GMT)
Nov 29 13:05:19 sparkling3 gnome-shell[951]: Registering session with GDM
Nov 29 13:05:34 sparkling3 org.gnome.Terminal.desktop[951]: # _g_io_module_get_default: Found default implementation gvfs (GDaemonVfs) for ‘gio-vfs’
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 dbus-daemon[909]: [session uid=1000 pid=909] Activating via systemd: service name='org.gnome.Terminal' unit='gnome-terminal-server.service' requested by ':1.57' (uid=1000 pid=1273 comm="gnome-terminal ")
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Starting GNOME Terminal Server...
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 dbus-daemon[909]: [session uid=1000 pid=909] Successfully activated service 'org.gnome.Terminal'
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 systemd[889]: Started GNOME Terminal Server.
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 org.gnome.Terminal.desktop[951]: # _g_io_module_get_default: Found default implementation dconf (DConfSettingsBackend) for ‘gsettings-backend’
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 org.gnome.Terminal.desktop[951]: # watch_fast: "/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/" (establishing: 0, active: 0)
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 org.gnome.Terminal.desktop[951]: # unwatch_fast: "/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/" (active: 0, establishing: 1)
Nov 29 13:05:35 sparkling3 org.gnome.Terminal.desktop[951]: # watch_established: "/org/gnome/terminal/legacy/" (establishing: 0)
Nov 29 13:05:50 sparkling3 tracker-store[1221]: OK
Nov 29 13:05:50 sparkling3 systemd[889]: tracker-store.service: Succeeded.
Nov 29 13:06:04 sparkling3 systemd[889]: gnome-terminal-server.service: Succeeded.
Nov 29 13:08:41 sparkling3 firefox.desktop[951]: [Parent 1488, Gecko_IOThread] WARNING: pipe error: Broken pipe: file /build/firefox/src/firefox-70.0.1/ipc/chromium/src/chrome/common/ipc_channel_posix.cc, line 728
Nov 29 13:11:15 sparkling3 firefox.desktop[951]: [Parent 1488, Gecko_IOThread] WARNING: pipe error (220): Connection reset by peer: file /build/firefox/src/firefox-70.0.1/ipc/chromium/src/chrome/common/ipc_channel_posix.cc, line 358

last lines of xorg.0.log.old

[     8.874] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): connected
[     8.874] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): Internal DisplayPort
[     8.874] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): 1440.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     8.874] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[     9.291] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DELL E2211H (DFP-0): connected
[     9.291] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DELL E2211H (DFP-0): Internal TMDS
[     9.291] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DELL E2211H (DFP-0): 330.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     9.291] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-1: disconnected
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-1: Internal TMDS
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-1: 165.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): connected
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): Internal DisplayPort
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): Lenovo Group Limited E24-10 (DFP-2): 1440.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     9.292] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-3: disconnected
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-3: Internal TMDS
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-3: 165.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-4: disconnected
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-4: Internal TMDS
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): DFP-4: 330.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
[     9.295] (--) NVIDIA(GPU-0): 
[    44.726] (**) Option "fd" "33"
[    44.726] (II) event1  - Power Button: device removed
[    44.726] (**) Option "fd" "36"
[    44.726] (II) event0  - Power Button: device removed
[    44.726] (**) Option "fd" "37"
[    44.726] (II) event2  - LiteOn Lenovo Traditional USB Keyboard: device removed
[    44.727] (**) Option "fd" "38"
[    44.727] (II) event3  - LiteOn Lenovo Traditional USB Keyboard System Control: device removed
[    44.727] (**) Option "fd" "39"
[    44.727] (II) event4  - LiteOn Lenovo Traditional USB Keyboard Consumer Control: device removed
[    44.727] (**) Option "fd" "40"
[    44.727] (II) event5  - Logitech USB Laser Mouse: device removed
[    44.727] (**) Option "fd" "41"
[    44.727] (II) event14 - Eee PC WMI hotkeys: device removed
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:68
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:67
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:64
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:69
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:66
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:65
[    45.011] (II) systemd-logind: got pause for 13:78

I don't really know what's wrong. Or if it's a hardware or a software problem.

darenw · 2019-11-30 02:07:51

I've had that sort of problem in several different ways. Possible causes:

1. Overheating. If the CPU overheats, it usually causes an instant, hard power off but I wonder if sometimes it can cause just a hang.

2. Power supply is 99% good enough - sometimes the power supply seems adequate, until several processes demand enough of the CPU cores, GPUs, memory, hard disk etc simultaneously just for a fraction of a second, that the system needs just a wee bit more than the PS can provide. After upgrading my graphic card to a 1050 (previously a Flintstone Technologies chunk of rock with a trained bird) and doubling RAM, I had lots of freezes or hard crashes. Changed the 500W supply to 600W and never had a problem since.

3. How much swap space do you have? How much RAM? Is everything staying in RAM? When I have too many web browsers or tabs open, swap gets used and sometimes that slows everything down. When the keyboard and mouse freeze, do they resume normal function after several minutes? Or overnight? I had that happen once - thought it was frozen good, but didn't reboot due to running off to a Meetup, but the next morning it was all normal again. And I closed several of the less important browser tabs

4. The graphics card, device drivers, kernel, and whatever new agey magic low-level baubles are inside the system to make it all work properly, might be not be all aligned version-wise. Do a massive system update, make sure everything's up to version no older than a few days ago, or whatever the Arch packages section lists as the current version, and check especially any stuff you put in separately such as anything in /usr/local, and binary blob device drivers from nvidia or other hardware makers. After doing a massive pacman -Syu, it's important to reboot so that the new kernel is in place running. (Maybe the new kernel can be made to run w/o a reboot these days, but being older and paranoid, I mean wiser, I wouldn't trust it.)

5. It could be a flaw in the motherboard, a tiny hairline crack that doesn't quite mess up the signal along one trace, or an almost bad connector. I had this problem real bad once upon a time. I was running BeOS back then, and opened my machine to add some card or memory or whatever. I had put the ribbon cable back on the hard drive edge connector slightly crooked, good enough that it worked 99.9% of the time until at some random time, one bit didn't make it over due the contacts at the ends being not quite good enough. A tiny bump, or temperature change, and CRASH! Push on all your connections inside to be sure they're on good and straight.

I don't see anything in the log files that indicate what the problem is. What would be nice, but is only fantasy, is a log line written while the system is crashing, but of course that's a time when nothing constructive or helpful can be done.

Arch Linux

#1 2019-11-29 13:24:36

My computer randomly freezes

#2 2019-11-30 02:07:51

Re: My computer randomly freezes

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