My laptop often frezes

[Şerban S.]

Hi!

I've been thinking again and again on this weird behavior.
When I had this kind of trouble, without any visible cause, the only cause proved to be the temperature.
In order to overrule this, you can test very easy the state of the laptop, by putting your hand on the back of it.
If after 10 minutes of uptime you sense an unconfortable heat on it's back, than this is abnormal.
Usually, after some three hours of uptime, you sholuld be able to keep your hand on the back, for at least three minutes, without feeling uncomfortable.
So, if the heat is over normal with this simple way of measuring it, that means that either inside it got cluttered with a lot of dust, or some part is old and coming to its end.
Usually, when I open a laptop for whatever reason, the CPU fan has a lot of dust on it. Also, you need to check the CPU anti-thermal paste. After some 12... 18 months, it wears off and you need to change that, in order to keep a good level of thermal transfer to the CPU fan heatsink. The video chipset, also gets cluttered with dust.
Cleaning those, will improve the air flow inside and reduce overheating significantly.
Still... If you are unfamiliar with this kind of maintainance, you should ask for someone's assistance.
Another approach, is finding YouTube tutorials (there are lots of them).
Study those that show you how to service your laptop.
Cleaning it, is the most common maintainance task.
You can also improve the cooling by using a laptop external cooler (heatsink), USB powered usually. Some have two fans, some other three, or even five.
Years ago, I used such a cooler and it helped me a lot. The reason was the same: I've experienced lots of freezings and it took me some time to figure out what was happening.
What caught my attention was the fact that those appeared mostly during summer.
Best wishes, Șerban.

[stevef]

Thank you for the response.
Checking the journal was not intended as a solution - just to see if anything of interest was logged prior to the freeze.

As nothing was recorded it seems to confirm whatever happened was a sudden, critical error.

In a home environment, the only suggestion I have is trying to identify a pattern which leads to a freeze.

[Thanh Tłng ??ng]

Code: [Select]

Welcome to Linux Lite 6.6 tungdt
 
Thứ sįu 19 Thįng 4 2024, 09:09:40
Memory Usage: 711/3305MB (21.51%)
Disk Usage: 22/219GB (11%)
Support - https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/ (Right click, Open Link)
 
 tungdt  ~  journalctl -b -1 --since 09:06
-- No entries --
 tungdt  ~  journalctl -b -1 --since 09:05
-- No entries --
 tungdt  ~  1  journalctl -b -1 --since 09:04
-- No entries --
 tungdt  ~  journalctl -b -1 --since 09:03
-- No entries --
 tungdt  ~  journalctl -b -1 --since 09:02
-- No entries --

I tried your solution when my laptop froze, but it didn't work. I waited for the same problem to happen again, and today it finally did so I can send you the error report.

Thank you for the response.
It may be useful to check if anything got logged around the time of the freeze.
Even if nothing was logged that adds a bit of information about your problem

Operate the system as normal until it freezes.
Make a note of the freeze time, then power off and on.

When the system has booted, open a terminal by pressing 'Ctrl' 'Alt' and 'T' together.

In the window that opens enter the command below followed by enter.
Replace the HH:MM after '--since' with a time value.
If your system froze at 07:10, using a value of 07:05 will show the logged events for 5 minutes before the freeze.
You may need to adjust the time period you use.

Code: [Select]

journalctl -b -1 --since HH:MM
The output should be a list of time stamped events recorded for the previous boot with an indicator of where you are in the listing.

Press space bar to scroll down the list a page at at time.
Use up and down arrows to move a line at a time.
Once you are at the end of the list you will see something like 'lines 390-410/410 (END)'
Pressing 'Q' will exit from the listing.
Post back with anything that looks suspicious

[trinidad]

You say using mainly for Internet things like Facebook, browsing, Zoom etc. I wrote a post explaining why (got blocked) but now I'll give you the simple answer and what to try to resolve the freezing issue. Nowadays immersive Internet usage will run you out of memory for several reasons on a 4G memory system. The simplest reason is to many concurrent small memory requiring processes that starve bigger processes for memory. The oom-killer does not recognize the memory pressure of the many concurrent smaller processes and just lets the system run out of memory and freeze, instead of killing the bigger process like it used to. Now Ubuntu uses a systemd oom-killer set to auto-swap but you must have a big enough swap file to handle it. Try increasing your swap file to 4G and see if that solves the problem. The truth is not often reported about this situation but nowadays 8G of memory is actually neccessary for immersive Internet usage.
TC
 

[stevef]

Thank you for the response.
It may be useful to check if anything got logged around the time of the freeze.
Even if nothing was logged that adds a bit of information about your problem

Operate the system as normal until it freezes.
Make a note of the freeze time, then power off and on.

When the system has booted, open a terminal by pressing 'Ctrl' 'Alt' and 'T' together.

