9.10 randomly freezes, but i still can write and move the mouse

[uluff]

Hi

I know this has been asked before, but everyone else with this problem had a intel graphics card. I got nvidia...:mad:
So the problem is:
I recently installed ubuntu 9.10 and I have used 9.04 before without problems.
I did a clean install and dual boots with windows. When the installation was finished I installed all updates and the nvidia graphics card driver. Everything seemed to work fine for about 15-20 minutes. Then the system froze up. I was writing a text file, and I could still write and move the mouse, but I couldn't click on anything. I turned the computer off by holding the power button. I restarted it several times, but it still froze up after about 20-30 minutes.
Once i was browsing the web with firefox, everything froze up except scrolling down with the mouse wheel. Nothing else worked:(
I have tried downloading the graphics drivers from nvidia.com, but the system still freezes.

Do anyone else experience this? If so how can I fix it?
Thanks for any help:p

EDIT:
Some specs
Laptop model: Acer Aspire 5920G
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T5550
Graphics card:Nvidia GeForce 8600M
RAM: 4GB
Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows vista dual boot

[earthpigg]

hi,


maybe it's a memory leak?

one possible cause of this could be a firefox addon, but that is pure conjecture. here is how we can find out.... install htop:

sudo apt-get install htop
run htop in a terminal.

htop
sort by RAM% and leave it open. keep your eye on it as you go about your business. if you start seeing something rise to rediculous %, then that's your problem.

how much RAM do you have and how big is your swap partition? find out:

free -m

[uluff]

Thanks for your reply:p

This is what "free -m" outputs

$ free -m
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 4021 544 3476 0 29 282
-/+ buffers/cache: 232 3789
Swap: 572 0 572
I will try keeping an eye on htop the next time it freezes

[uluff]

The system froze up two times again today. I took screenshots both times since the keyboard still works when it freezes. Heres the first screenshot:

(screen1.png)

Here I was typing in Geany and didnt actually notice the freeze before i tried to open firefox. I could still move the mouse and type on the keyboard.

The next time it froze (about 10 minutes after) I had just opened gimp and was browsing around for images and the system froze up:

(screen2.png)

Here you can that the mouse is over the little white arrow, witch should turn black, but it dosent. (It says "Vel filtype" instead of choose filetype cause im norwegian..)
(The screenshots are scaled down a bit but i attached them in full size if thats necesarry.)

I don't think its a memory leak... because htop didn't show anything unusual during the first freeze.
What could be causing it then??
Thanks for any help:p

[uluff]

Also... when the computer freezes it seems that the only thing that's not working properly is the mouse:confused:
If I have the terminal open when ubuntu freezes, I can move the mouse, but i cant click the "X" button, the maximize button or the minimize button. I cant click any of the other menus neither. But I can right click. :confused:

If i type the name of an app in the terminal and launches it, it works. I can use the program normally with the keyboard, but not the mouse. :confused:

Isn't that weird?:o

[uluff]

This seems to be the exact same problem I have : http://www.mail-archive.com/ubuntu-x-swat@lists.launchpad.net/msg32321.html

And here http://www.mail-archive.com/ubuntu-x-swat@lists.launchpad.net/msg33181.html someone says that its a problem with the kernel...

Is it advised to install another kernel or modifying the kernel at all?

Thanks for any help:p