[wplug] Machine is locking up without a trace

[wmoran at potentialtech.com]

Quoting "Scott F. Kiesling" <kiesling at pitt.edu>:

> Folks I have a mysterious problem which I think is
> hardware-based but I can't find the problem. I've looked
> around but haven't a lead.
>
> Running Gentoo, Kernel 2.6.7 on a Dell Inspiron 5000 (~4.5
> years old).
>
> In short, the machine just stops. This happened first while
> running X, but it has also happened when an X session has
> not been started.
>
> I've looked in /var/log/messages and the X logs but haven't
> found anything at all.
>
> e2fsck and reiserfsck show that my fs are OK.
>
> I'd appreciate any suggestions on where to look next.
>
> And yes, I have backed things up.

These kind of issues are always a pain!

Have you tried memtest86 to ensure the RAM is good?  I recommend running
it all night, as I've seen dodgy RAM that will pass sometimes, and fail
others.

There's also a program called cpuburn that will stress your CPU to see
if it can make things fail.

Aside from that, you may have to go on an Easter Egg Hunt (i.e. remove
parts, test to see if it's still freezing up, rinse and repeat)

-Bill