[ltp] T61 locking up

[John Jason Jordan]

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:26:48 -0700
John Jason Jordan <johnxj@comcast.net> dijo:

> On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:52:33 -0700
> John Jason Jordan <johnxj@comcast.net> dijo:
> 
> > But I still think my "lockup" problem is related to suspend because the
> > symptoms are just about identical. 
> > 
> > The "lockups" never happen when the screensaver is running; only when
> > the screensaver has stopped and it has gone to a black screen. And even
> > then it still resumes 90% of the time just by moving the mouse or
> > hitting a key. It's that one time out of ten when I am "locked up." And
> > that is the maddening part. It is so hard to troubleshoot this because
> > I can make some change hoping it will solve the problem, but I have to
> > wait days to see if it worked.
> 
> OK, further improvements. After much more searching I found a link that
> said:
> -------
> To get suspend/resume to work with restricted nvidia driver i got the solution from
> http://david.goodlad.ca/2008/3/14/suspend-hibernate-on-lenovo-t61.
>     * sudo gedit /usr/share/hal/fdi/information/10freedesktop/20-video-quirk-pm-lenovo.fdi
>     * replace the two merge elements in: 
> 
>       <!-- T61 (8895), intel card 32bit works with S3_MODE, but 64bit
> needs VBE_MODE T61p (6460), does not work with the NVidia driver-->
>       <match key="system.hardware.product"
> prefix_outof="8895;8897;6457;6460;6464;6465"> <merge
> key="power_management.quirk.s3_bios" type="bool">true</merge> <merge
> key="power_management.quirk.vbemode_restore" type="bool">true</merge>
> </match>
> 
>      to get:
> 
>       <!-- T61 (8895), intel card 32bit works with S3_MODE, but 64bit
> needs VBE_MODE T61p (6460), does not work with the NVidia driver-->
>       <match key="system.hardware.product"
> prefix_outof="8895;8897;6457;6460;6464;6465"> <merge
> key="power_management.quirk.s3_mode" type="bool">true</merge> <merge
> key="power_management.quirk.s3_bios" type="bool">false</merge> <merge
> key="power_management.quirk.save_pci" type="bool">true</merge> </match>
> 
>     * reboot and test Fn-F4 and wake up with Fn 
> -----
> 
> I did as instructed above. After rebooting I tried closing the lid,
> but, as before, it did not send me into suspend. Also as before,
> clicking on the Gnome panel shutdown icon and "suspend" does suspend
> the computer. But now Fn+F4 does get me back from suspend. The hard
> drive light runs forever, but eventually I get a login screen and I can
> get back. 
> 
> Some questions:
> 
> 1) I thought "suspend" meant "suspend to RAM." Why does the hard drive
> light run forever before I get back?
> 2) Why do I have to log in again?
> 
> I am hoping that now that I can get back from suspend I will have a way
> to get back from my "lockup" problem. Better yet, maybe the problem
> will go away completely.

It has now been six days since updating the BIOS. (Thanks to Richard
Neill for the suggestion.) There have been no "lockups," so my theory
that the problem was related to suspend may be correct. 

However, I have discovered a couple of additional facts. First, when I
said that closing the lid did not send it into suspend that was my
fault. In my Gnome settings on Hardy x86_64 I had set closing the lid
to suspend the computer when on battery power, but when on AC power to
do nothing. When I tried it I was at home with the computer in the
docking station. Subsequently I tried it on battery power and closing
the lid then sent it into suspend mode. Duh! 

I also wonder why it was (evidently) going into suspend mode when the
screensaver ended. Or something else was happening. Now, when the
screensaver ends there is a blank screen, but moving the mouse or
striking any key restores the screen. If it is in suspend mode moving
the mouse or striking a key does not restore the screen - the only
thing that will do that is Fn+F4. The interesting thing is that before
it would (evidently) send it into suspend mode at the end of the
screensaver, but only once every so often. Since I had no idea it was
in suspend mode I never tried Fn+F4 to get back - I just assumed it was
somehow locked up. At least that is a current theory of what was
causing my "lockups." The only part of that theory that does not fit is
that the little crescent moon LED was never on when it was "locked up." 

Also, I have discovered that Fn+F4 does not work reliably to get me
back from suspend. I have to try it repeatedly before it finally works.
So it sort of works, but it is still not quite perfect.

And I still wonder why the hard drive runs a long time when it comes
back. "Suspend" means "suspend to RAM," right?

Things are very improved, but I am still confused.