What causes crashed sometimes, everything just locks, only Caps Lock and Num Lock are blinking on the keyboard. It happens sometimes, but only after startup when starting applications. Of course it''s hard to say the reason, but what does those blinking lights try to tell?

Um, first of all, what OS and what version?

Could be problems with your PS2/USB device ports. Are you using a switch box for input devices?

Try to remote log into your *nix machine (whatever it is *grin*). Telnet or SSH depending on the distro. If you can log in and function normally, probably bad hardware.

If you can''t remote log in, then something is locking the system. I''ve seen some issues with Dell PowerEdge servers, SCSI and RedHat 7.2 if I recall (would lock up on boot).

We''ll need more info about your system to provide anymore thoughts.


Interim

System: Debian Linux, kernel 2.4.20, usb printer, GeForce2 newest drivers.

It started after upgrading kernel to 2.4.20 and nvidia drivers last time. Bit it only occurs accidentally, maybe every tenth statup. I can live with this, thanks to journaling file system
Hopefully nexty time I update system, it will correct itself

The newest (4x.xx) NVidia drivers are kind-of evil (many, many people have problems with them; check the official NVidia driver forums for a list). I highly recommend the 31.23 series instead (although, getting the Sarge nvidia-* Debian packages to build on Unstable required a small tweak to the debian/control file).

My system (Debian Unstable, stock 2.4.20-k7, Geforce 3 Ti200 with the 31.23 closed NVidia drivers) hasn''t ever crashed except on instances of hardware failure (e.g., a while back, Crucial sold me a bad RAM module and gave me a hard time replacing it, so I gave up and bought another from a local store, but that''s another topic ).

quote:

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Original post by stefu
System: Debian Linux, kernel 2.4.20, usb printer, GeForce2 newest drivers.

It started after upgrading kernel to 2.4.20 and nvidia drivers last time. Bit it only occurs accidentally, maybe every tenth statup. I can live with this, thanks to journaling file system
Hopefully nexty time I update system, it will correct itself

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It's probably related to a driver or a module that you have compiled in the kernel or it might also be something that hasn't been compiled in. As for the lights, it's just a way for the kernel to get your attention on the error.

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[Cyberdrek | the last true sorcerer | Spirit Mage - mutedfaith.com][ Administrator TheLinuxForum.tk]

[edited by - cyberdrek on March 3, 2003 7:49:45 AM]

Congrats! you''re the first person I''ve seen to get the kernel to /panic/ with the nvidia drivers

I''ve only gotten oopses (oopsen?)