[SOLVED] Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

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kayeng

[SOLVED] Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by kayeng »

Hello Friends, if this is the wrong forum to post this question, my apologies. Please move to appropriate forum. Thank you.

I'm currently using Vivaldi browser. I've noticed that when several tabs are open, the computer slows down (hangs for a few seconds), and it's not just the browser that's lagging; Linuxmint's menu icon on the taskbar takes a while to respond as well.

However, whenever this happens, I also hear clicking sounds. Hardware problem?

Thank you for your time.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
WharfRat

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by WharfRat »

If you hear clicking then it sounds like the HDD seeking and retrying.

You should check the HDD's health with smartmontools.
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Schultz
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Schultz »

If you hear clicking noises coming from your box, you better have all your files on that hard disc already backed up, or back them up before it's too late.
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Hoser Rob »

kayeng wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 9:56 pm Hello Friends, if this is the wrong forum to post this question, my apologies. Please move to appropriate forum. Thank you.

I'm currently using Vivaldi browser. I've noticed that when several tabs are open, the computer slows down (hangs for a few seconds), and it's not just the browser that's lagging; Linuxmint's menu icon on the taskbar takes a while to respond as well.

However, whenever this happens, I also hear clicking sounds. Hardware problem?

Thank you for your time.
Agree about backing up your data right away if you're hearing clicking sounds.

It also sounds like you may be experiencing swap hell, need more info, copy/paste this to the terminal and copy/paste the output here (no screenshots):

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
patday8472

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by patday8472 »

Make sure you don't have a cd/dvd in your drive unless you are using it. The posters above were correct but this can also cause clicking noise. It still wouldn't hurt to backup your software like the others said. I am just providing a possible alternatives that it could be.
kayeng

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by kayeng »

Thanks guys. As suggested, here is the output of inxi -Fxz

Code: Select all

System:    Host: laptop Kernel: 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64 bits: 64 gcc: 7.3.0
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.8.8 (Gtk 3.22.30-1ubuntu1)
           Distro: Linux Mint 19 Tara
Machine:   Device: laptop System: SAMSUNG product: R439/R478 serial: N/A
           Mobo: SAMSUNG model: R439/R478 serial: N/A
           BIOS: Phoenix v: 00UN.M001.20100814.LEO date: 08/14/2010
Battery    BAT1: charge: 5.5 Wh 99.0% condition: 5.5/44.4 Wh (12%)
           model: SAMSUNG status: Charging
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core i3 M 380 (-MT-MCP-) 
           arch: Nehalem rev.5 cache: 3072 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 10109
           clock speeds: max: 2533 MHz 1: 1214 MHz 2: 1334 MHz 3: 946 MHz
           4: 1078 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Park [Mobility Radeon HD 5430/5450/5470]
           bus-ID: 02:00.0
           Display Server: x11 (X.Org 1.19.6 )
           drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: modesetting,fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1366x768@60.00hz
           OpenGL: renderer: AMD CEDAR (DRM 2.50.0 / 4.15.0-20-generic, LLVM 6.0.0)
           version: 3.3 Mesa 18.0.0-rc5 Direct Render: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Cedar HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 5400/6300/7300 Series]
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 02:00.1
           Card-2 Intel 5 Series/3400 Series High Def. Audio
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.15.0-20-generic
Network:   Card-1: Broadcom Limited BCM4313 802.11bgn Wireless Network Adapter
           driver: bcma-pci-bridge bus-ID: 03:00.0
           IF: wlp3s0b1 state: up mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Marvell 88E8040 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller
           driver: sky2 v: 1.30 port: 5000 bus-ID: 07:00.0
           IF: enp7s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (2.0% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: TOSHIBA_MK5065GS size: 500.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 30G used: 8.3G (30%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda8
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 1.07GB used: 0.31GB (29%)
           fs: swap dev: /dev/sda7
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 52.0C mobo: 52.0C gpu: 56.5
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 205 Uptime: 39 min Memory: 1137.4/1918.4MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 7.3.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.4.191) inxi: 2.3.56 
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Schultz
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Schultz »

Have you done what WharfRat suggested?

You have only 2 gigs of memory. That's definitely on the low end for running Cinnamon; you should use Xfce or Mate. But regardless, if you hear clicking from your machine that is a definite sign of hard drive failure coming on (unless it's something other than the HD clicking, but I've never heard of anything else making clicking noises).
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Pjotr »

Tip: 10 things to do after installing Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia
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All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
kayeng

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by kayeng »

Thank you for your suggestions and I will also try the terminal commands.

But does my inxi show any problem at all? besides the possibly insufficient RAM.

Also, the laptop is a triple boot. Windows 7, Linuxmint 19, and Lubuntu (older version).

In Windows 7, I had several firefox browser tabs open, half of them showing youtube videos (while sound is muted), and it doesn't seem to cause slowdowns and I don't hear any clicking noises.

I'll try Lubuntu next.

I wonder if it's a bad Linuxmint installation.
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Schultz »

With 2 gigs of RAM, I would suggest Mate or Xfce. Cinnamon may be a bit too much.
kayeng

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by kayeng »

Schultz wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:29 pm With 2 gigs of RAM, I would suggest Mate or Xfce. Cinnamon may be a bit too much.
I used Linuxmint 18 Cinnamon on the same laptop before without any problems. Is LInuxmint 19 Cinnamon significantly more of a resource hog?

By the way, I'm using Lubuntu 16 right now as I'm typing this and I have twelve tabs opened in Firefox browser. Everything seems fine.

It's only Linuxmint 19 Cinnamon that causes freezing.

Again, I've never had any problem with Linuxmint 18 Cinnamon on the same laptop with only 2 gigs of RAM.
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Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by Schultz »

I think Mint 19 comes with a newer version of Cinnamon, so yes, it is a possibility.
kayeng

Re: Hard drive or browser problem? or something else

Post by kayeng »

I guess I'll just buy additional RAM then. Thanks all.
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