5

I am hardcore Windows user and recently moved to Ubuntu to try Linux, I can see how Linux is better, I am loving it.

However, I have been experiencing problems with Ubuntu going unresponsive. Basically everything freezes and I can only move the mouse and I can hear the music still playing in the background. I have noticed that problem happens with either watching videos on YouTube, VLC or browsing in the Spotify app or Microsoft teams app.

I tried restarting GNOME via Alt+F2+r but nothing happens. Also tried killall -3 gnome-shell from the console but doesn't help. My only way out is to reboot the computer. I have been troubleshooting this issue for few months already, I end up reinstalling Ubuntu 18.04 a couple of times, also installed the latest version of Ubuntu 20.04, but the issue is still there.

I got an Dell Precision Tower 5810

My graphics card is:

lspci -k | grep -EA2 'VGA|3D'
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Cape Verde GL [FirePro W4100]
Subsystem: Dell Cape Verde GL [FirePro W4100]
Kernel driver in use: radeon

My Ubuntu version is:

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Release: 20.04
Codename: focal

Kernel version: 5.4.0-33-generic

More hardware info.

r2@r2-Dell-5810:/var/log$ free -h
       total      used     free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:   15Gi       2.4Gi    10Gi       185Mi       2.7Gi        12Gi
Swap:  2.0Gi      0B       2.0Gi

r2@r2-Dell-5810:/var/log$ sysctl vm.swappiness
vm.swappiness = 60

r2@r2-Dell-5810:/var/log$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
A14

r2@r2-Dell-5810:/var/log$ sudo lshw -C memory
  *-firmware                
       description: BIOS
       vendor: Dell Inc.
       physical id: 0
       version: A14
       date: 07/01/2016
       size: 64KiB
       capacity: 16MiB
       capabilities: pci pnp upgrade shadowing cdboot bootselect edd int13floppy1200 int13floppy720 int13floppy2880 int5printscreen int9keyboard int14serial int17printer acpi usb biosbootspecification uefi
  *-cache:0
       description: L1 cache
       physical id: 75
       slot: CPU Internal L1
       size: 256KiB
       capacity: 256KiB
       capabilities: internal write-back
       configuration: level=1
  *-cache:1
       description: L2 cache
       physical id: 7a
       slot: CPU Internal L2
       size: 1MiB
       capacity: 1MiB
       capabilities: internal write-back unified
       configuration: level=2
  *-cache:2
       description: L3 cache
       physical id: 7f
       slot: CPU Internal L3
       size: 10MiB
       capacity: 10MiB
       capabilities: internal write-back unified
       configuration: level=3
  *-memory
       description: System Memory
       physical id: 2f
       slot: System board or motherboard
       size: 16GiB
       capabilities: ecc
       configuration: errordetection=multi-bit-ecc
     *-bank:0
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
          product: 9ASF51272PZ-2G3B1
          vendor: Micron
          physical id: 0
          serial: 133F18DB
          slot: DIMM1
          size: 4GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
     *-bank:1
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous [empty]
          product: DIMM5_PartNumber
          vendor: DIMM5_Manufacturer1
          physical id: 1
          serial: DIMM5_SerNum
          slot: DIMM5
     *-bank:2
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
          product: 9ASF51272PZ-2G3B1
          vendor: Micron
          physical id: 2
          serial: 133F18AF
          slot: DIMM3
          size: 4GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
     *-bank:3
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous [empty]
          product: DIMM7_PartNumber
          vendor: DIMM7_Manufacturer1
          physical id: 3
          serial: DIMM7_SerNum
          slot: DIMM7
     *-bank:4
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
          product: 9ASF51272PZ-2G3B1
          vendor: Micron
          physical id: 4
          serial: 133F2662
          slot: DIMM2
          size: 4GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
     *-bank:5
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous [empty]
          product: DIMM6_PartNumber
          vendor: DIMM6_Manufacturer1
          physical id: 5
          serial: DIMM6_SerNum
          slot: DIMM6
     *-bank:6
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
          product: 9ASF51272PZ-2G3B1
          vendor: Micron
          physical id: 6
          serial: 133F26E0
          slot: DIMM4
          size: 4GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
     *-bank:7
          description: RIMMProject-Id-Version: lshwReport-Msgid-Bugs-To: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>PO-Revision-Date: 2012-02-05 00:26+0000Last-Translator: Andi Chandler <Unknown>Language-Team: English (United Kingdom) <en_GB@li.org>MIME-Version: 1.0Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitX-Launchpad-Export-Date: 2020-04-16 17:42+0000X-Generator: Launchpad (build 2e26c9bbd21cdca248baaea29aeffb920afcc32a) Synchronous [empty]
          product: DIMM8_PartNumber
          vendor: DIMM8_Manufacturer1
          physical id: 7
          serial: DIMM8_SerNum
          slot: DIMM8

