Laptop Freezing EVERYTIME

[JrMolten]

Im kinda new to ubuntu, so...
Yeah, I got an old laptop ( bout 7 years ) from my uncle. It originaly had windows XP on it, and was EXTREMELY slow, and freezed all the time. Well, then i got UBUNTU 10.04 (lucid lynx) installed on it, with no problems. Until I tryed to update it. Freezed at the first 30%, just like it did in windows:mouse dint move, no animations, nothing. Just solid screen, frozen. I could wait 3 hours, nothing happened. That freeze dindt happen when I wasn't using the laptop: only on internet apps, VIDEOS, games and stuff like that. Sometimes even when using only Firefox. I tryed reinstalling ubuntu so many times...
Then, one of those times, the laptop actually worked. With no freeze for like a week. Then, it froze when i tryed running Ace of Spades on it. After that first freezn, it started to freeze every 5 minutes again.
Please, HELP"

[winh8r]

Best thing to do is post details of the make and model of the laptop.

how much ram does it have?

what graphics card does it use?

Will it boot and run normally using a LIVE CD?

[Mark Phelps]

Sorry, but a laptop that is

EXTREMELY slow

in WinXP and also froze a lot, is likely to be even SLOWER using any 11.x version of Ubuntu, primarily due to the demands of the Unity desktop.

Also, freezing could be a symptom of a failing drive (i.e., lots of bad sectors) and that is not going to improve in Linux.

Laptop specs will help at least determine if it COULD run OK using Ubuntu 11.x.

[JrMolten]

My laptop is an Itautec, cant find model because what seems to be it is scratched. Heavy. All I know about it. Also, i did NOT install ubuntu 11.x, the version i have on this laptop is 10.04. This laptop run like 1.5x faster than before. Only bad things is it keeps freezing. What i just dun understand is the fact that IT DID RUN NICELY for a week, but after the first freeze, it started freezing alot again. So it oes not seem to be hardware problem (could be, im noob to hose kind o' things) but something whroung in the kernel, or ubuntu code.

I appreciate your help, guys!

[2F4U]

Does that happen after some time of use and is the laptop getting hot? Did you run the memtest program from the liveCD?

[matt_symes]

Hi

Both XP and Ubuntu freeze ?

Boot into the BIOS screen that displays the clock and leave overnight or longer.

If it still freezes (clock stops ) , you are looking at hardware. Maybe CPU temps, motherboard problems, or memory. You can take out the hard drive for this test.

Either way, (almost) sure fire hardware if this test fails. I've had the same problem in the past.

Kind regards

[Mark Phelps]

From your further info, it doesn't sound like SW or Ubuntu related problems; instead, it sound like hardware.

I'd go with either overheating and/or failing hard drive -- possibly memory failures as well.

Others have already suggested stuff you can try to see if it will still freeze under different conditions.

[dragonfly41]

My guess .. and it is a guess .. is too many tabs open in firefox browser some with flash media access.
At least that is what I found. I installed firefox session manager add-on to kill the problem tab(s) causing the freeze when firefox opened.

Try launching firefox in safe mode to see if this helps. Or try installing opera.

[JrMolten]

Almos 32 hours now since I but the laptop on boot menu...

Clock still running.

Discards Overheating ( checked that)and "POSSIBLY" hardware.
I still think it might be hardware, sumting bout the video card or something related.

Firefox in safe mode?
I tryed opera actually. Still freezin. Seems its not ONLY internet and stuff, just about everything. Typing ( yeah... ) opening the terminal, open browsers, open a new tab and, the most critical and 100% sure-to-freeze, the deadly YouTube.

Thanks for the support!

[matt_symes]

Hi

If the BIOS clock is still ticking then that is a good sign.

Test SMART status of hard drive next if it has it and run a SMART test on the drive. If the drive fails the SMART test, remove it and put it in an external casing and run the SMART test from a different laptop/computer. It the laptop freezes during the SMART test then test from another laptop/computer anyway.

That will help to pin point drive controller or drive issue, if that is the problem.

If the drive does not have SMART then look for DST (drive self test) software from drive manafacturer.

Check memory using memtest. Run it overnight at least.

Those would be my next steps.

Because both XP and Ubuntu froze, i would concentrate on hardware for the moment. When you are confident that hardware is not the problem then look at software.

Don't discount CPU temps at this stage. How are you checking them ?

Kind regards