In the window that opens enter the command below followed by enter.
Replace the HH:MM after '--since' with a time value.
If your system froze at 07:10, using a value of 07:05 will show the logged events for 5 minutes before the freeze.
You may need to adjust the time period you use.

Code: [Select]

journalctl -b -1 --since HH:MM
The output should be a list of time stamped events recorded for the previous boot with an indicator of where you are in the listing.

Press space bar to scroll down the list a page at at time.
Use up and down arrows to move a line at a time.
Once you are at the end of the list you will see something like 'lines 390-410/410 (END)'
Pressing 'Q' will exit from the listing.
Post back with anything that looks suspicious

[Thanh Tłng ??ng]

Hi!

There are too many scenarios possible so the only way to get through this annoyance, is guesswork.
Most common trouble that fits the description, is storage wearoff.
To get this out of the way, go to:

https://www.hdsentinel.com/

Download the Linux version and follow the procedure as described in the docs.
I use the following lines (actually, it is a shell script):

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/bash
#  hdsentinel.sh
#  bash script
# To start and use HDSentinel-19b
# .Ma 13 iun 2023 07:35:55 +0300
sudo /proiecte/P-012-Administrare-PC/HDSentinel-19b
You will have to replace the qualified path (absolute path, here is /proiecte/P-012-Administrare-PC/HDSentinel-19b) with your own path.
The executable (binary) is HDSentinel-19b.

This will give you the following report:

Code: [Select]

Examining hard disk configuration ...

HDD Device  0: /dev/sda             
HDD Model ID : KINGSTON SA400S37480G
HDD Serial No: 50026B778517A603
HDD Revision : SHFK70.5
HDD Size     : 457863 MB
Interface    : S-ATA Gen3, 6 Gbps
Temperature  : 26 °C
Highest Temp.: 33 °C
Health       : 100 %
Performance  : 100 %
Power on time: 85 days, 19 hours
Est. lifetime: more than 1000 days
Total written: 1.03 TB
  The status of the solid state disk is PERFECT. Problematic or weak sectors were not found.
  The health is determined by SSD specific S.M.A.R.T. attribute(s):  #231 SSD Wear Indicator
    No actions needed.

The most significant lines, are:
Temperature  : 26 °C
Highest Temp.: 33 °C

Health       : 100 %
Performance  : 100 %
Power on time: 85 days, 19 hours
Est. lifetime: more than 1000 days

The symptoms described, point me to storage overheating.
First idea, was driver conflict(s). The inxi report though, ruled out this...
Next major possible reason, is media storage.
I had my share of bad days on this so I had to dig deep to discover what is happening "behind the scenes".
Ugliest vulnerability of a computer, is storage temperature.
Nothing escapes that, including NAND media (USB sticks, SSD drives). If the storage is in its last days of life, it will lead to such freezez, even if it looks OK.

Option 2:

Usually, there should be a savvy tool on your machine. I forgot exactly if it is in the default installation so just paste the following in the Terminal:

Code: [Select]

sudo smartctl
If the tool is present, you get something like the following:

Code: [Select]

sudo smartctl
[sudo] password for serban:
smartctl 7.2 2020-12-30 r5155 [x86_64-linux-5.15.0-89-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-20, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

ERROR: smartctl requires a device name as the final command-line argument.

Use smartctl -h to get a usage summary

Alternately, you can use the GSmartControl, a GUI for the above mentioned smartctl (gsmartcontrol-root):
Type in the Terminal (or just Copy/Paste)

Code: [Select]

gsmartcontrol-root
Input the login password and select a drive from the list in the next window, by double-clicking its icon.
You will get a list of tabbed reports.
You will have to be familiar with the parameters though, that is why I directed you to HDSentinel.
Basically, it is the same thing, only the HDSentinel report is way shorter and simpler to grasp.
You will need to perform the short self-test. If the storage passes this test, the drive might be OK, but this is only a hint, not necessarily true.
Practice says that if the storage hit the temperature limit even a few times, the drive is already compromised due to overheating.
You will never find those things in any documentation.
I got here reading tons of manufacturer articles, spending hundreds of hours in testing and recovery attempts.
The range of safe usage for a primary drive (active drive), is somewhere between 15,000 hours (625 days) and 25,000 (1041 days).
This largely depends on the average daily uptime (less than 5 hours, more than 5 hours?), geographic zone (if summer is very hot, lifespan decreases) and so on.
My average uptime is 10.56 hours (for about 8 years of consistent data). That wears off the storage in about 3 - 4 years, maybe less, if you live in a hot climate.

What if there is another hidden cause?

