[sclug] System catatonia

[James Wyper]

Hello everyone.

Every so often, my linux system (Mandrake 10.1; 2.6.8 Kernel), which I
leave running constantly, pretty much stops responding.  I think the
problem is related to disc i/o as while the mouse will move in KDE, and
it still functions as a firewall / router, I can't start any new
programs.  The system always comes back up OK when I alt-sysreq-b.

It's running on 1999 vintage hardware, so this could be a hardware
problem, but - coincidentally or not - it only started after I upgraded
my kernel to 2.6.

I've looked in /var/log/messages, /var/log/syslog, and
/var/log/kernel/* without finding anything (except that /messages stops
recording anything at the time the machine hangs).

Is there anywhere else I can look for after-the-fact evidence of a
problem that I can use for diagnosis?  How can I do a thorough test of
my (internal IDE) disk drive?

Thanks,
James.


		
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