Mint 13 Cinnamon Freezing

[fraplich]

Hi,
I have installed Mint 13 Cinnamon (dual boot with Win XP) because I wanted the LTS version. However, I am having a problem with the system freezing at frequent (hourly) intervals, always when I am using Firefox. I note that there was a long thread on this (viewtopic.php?t=103054&f=90), which seemed to indicate that the problem was now fixed and the fix included in the repositories. My system is up to date, but I still have the problem.

When the system freezes, Ctrl-Alt-Backspace kicks me out to the log-in screen, and I can log back in fine. Ctrl-Alt-f1 gets me to the virtual terminal - but once there I have no idea what to do or even how to exit, so I had to hard restart the pc . After the latest 2 crashes, I went to /var/log/syslog, and the error entries appear as follows;

1st crash
Jan 26 11:45:03 dimux gnome-session[1781]: Gdk-WARNING: gnome-session: Fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server :0.#012
Jan 26 11:45:03 dimux mdm[1527]: WARNING: mdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0

2nd crash
Jan 26 12:48:48 dimux mdm[1425]: WARNING: mdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0

Can anyone help with sorting out this problem? I have no idea if it is hardware related, or is a software conflict. Thanks in advance

[fraplich]

Well I ploughed thro the 27 page thread on this issue, and I think I still have the same issue.

My version of cinnamon is still the original default Cinnamon 1.4 UP3 package, which "does not yet have Cinnamon 2D included, along with the updated/fixed muffin packages" - these last updates apparently fixed the freezing problem. According to the thread, the appropriate updates were put in the repositories, and should have been rolled out to my system.

I don't understand this - I've run mint update multiple times, and it says I'm fully up to date, yet cinnamon is still an old and buggy version. What am I doing wrong? How can I update cinnamon? I'd sure appreciate any pointers.

[d00med]

You may not have the right repository installed. I don't know which it is and someone else can tell you that. I do have the Cinnnamon stable PPA though.

Code: Select all

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cinnamon


Here's the nightlies, which is currently on version 1.6.7

Code: Select all

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-nightly
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cinnamon


There's a repository for each, which is the preferred method for some, but again, I don't know their URLs.

[fraplich]

Hi doomed, thanks for helping me.

I'm having a newbie conceptual problem here - I assume from your post that cinnamon is NOT updated by default in the Mint Update Manager? Instead, it is necessary to add additional repositories? I would have thought that it would be included automatically.

Fundamentally, I just want to solve the "freezing" problem associated with the original default Cinnamon 1.4 UP3 package, which I thought from the other thread was taken care of by a normal update via the Update Manager - that appears not to be so, at least in my case, and I don't understand why.

Also, are there any issues with updating Mint 13 (ie Ubuntu 12.04) to the latest version of cinnamon? I don't need the latest/greatest - I just want something stable to solve my immediate freezing issues.

Thanks again for helping

[zerozero]

cinnamon 1.6 was backported from nadia to maya, see this blog post for details http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2225
this may or may not solve your issues because in the topic you linked above and then later in others there were several reasons for freezing in maya
please post the output of

Code: Select all

inxi -F

[zerozero]

Hi zerozero, thanks for your help. The output is as follows:

Code: Select all

System:    Host: dimux Kernel: 3.2.0-23-generic i686 (32 bit) Desktop: Gnome Distro: Linux Mint 13 Maya
Machine:   System: Dell product: Dell DM061
           Mobo: Dell model: 0WG864 Bios: Dell version: 2.3.2 date: 03/30/2007
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core2 CPU 6420 (-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx)
           Clock Speeds: 1: 2128.137 MHz 2: 2128.137 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series]
           X.Org: 1.11.3 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1920x1080@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on ATI RV515 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.4
Audio:     Card: Intel 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel Sound: ALSA ver: 1.0.24
Network:   Card: Intel 82562V 10/100 Network Connection driver: e1000e
           IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: 00:19:d1:e9:eb:07
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 1750.3GB (61.4% used) 1: /dev/sda ST3250820AS 250.0GB
           2: /dev/sdb ST3250820AS 250.0GB 3: /dev/sdc 2500BEA_External 250.1GB
           4: /dev/sdi HDS721010CLA332 1000.2GB
Partition: ID: / size: 31G used: 4.6G (16%) fs: ext4 ID: swap-1 size: 4.00GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
Sensors:   Error: You do not have the sensors app installed.
Info:      Processes: 154 Uptime: 1:53 Memory: 479.3/3023.5MB Client: Shell inxi: 1.7.33

[d00med]

Also, are there any issues with updating Mint 13 (ie Ubuntu 12.04) to the latest version of cinnamon? I don't need the latest/greatest - I just want something stable to solve my immediate freezing issues.

You should be fine with the stable version. No real need to use the nightlies. I use them here, as I'd like to be sure my themes work with them, and haven't had any problems.

[zerozero]

ok, we can exclude one of reasons that was giving maya users problems: the new intel sandy bridge cpu's;
the first thing you should do is update to the version available in backports (following the instructions in the link i gave you above) and then try to replicate the issue.

[fraplich]

@ zerozero - thanks also for the link to the blog - now I understand why cinnamon upgrades are not automatically included, and it makes a lot of sense (hence my concerns at the end of my last-but-one post).

I'll try the update as you suggested, and see how it goes. The freeze up as I experience it is associated with firefox, and is of variable frequency - so I'll check it out for 24 hours or so.

@ doomed - thanks again for your help and suggestions. I'll try zerozero's way first, because I'm still happier with a GUI, and you both seem to be suggesting the same thing - update cinnamon.