Last freeze was on June 6 at 23:13 and I rebooted at 23:15. See below syslogs at the time.

Jun  6 23:03:21 r2-Dell-5810 snapd[875]: autorefresh.go:397: auto-refresh: all snaps are up-to-date
Jun  6 23:04:15 r2-Dell-5810 rtkit-daemon[1282]: Supervising 6 threads of 5 processes of 1 users.
Jun  6 23:04:15 r2-Dell-5810 rtkit-daemon[1282]: Supervising 6 threads of 5 processes of 1 users.
Jun  6 23:09:01 r2-Dell-5810 spotify_spotify.desktop[13705]: [2020/06/06 23:09:01:6244] ERR: getaddrinfo failed: -3
Jun  6 23:15:52 r2-Dell-5810 /usr/lib/gdm3/gdm-x-session[1962]: (**) Option "fd" "25"
Jun  6 23:15:52 r2-Dell-5810 /usr/lib/gdm3/gdm-x-session[1962]: (II) event1  - Power Button: device removed

Below is the Kern.log

Jun  6 23:02:49 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [19473.745225] perf: interrupt took too long (2518 > 2500), lowering kernel.perf_event_max_sample_rate to 79250
Jun  6 23:15:53 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [20257.714790] rfkill: input handler enabled
Jun  6 23:15:53 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [20257.715018] audit: type=1107 audit(1591481753.163:6206): pid=840 uid=103 auid=4294967295 ses=4294967295 msg='apparmor="DENIED" operation="dbus_signal"  bus="system" path="/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager" interface="org.freedesktop.NetworkManager" member="CheckPermissions" name=":1.11" mask="receive" pid=13705 label="snap.spotify.spotify" peer_pid=841 peer_label="unconfined"
Jun  6 23:15:53 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [20257.715018]  exe="/usr/bin/dbus-daemon" sauid=103 hostname=? addr=? terminal=?'
Jun  6 23:15:53 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [20257.716336] audit: type=1107 audit(1591481753.163:6207): pid=840 uid=103 auid=4294967295 ses=4294967295 msg='apparmor="DENIED" operation="dbus_signal"  bus="system" path="/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager" interface="org.freedesktop.NetworkManager" member="CheckPermissions" name=":1.11" mask="receive" pid=13705 label="snap.spotify.spotify" peer_pid=841 peer_label="unconfined"
Jun  6 23:15:53 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [20257.716336]  exe="/usr/bin/dbus-daemon" sauid=103 hostname=? addr=? terminal=?'
R2-D2
  • 61

4 Answers4

3

BIOS

Dell Precision Tower 5810

You have a very old BIOS, A14.

There's a newer BIOS available, A33, dated May 4, 2020, and can be downloaded from here.

Note: Verify that I've got the correct web page for your model #.

Note: Have good backups before updating the BIOS.

/swapfile

Let's increase your /swapfile from 2G to 4G.

Note: Incorrect use of the rm and dd commands can cause data loss. Suggest copy/paste.

In the terminal...

sudo swapoff -a           # turn off swap
sudo rm -i /swapfile      # remove old /swapfile

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/swapfile bs=1M count=4096


sudo chmod 600 /swapfile  # set proper file protections
sudo mkswap /swapfile     # init /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile     # turn on swap
free -h                   # confirm 16G RAM and 4G swap

Edit /etc/fstab, using sudo -H gedit /etc/fstab or sudo pico /etc/fstab.