I encountered also that kind of "frozen chick" due to the USB controllers. Actually, I already lost three machines for that exact reason.
Unfortunately, I lack the knowledge to test those chipsets so it's kinda "guesswork" here...
It would be great if someone would come with a kind of utility like HDSentinel for USB controllers. Given the fact that almost all periphearals nowadays are USB, that would be great!
Printers, USB Audio, MIDI devices, put a heavy load on those controllers.
This is why it might be another possible reason for any freeze event.

Beyond that, if there is anyone here that has any other idea, it would be great if the idea would be added to the thread.

Best regards, Șerban.

Thank you for your help I will check the methods you mentioned above

[Thanh Tłng ??ng]

Does the system clock continue to update while the computer is frozen ?
While frozen, if the 3 keys 'Ctrl@ 'Alt' and 'F2'are pressed together does anything happen ?
Do certain activities always trigger a freeze ?
If you power up and leave the computer idle for a couple of hours does it freeze ?

While my computer crashes
- The clock does not update the time
- The 3 keys Ctl, Atl, F2 do not work when pressed simultaneously
- My computer is only used to update social networks and watch YouTube
I'm not sure but maybe it freezes when I try to open some browser tabs or some applications

[stevef]

Does the system clock continue to update while the computer is frozen ?
While frozen, if the 3 keys 'Ctrl@ 'Alt' and 'F2'are pressed together does anything happen ?
Do certain activities always trigger a freeze ?
If you power up and leave the computer idle for a couple of hours does it freeze ?

[Şerban S.]

Hi!

There are too many scenarios possible so the only way to get through this annoyance, is guesswork.
Most common trouble that fits the description, is storage wearoff.
To get this out of the way, go to:

https://www.hdsentinel.com/

Download the Linux version and follow the procedure as described in the docs.
I use the following lines (actually, it is a shell script):

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/bash
#  hdsentinel.sh
#  bash script
# To start and use HDSentinel-19b
# .Ma 13 iun 2023 07:35:55 +0300
sudo /proiecte/P-012-Administrare-PC/HDSentinel-19b
You will have to replace the qualified path (absolute path, here is /proiecte/P-012-Administrare-PC/HDSentinel-19b) with your own path.
The executable (binary) is HDSentinel-19b.

This will give you the following report:

Code: [Select]

Examining hard disk configuration ...

HDD Device  0: /dev/sda             
HDD Model ID : KINGSTON SA400S37480G
HDD Serial No: 50026B778517A603
HDD Revision : SHFK70.5
HDD Size     : 457863 MB
Interface    : S-ATA Gen3, 6 Gbps
Temperature  : 26 °C
Highest Temp.: 33 °C
Health       : 100 %
Performance  : 100 %
Power on time: 85 days, 19 hours
Est. lifetime: more than 1000 days
Total written: 1.03 TB
  The status of the solid state disk is PERFECT. Problematic or weak sectors were not found.
  The health is determined by SSD specific S.M.A.R.T. attribute(s):  #231 SSD Wear Indicator
    No actions needed.

The most significant lines, are:
Temperature  : 26 °C
Highest Temp.: 33 °C

Health       : 100 %
Performance  : 100 %
Power on time: 85 days, 19 hours
Est. lifetime: more than 1000 days

The symptoms described, point me to storage overheating.
First idea, was driver conflict(s). The inxi report though, ruled out this...
Next major possible reason, is media storage.
I had my share of bad days on this so I had to dig deep to discover what is happening "behind the scenes".
Ugliest vulnerability of a computer, is storage temperature.
Nothing escapes that, including NAND media (USB sticks, SSD drives). If the storage is in its last days of life, it will lead to such freezez, even if it looks OK.

Option 2:

Usually, there should be a savvy tool on your machine. I forgot exactly if it is in the default installation so just paste the following in the Terminal:

Code: [Select]

sudo smartctl
If the tool is present, you get something like the following:

Code: [Select]

sudo smartctl
[sudo] password for serban:
smartctl 7.2 2020-12-30 r5155 [x86_64-linux-5.15.0-89-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-20, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

ERROR: smartctl requires a device name as the final command-line argument.

Use smartctl -h to get a usage summary

Alternately, you can use the GSmartControl, a GUI for the above mentioned smartctl (gsmartcontrol-root):
Type in the Terminal (or just Copy/Paste)

Code: [Select]

gsmartcontrol-root
Input the login password and select a drive from the list in the next window, by double-clicking its icon.
You will get a list of tabbed reports.
You will have to be familiar with the parameters though, that is why I directed you to HDSentinel.
Basically, it is the same thing, only the HDSentinel report is way shorter and simpler to grasp.
You will need to perform the short self-test. If the storage passes this test, the drive might be OK, but this is only a hint, not necessarily true.
Practice says that if the storage hit the temperature limit even a few times, the drive is already compromised due to overheating.
You will never find those things in any documentation.
I got here reading tons of manufacturer articles, spending hundreds of hours in testing and recovery attempts.
The range of safe usage for a primary drive (active drive), is somewhere between 15,000 hours (625 days) and 25,000 (1041 days).
This largely depends on the average daily uptime (less than 5 hours, more than 5 hours?), geographic zone (if summer is very hot, lifespan decreases) and so on.
My average uptime is 10.56 hours (for about 8 years of consistent data). That wears off the storage in about 3 - 4 years, maybe less, if you live in a hot climate.