I appreciate the two of you taking the time to offer help

[fraplich]

Hmmm sadly I'm still having the freezing issue:

Jan 28 16:28:18 dimux gnome-session[1691]: Gdk-WARNING: gnome-session: Fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server :0.#012
Jan 28 16:28:18 dimux mdm[1431]: WARNING: mdm_slave_xioerror_handler: Fatal X error - Restarting :0

I followed the instructions in zerozero's post, enabled backports in Software Sources, launched the update mgr, selected all level 1 & 2 updates, installed and restarted.

The command apt policy cinnamon shows that I'm now running Cinnamon vsv 1.6.7+maya, so the update worked - but it didn't fix the freezing issue

Is there anything else I can try?

[zerozero]

ok, it seems that the problem is (as i always suspected) graphic cards related;

- now that you updated to 1.6.x you have a cinnamon2d session available; can you please try it for some time and see if you can replicate the freezing?
(usually the 2d session would be slower because all the 3d rendering is done with the cpu and not with the gpu but you have a fast enough cpu to hardly notice the difference > i hope)

- the above is just to isolate the issue: i can't find much about your card but there's a couple links
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions ... er-903917/
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... bug/999645
either saying that you have no prop. driver support for it or reporting similar freezing problems

[fraplich]

OK, running in 2D now - will see how it goes and report back. Its not a great experience in 2D, sadly

I just checked, and it seems that my current video card driver is "radeon", which according to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver is, I believe, the open-source Ubuntu default driver.

[zerozero]

yes, radeon is the open-source driver which matches the info you gave us above

Graphics: Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV516 [Radeon X1300/X1550 Series]
X.Org: 1.11.3 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1920x1080@60.0hz
GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on ATI RV515 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.4

you can check if additional drivers displays any drivers for you to install (i believe it won't since that card is not supported)

Its not a great experience in 2D, sadly

cinnamon2d was never meant as a replacement or alternative to cinnamon3d: it's just for debugging and to give users a graphic fallback if the drivers stack break or is not usable by cinnamon.

[fraplich]

Additional Drivers doesn't show any alternative/proprietary drivers. Is it worth trying the "fglrx" driver from AMD/ATI? From googling, it seems that it works for some people with Ubuntu 12.04, but not for others.

Take your point regarding Cinnamon 2D as a debugging mode. Will see how 2D performs - the freeze under 3D was rather intermittent, always associated with firefox but not to a specific action that I could pin down.

[zerozero]

re: the installation of proprietary drivers (as you say the reports are conflicting) it's a game: you may win or you may break your system

but you also say that the freezing is essentially associated with FF: is there anything specific that triggers that? flash? heavy load? javascript? can you associate a pattern / a site with the freezing? does it happen also with chromium or opera?

[fraplich]

Well I've been running Cinnamon 2D for several days, and no freezes - so I'm worried about my video card now.

The freezes always happened with Firefox running, always with several tabs open and often with several FF windows open, each with multiple tabs. I can't identify a specific trigger - sometimes it happened when I also opened a terminal window or accessed the menu, sometimes it just froze in the middle of surfing (say, scrolling down the page). I guess the web is pretty graphics heavy, so maybe that points to the card? I don't think its tied to a specific site - I'm just trying to get linux up and running (in a dual boot set up), so most of the time I'm surfing linux advice sites and forums, so a wide variety.

I haven't tried an alternative browser - that might be worth a shot.

When you say the proprietary fglrx may break the system, is that retrievable, or likely to require reinstallation? If retrievable, I guess that would be the next thing to try? I wish ATI offered better legacy support for their products, although I recognise that my video card is pretty old in PC terms.

[zerozero]

almost everything is fixable but i have no experience with amd so here i have to step down and leave it for the experts.

one thing tho re: your last post:
you describe what i would consider a heavy FF usage;
in the first inxi output you gave us, this bit

Info: Processes: 154 Uptime: 1:53 Memory: 479.3/3023.5MB

looks reasonable: almost 2 hrs uptime and less than 500MB ram used (of the 3GB you have); this is ok. but is it the same when the system freezes? that FF usage can easily go to skyrocket (i have now only for FF around 500MB and with a very controlled usage: 6-8 tabs maximum at a time and none heavy)

there's some applets http://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/applets to keep an eye on memory usage, might be a line to follow as well.

[fraplich]

Its an odd pattern - early this evening I got a freeze three times in rapid succession visiting 1 website, and thought I'd found a reproducible trigger - but then everything worked fine, even visiting that site, and has stayed fine since (back in 3D mode). It does seem to be a system-wide freeze, not just firefox, so I guess that rules out issues with add-ons in FF.

I've installed chromium, and will see how that goes, tho' I'm not enthusiastic about it.

In terms of support for older hardware / updating of legacy drivers / development of Open Source drivers, are Asus (Nvidia) video cards a better bet than AMD (ATI/Radeon) cards? I'm wondering about a modest hardware upgrade to a new card, but it seems that AMD are also dropping support for Radeon HD 2000/3000/4000 series cards, which is not encouraging. Perhaps I should start a new thread to ask this question?

Anyway, thanks for all the help you have offered - its much appreciated

[zerozero]

Perhaps I should start a new thread to ask this question?

should be better i guess but you won't get an affirmative answer i'm afraid
as far as i'm concerned there's not such thing as better option, only less worst

Anyway, thanks for all the help you have offered - its much appreciated

you're most welcome

[d00med]

Really can't say if my freezing issue was related (using Mint 14, freezing not browser specific), but after upgrading to the 3.7.4 / 3.7.5 kernels I have no freezing at all anymore.