Confirm this /swapfile line in /etc/fstab... and confirm no other “swap” lines... use SPACES in this line... confirm NO TABS...

/swapfile  none  swap  sw  0  0

reboot                    # reboot and verify operation
heynnema
  • 70,711
  • yeah, BIOS is old. I have upgraded to the latest version now which is the A33. Hopefully that will do the trick. fingers crossed – R2-D2 Jun 07 '20 at 21:57
  • Unfortunately, it didn't work :( – R2-D2 Jun 08 '20 at 21:55
  • it went unresponsive at 22:40. Jun 8 22:40:31 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [ 2710.864436] DMAR: DRHD: handling fault status reg 2 Jun 8 22:40:31 r2-Dell-5810 kernel: [ 2710.864446] DMAR: [INTR-REMAP] Request device [00:00.0] fault index 27 [fault reason 38] Blocked an interrupt request due to source-id verification failure – R2-D2 Jun 08 '20 at 22:03
  • @R2-D2 You may have a bug, or a hardware problem. Edit your question and show me lspci -nn and lspci -tv. How are the memory slots identified on your motherboard? – heynnema Jun 08 '20 at 22:28
  • @R2-D2 To confirm that your memory is properly installed, please tell me if you recognize this chart https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/04/precision-t5810-workstation/precision_t5810_om_pub/memory-module-guidelines?guid=guid-95c34f6c-d733-4611-952b-4b512b619262&lang=en-us – heynnema Jun 08 '20 at 22:38
2

Reinstalling the operating system does not fix the freezing problem seems to indicate that your computer has a hardware issue. The freezing video with audio still playing in the background is characteristic of a graphics processor problem. The Dell Precision Tower 5810 has an AMD FirePro W4100 graphics card. The graphics card may be faulty due to a lot of hard use or it may be malfunctioning due to overheating because the computer is overheating very quickly, but the usual culprit in situations like this one is the graphics card. Fortunately a discrete graphics card is easy to replace.

Overheating could be caused by:

  1. Dust and debris blocking the openings between the fins of the aluminum heat sink on the CPU.

  2. A worn out out fan.

  3. Cracked or otherwise worn out thermal paste between the CPU and the aluminum heat sink on the CPU.

If the CPU fan needs to be replaced, it may make sense to replace the CPU fan together with the aluminum cooling block as a single assembled unit, if the two parts are sold together as a single assembled unit, and solve all three problems at the same time.

While you're waiting to decide what to do about your computer's video freezing problem, you should install the Psensor (psensor) graphical temperature monitor application from the default Ubuntu repositories in order to provide real-time information about your computer's CPU and GPU temperatures. The Psensor icon is located in the notification area in the upper-right corner of the desktop. The Psensor icon looks like a little thermometer which you can click to show the fan speeds and the CPU & GPU temperatures. If the speed of a fan is slower than normal and that fan is spinning all the time, this is a good indication that the fan is starting to wear out due to friction on the bearings.

XSensors (xsensors) is another graphical temperature monitor application from the default Ubuntu repositories repositories. XSensors is similar to Psensor, but it has additional features and a more elaborate graphical user interface.

karel
  • 114,770
1

After more freezes I narrowed down to the below error.

DMAR: [INTR-REMAP] Request device [00:00.0] fault index 27 [fault reason 38] Blocked an interrupt request due to source-id verification failure.

Found the solution on the below question.

Ramdom freeze on ubuntu 16.04.02 with ATI HD 7850.

Thank you guys for your assistance.

R2-D2
  • 61
0

It took me several months to solve why my older and slower Celeron computer would sometimes freeze for several minutes while the hard drive light remained on. To prevent the system from freezing for long extended periods while the hard drive swaps large file chunks, manage the swap setting

To see what value swappiness is set to...
 cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

if it is set to the default value of 60 then...
 sudo gedit /etc/sysctl.conf

add this to end of file
 vm.swappiness=10

My system no-longer freezes :-)

jwzumwalt
  • 149