What if there is another hidden cause?

I encountered also that kind of "frozen chick" due to the USB controllers. Actually, I already lost three machines for that exact reason.
Unfortunately, I lack the knowledge to test those chipsets so it's kinda "guesswork" here...
It would be great if someone would come with a kind of utility like HDSentinel for USB controllers. Given the fact that almost all periphearals nowadays are USB, that would be great!
Printers, USB Audio, MIDI devices, put a heavy load on those controllers.
This is why it might be another possible reason for any freeze event.

Beyond that, if there is anyone here that has any other idea, it would be great if the idea would be added to the thread.

Best regards, Șerban.

[Thanh Tłng ??ng]

Can you provide a bit of context about the problem ?
For example
Does the system recover from the freeze by itself if you leave it ?
What do you need to restore operation ?

Is the problem reproducible ? Do certain things trigger a freeze ?
Does it freeze if you leave the system totally alone ?
Is there a pattern that may indicate a temperature problem ?

When it freezes, is the computer completely unresponsive or are there any signs of life such as the keyboard indicators toggling if you press 'Num Lock' or 'Caps Lock', disk activity etc ?
Does the on screen clock continue to update during a freeze ?

When it freezes does pressing Ctl Alt and F2 together have any effect ?

Post moved from "Security & Bug Fixes" to "Software -> Other"

My computer often freezes and while it does I can't do anything with my computer. I have to turn the device off and on with the power key to continue using it. You can check it out through the video I attached.
https://youtube.com/shorts/hxmxCqiVOMA

[stevef]

Can you provide a bit of context about the problem ?
For example
Does the system recover from the freeze by itself if you leave it ?
What do you need to restore operation ?

Is the problem reproducible ? Do certain things trigger a freeze ?
Does it freeze if you leave the system totally alone ?
Is there a pattern that may indicate a temperature problem ?

When it freezes, is the computer completely unresponsive or are there any signs of life such as the keyboard indicators toggling if you press 'Num Lock' or 'Caps Lock', disk activity etc ?
Does the on screen clock continue to update during a freeze ?

When it freezes does pressing Ctl Alt and F2 together have any effect ?

Post moved from "Security & Bug Fixes" to "Software -> Other"

[Thanh Tłng ??ng]

Hello, I need your help. My computer often freezes after 30 - 50 minutes of use. I have attached my computer infomation for you to look at because while I was using the Windows OS, no such situation occurred. Thank you!

Code: [Select]

System:    Host: tungdt-Swift-SF315-41 Kernel: 5.15.0-101-generic x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: Xfce 4.16.0
           Distro: Linux Lite 6.6 LTS
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Acer product: Swift SF315-41 v: V2.12 serial: <superuser/root required>
           Mobo: RR model: Becks_RR v: V2.12 serial: <superuser/root required> UEFI: Insyde v: 2.12 date: 10/25/2018
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 32.5 Wh condition: 32.5/48.9 Wh (66%)
CPU:       Topology: Quad Core model: AMD Ryzen 5 2500U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx bits: 64 type: MT MCP L2 cache: 2048 KiB
           Speed: 1371 MHz min/max: 1600/2000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1371 2: 1370 3: 1371 4: 1370 5: 1370 6: 1455 7: 1472
           8: 1471
Graphics:  Device-1: AMD Raven Ridge [Radeon Vega Series / Radeon Vega Mobile Series] driver: amdgpu v: kernel
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.21.1.4 driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
           OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics (raven LLVM 15.0.7 DRM 3.42 5.15.0-101-generic)
           v: 4.6 Mesa 23.2.1-1ubuntu3.1~22.04.2
Audio:     Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Raven/Raven2/Fenghuang HDMI/DP Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Raven/Raven2/FireFlight/Renoir Audio Processor driver: snd_pci_acp3x
           Device-3: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 17h HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.15.0-101-generic
Network:   Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter driver: ath10k_pci
           IF: wlp1s0 state: up mac: f8:a2:d6:a9:24:9f
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 223.57 GiB used: 19.03 GiB (8.5%)
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WDS240G2G0B-00EPW0 size: 223.57 GiB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 218.51 GiB used: 19.03 GiB (8.7%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2
Sensors:   Message: No sensors data was found. Is sensors configured?
Info:      Processes: 289 Uptime: 4m Memory: 3.23 GiB used: 1.09 GiB (33.9%) Shell: bash inxi: 3.0.38