Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
4 Posts
0
45566
Mini 9 with ubuntu freezes
I bought and received a mini 9 with ubuntu about a month ago, and recently it has started freezing to where the only option is a hard reboot- not even Ctrl-Alt-Del works. I am new to working with linux, and so have not had much luck in figuring out why it should be freezing, since there is no pattern to it- sometimes the mini freezes minutes after I turn it on, other times, an hour later. However, if I turn it on and leave it on, it will freeze- and it tends to freeze more if I am not using it, when it is idle, though several times it has frozen while I have been working.
Everything I have heard of linux says that it is so stable, so I am really worried- is this a problem with my computer, or the operating system? How can I tell, and how to fix it?
Computer is: Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu 8.0.4
mindizzlin
1 Message
0
January 4th, 2010 17:00
I know this is an old post, but my mini 9 is pretty new. I got it on sale when the mini 10 was coming out. Would it freeze if I do not install the updates? My friend told me I did not need to install updates and it would just take up hard drive space.
pbdude_123
37 Posts
0
January 5th, 2010 06:00
I installed all the updates on my Mini 9 and it still freezes sometimes. The updated didn't change the occasional freeze ups. It seems to freeze up after I use it for a long time. I think it may be a heat problem. The vent on the bottom gets blocked fairly easily. Maybe it doesn't get enough air circulation. Sometimes I prop the back of the it with a pen, to get better air circulation. That seems to help. I might try using some stick on rubber feet to make the computer sit higher. That would also provide better air circulation. It couldn't hurt and it's a cheap fix.
By the way, how big is your SSD drive? Mine is 8gb with Ubuntu Linux installed.. The Linux updates don't take very much space at all, maybe 500mb at the most. My drive has never been over 50% full. The patches don't take up that much space. It could be a problem with a 4gb SSD drive though. If you are running XP, then I really don't know how much space the patches take. If you have a 16gb SSD drive, you should have plenty of room.
I thought about upgrading my SSD drive to 16 or 32gb, but that would probably cause more heat. Upgrading the RAM to 2gb would create more heat too. I think more heat would make it freeze up even more. Upgrading from 4gb to 8gb would be a good idea though. I've seen cheap used 8gb SSD drives on eBay before. For now, I plan to leave the SSD and RAM alone. Now I need to spend my money on a new battery. Mine went bad after 10 months and now it won't charge at all. I just get alternating flashing AC and Battery lights on the front and a BIOS error message saying it can't recognize the battery. I might go with an 8 cell battery from Amazon. It would double the battery capacity and raise up the back to get better air circulation.
outofluckchuck
1 Message
0
January 7th, 2010 11:00
I too am experiencing that problem the first week I got it. I am very cautious about overheating as well, but mine does freeze when I use it for a long time and also suspect that heat is the culprit.
In addition to your SSD comment, my 4GB hd runs fine. I usually have at least 400-500mb free, and all the files I use stored on an 8gb SD card. Sometimes the updates do take a bit of room, but the "sudo apt-get clean" command cleans it right up after a big update.
I have sent it in already, and I am preparing to send it in again for repair. It's got to be a manufacturer's defect, or just very poorly designed cooling. I have owned 4 Dell's and have recommended dozens to friends and family. I have a Latitude X300 which is on it's 4th hard drive due to overheating, recommended the Inspiron 1500 to a friend with the faulty/overheating Nvidia 8400M, and similar problems.
That should help, but don't you think Dell should design computers so that the consumer shouldn't have to resort to such measures? I feel a class action coming on...