Linux Mint Forums

How do I get rid of it? How do I find out what this "unknown" program really is? One of the reasons I abandoned Windows is to avoid senseless behavior like this. I pinched myself, to make sure this isn't just a Microsoft nightmare. Nope, it's real enough to merit attention in this forum! Perhaps I need a PC poltergeist exorcist?
If I just wait (like it suggests) nothing happens. "Cancel," same thing...when I try to shutdown, this error pops up again. So of course I "logout anyway", in spite of potential damage. Shades of Windows XP...always making the user dread shutting down when an unknown program refuses to behave properly.

Perhaps Ubuntu (or Mint 7) is trying just a tad too hard to make former Windows users feel right at home?

Can you find it in System Monitor?

Richard

Since it is showing lock screen, maybe its a screensaver

You can also drop to the Terminal, enter ps -U yourloggedin-name (your userid)
ps -U user

and you will get a list of apps/processes running for your logged in user
--you can then enter kill pid (the # of the processID showing on the left side of the screen; of course you have to have an idea what these are, and if you are lucky, maybe unknown will be one of the names

It would also help if you could explain your operating process,

• You start the computer
• You log in
• You run which apps
  --or you wait and see if this message pops up, how long do you wait
• You consider what you were doing just or close to the time that the message pops
• You troubleshoot your processes and then the system
• ..The end

Thanks for everyone's help, but I have no idea which program. System monitor only lists active programs, not ones that refuse to shut down. Everything that's been suggested, I've already tried. I kinda thought that's the way things would go...'cause I had similar weirdness with Windows: an unknown program that refused to unload, and no way to figure it out. Only reinstalling the entire OS drove it away!

It happens only when I want to restart or shut down the system. And it's my habit to unload all of my applications before doing this. So it must be something instrinsic to the basic system run. My hunch is that it is the gnome interface, only because it has bugs now and then, which usually are resolved with the next upgrade. Was hoping someone else already knew, as in a bug report.

Imean: why can't the OS do better than that, and inform me which application was not unloading...which is why I got so frustrated w/Windows.

The error comes from an 'Active' program that is refusing your shutdown/logout command. Therefore you should be able to see what 'Active' programs are running in the System Monitor. Maybe list it here, and someone may recognise what app is causing it . .

Richard

richyrich wrote:The error comes from an 'Active' program that is refusing your shutdown/logout command.

Geez, ya think?

Therefore you should be able to see what 'Active' programs are running in the System Monitor. Maybe list it here, and someone may recognise what app is causing it .

Nothing's running except the standard Mint 7 stuff. I already unloaded all other programs before shutting down. I suspect it has to do with the automatic upgrading...that now and then a glitch gets in. But is this minor irritation worth all the fussing to go through the entire list of active applications that are the system's default? I don't think so.

It's just a generic repsonse to some application that refuses to unload...with the generic warning that the system may be damaged. But if it's any number of minor utilities, is there really a possibility of damage? This is just like Microsoft, intimidating a user over some likely-insignificant glitch. FWIW, here's a list of all active applications. You should exclude Firefox, Nautilus, Shutter (screen capture program) and System Monitor...as they are not running when I get ready to shut down.

Apparently, I can't include more than 3 attachments to a post. So here is the final part of the system monitor list:

I'm going to log out of my kde, and log into Gloria to compare mine, be back shortly.

Richard

ps: I've got 5 tabs open at present in Firefox, and I'm only using 30mb.?

First thing that stands out to me is a blank process, on top of bash (first page of the System Monitor running-processes output) Unknown app; blank process. Maybe try highlighting it and clicking End Process, or right-clicking and selecting Kill Process.

pewterbot9 wrote:Imean: why can't the OS do better than that, and inform me which application was not unloading...which is why I got so frustrated w/Windows

They don't offer neural implant yet, like the Borg or Mr Data in Star trek, so we are all just stuck with non mind-reading computers with primitive interfaces

the runaway program..
http://linux-blog.org/dealing-with-runaway-processes/
--if the usual steps don't work, after trying them out, then I guess you are really stuck..time for a bug report from you to Mint

DrHu wrote:They don't offer neural implant yet, like the Borg or Mr Data in Star trek, so we are all just stuck with non mind-reading computers with primitive interfaces

I am grievously disillusioned. Nonetheless, Linux rocks (most of the time, and when it doesn't it still exceeds Windows's capabilities by a long shot).

http://linux-blog.org/dealing-with-runaway-processes/

Thanks for the excellent resource, DrHu! I don't find it appropriate for my present problem...as it is based on finding the most hoggy programs as the culprit. A program refusing to unload could be a very tiny application, memory and CPU wise. Nonetheless, it's a useful tutorial which I've downloaded to my Linux-Notes folder. Thanks!

--if the usual steps don't work, after trying them out, then I guess you are really stuck..time for a bug report from you to Mint

I'm of a mind that the matter is trivial, and will clear itself up in one of the near-future upgrades. It hardly deserves a bug report, AFAICT.

richyrich wrote:I'm going to log out of my kde, and log into Gloria to compare mine, be back shortly.

Very nice of you, but I don't think we're gonna get anywhere on this. Honestly, whatever the application is, it's like a slippery eel. I'm a Linux newbie, and don't know all the processes that should or shouldn't be running. But I am acquainted with mystery programs that won't unload, thanks to my many years running Windows (which I no longer do, as of three weeks ago).

I'm pretty sure the glitch will resolve itself one or two minor upgrades from now. In fact, I think that's where it's from...one of those minor upgrades that occurs once or twice a week.

ps: I've got 5 tabs open at present in Firefox, and I'm only using 30mb.?

I have three tabs open, and I'm at 62mb. What's ur secret?

Katzedecimal wrote:First thing that stands out to me is a blank process, on top of bash

Well, whenever I stop the blank process, it stops whatever process is listed immediately underneath! Because at first when I stopped the blank process, it halted the battery charge monitor. After that, I right-clicked on the blank process, and the selection bar jumped to the next program immediately below, which was bonobo-activation-server. So I knew then that whatever program is just below the blank process, would be stopped or killed. The selection bar actually switches from the blank process, to whatever lies just below, the moment I right-click!

Is this what's causing the original problem that started this thread, or did I stumble upon yet another bug?

I seem to be a magnet for glitches, guess I missed my calling as a troubleshooter. Here are two more recent threads I started, regarding a coupla *other* problems that aren't likely to be resolved:

Mint Backup failure
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=27427

Gnome Panel Applets Refuse to Lock
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=27808

I feel like I'm on a wild goose chase in cyberspace! Thanks for your help, Katzedecima.

I am having this same issue.I get the same window when I shut down.Usually with Unknown Program causing shutdown to hang.If I leave it the computer still shuts down.When I open System Monitor there are usually two programs running at the top that are blank.Each time they appear they have a different PID.When you click on them and kill process another one opens in its place.That and when I open System Monitor it shows that I am using 90+% of CPU.

bobd07 wrote:I am having this same issue.

Well that sucks! Especially since I don't think that anyone can help. Well, I've give Linux Mint a run for its money, and I don't see it's any better than eeebuntu, which I'm going back to...has less glitches, including with multimedia codecs (supposed to be Mint's shining glory).

Hello,

I have the same problem, and I don't understand why. Linux Mint was working fine until suddenly every time I shutdown the computer this issue pops up.
There is one thing a notice, together with this problem certain commands doesn't work. Before I just to start eclipse without sudo and with the "and" eclipse & so i do other things in the terminal. Now I need to start eclipse with sudo and if I use the "and" operator, eclipse never starts.