[PLUG] So now the desktop computer is locking up

Dale Snell ddsnell at frontier.com
Sat Mar 23 18:13:46 UTC 2013


On Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:06:12 -0700
John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net> wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:42:35 -0700
> Dale Snell <ddsnell at frontier.com> dijo:
> 
> Once I rebooted I looked at /var/log/messages, but found nothing that
> looked related. However, now that you mention it, I agree that it
> sounds a lot like X quit working. 

Is there anything in $HOME/.xsessions-errors?  I rather doubt that
there is, but there might be.  

> I don't think it was the DVD player because I left the audio running
> for 15 minutes before giving up and rebooting. I don't think VLC
> caches that much audio, so it must have been still reading the drive.
> But that is just my WAG.

Hah!  Yeah, I don't think that VLC caches that much audio either.
A few seconds, maybe, but no more.  VLC is also one of the most
stable AV players I've used.  I was afraid you were using
something like Totem (*shudder*).

> I have heard of logging into a computer via SSH many times, but have
> never learned how to do it. My laptop is sitting next to the desktop
> and both are on the home ethernet, so I assume it is possible.
> 
> In the past I have had occasions where using SSH might have been
> helpful. Learning how to use SSH might be a good education topic for a
> Clinic. 

Not a bad idea.  The main thing is getting a set of keys on each
machine, and then exchanging the public keys.  I always have to
read through the man pages to get that set up correctly.  After
that, using ssh is quite easy.  "ssh user at remote-host" will log
you in to your account on "remote-host".  As I recall, there is 
also a way to start a remote X session via ssh.  I've never tried
it, though, so I don't have any pointers.

> I tried Ctrl-Alt-Del, which brings up either a logout window or a task
> manager in some distros. I also tried Ctrl-Alt-F1 and -F2 in the hopes
> of getting to a command line, but neither worked. From past experience
> the former worked on Ubuntu distros and the latter worked on my Fedora
> laptop. I didn't go higher on the function keys. 

I used F4 simply because that key is out of the way of the usual
F1, F2, F7 keys that X11 is started from.  Another key combo you
could try is <ctrl><alt><backspace> to kill and restart X11.
Sometimes that key chord is inhibited, and sometimes is isn't.
Depends on the distro and the release.  Check your keyboard layout
preferences to be sure it's enabled.  (I've had to use that one
more than once!)

> If this happens again I will exert more effort to get to a command
> line and try restarting X. 

Best of luck.  Finding the cause of intermittent problems like
this can be hard.  Very satisfying when you do, though.  :-)

--Dale

--
"Rules of combat older than contact with other races.  Did not
mention aliens.  Rules' change... caught up in committee.  Not come
through yet."  --Green Drazi Leader, "Babylon 5"



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