I am posting this in case it helps someone else. My Fedora 7 server was randomly freezing, either with a straight kernel panic or a weird freeze that left existing shell windows open but which would also freeze if any network interaction was attempted.

The system:

• Motherboard: MSI K9MM-V (MS-7312) with VIA K8M800 & VT8237R chipsets
• Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (2.3 GHz) Socket AM2
• Memory: Crucial CT2KIT6464AA80E 1GB kit (512MBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 DDR2 PC2-6400 CL=5 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR2-800 1.8V 64Meg x 64

I tested the memory for 18 hours using Memtest86+ and it all checked out ok, I also tried out using maxcpus=1 and acpi=off separately, but eventually found the following combination of BIOS configuration and kernel options which have appeared to solve the freezes.

BIOS: Disable everything you don’t need (e.g. Onboard FDC Controller and Parallel Port) and make sure that ACPI is off. I also found that I had to keep the VGA Share Memory Size at 32MB if I wanted to use the embedded video adapter.

Cell menu:-

Memory Voltage(V): 1.8
Cool’n’Quiet control: Auto
Auto Disable PCI Clock: Disabled
Spread Spectrum: Disable
Adjust CPU FSB Frequency: 200MHz

AGP & P2P Bridge Control:-

AGP Aperture Size: 32M
AGP3.0 Mode: 8X
AGP Driving Control: Auto
AGP Driving Value: DA
AGP Fast Write: Disabled
AGP Master 1 WS Write: Disabled
AGP Master 1 WS Read: Disabled
AGP 3.0 Calibration cycle: Disabled
DBI Output for AGP Trans.: Disabled
VGA Share Memory Size: 32MB

DRAM Configuration:-

Current FSB Frequency: 200MHz
Timing Mode: Auto
Memory Clock value or Limit: DDR 400

VIA OnChip PCI Device:-

USB Controller: All Enabled
USB2.0 Controller: Enabled
OnChip LAN: Enabled
Onboard Lan Boot ROM: Disabled
USB Emulation: OFF
AC97 Controller: Auto

Power Management Setup:-

ACPI function: Disabled
Suspend Time Out(Minute): Disable
Power Button Function: Power Off
Restore On AC Power Lost: On

Now add the options ‘acpi=off maxcpus=1’ to the kernel line in /etc/grub.conf

title Fedora (2.6.23.1-49.fc8)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-49.fc8 ro root=/dev/md0 acpi=off maxcpus=1
initrd /initrd-2.6.23.1-49.fc8.img

These settings compromise performance and I don’t benefit from the second core and AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet technology, but at least the server stays up now!

Not that I could possibly condone the action of shooting dead an as-yet seemingly innocent biker on the M40, but I can’t help feeling a sick sense of satisfaction if this terrible event contributes to a decline in the numbers of these egotistical imbeciles taking to our roads.

What I can’t understand or find an answer to is why these ear-splitting noise machines are legally permitted on the public highway? If any other vehicle has a defective or noisy exhaust then they are liable for prosecution, but these infernal machines are antisocial by design and somehow get away with causing distress and intimidation on a daily basis.

My only consolation is that the dangers of piloting these death machines means there is a higher risk – and dare I say expectancy 😈 – that many Neanderthal riders will wipe themselves out anyway, without intervention from snipers in incongruous saloon cars. Could this be the work of a vigilante pensioner with years of repressed vengeance to take out on the biker population? It’s time for you to feel the fear – beware the mighty Rover 620!

For anyone else having problems with their USB memory drive not being recognised by Windows XP, here are a couple of suggestions that might just resurrect the missing drive letter.

The first common problem is that the USB device is trying to use a drive letter that is already allocated.

To check this go to ‘Disk Management’:

• Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Disk Management

or

• Start -> Run -> Open diskmgmt.msc

Your USB drive should be listed as a removable device. If the drive letter is not assigned or is the same as an existing device then right-click over the disk, “Change Drive Letter and Paths…” and then change the drive letter.

If the drive still doesn’t appear in the “My Computer” folder, this more complicated solution from Microsoft’s Knowledge Base could well fix the problem (it did for me anyway).

“A computer that is running Windows XP cannot detect a USB thumb drive, an Apple iPod, or an external hard disk drive” – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925196

You attach a USB-based device to a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP. Then, you try to scan for hardware devices. However, the computer may not detect the attached device, and you may not see the device in the My Computer folder.

loadTOCNode(1, \\’symptoms\\’);In my case I deleted both the LowerFilters and UpperFilters registry values from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} registry subkey, rebooted my PC and the USB memory drive appeared!

When I was growing up there were few environmental issues to keep us awake at night. Probably the first I remember was the hole in the ozone layer which caused aerosols to disappear from the shelves almost overnight.

The plight of Africans was the main weapon for guilt-mongers in the 80’s. “There are millions of starving Africans you know” if you didn’t finish your meal. “Send it to then then!” was the usual droll response.

Nowadays our children are growing up in a depressing government and celebrity endorsed culture of fear and guilt. No matter how hard we try to reduce our impact on the frail environment, nothing is ever good enough to save the planet.

I diligently sort our refuse into recycling bins, I have swapped out as many light bulbs as I can to the low energy equivalent, I disconnect mobile chargers when not in use, switch off electrical equipment rather than leaving them in standby mode, we use energy saving appliances and try to buy local produce. But whatever I do, there is always something else that I am made to feel ashamed for. Now just turning lights on is a crime against the earth!

I am so tired of constantly being told that my efforts are inadequate and being bullied into feeling guilty. There is only so far you can keep belittling my contribution before I just rebel altogether and resign myself to eco-apathy. So from now on I don’t give a stuff. Compared to the output of the U.S. and China my carbon footprint is insignificant. In reality it doesn’t matter if I bother at all.

So it’s on with the bright lights, the central heating thermostat is back up, we’ll do our washing at 60 degrees and I’ll drive wherever I like. Thank you for all the advise and forebodings of a bleak future, but it will fall on deaf ears from now on.

For a couple of weeks I have been getting increasingly annoyed by my desktop PC (Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2) no longer shutting down when I click on ‘Turn Off Computer… Turn Off’. It would close most of the active applications, but then stop mid-way through shutting down and then remain in an idle state. The only way to shutdown the computer was to go through the Turn Off / shutdown sequence twice each time. After a process of elimination I finally traced the culprit to a process named skypePM.exe.

A Google search has found an interesting thread on the Skype support forum where other Skype users have experienced the same problem. Fortunately there is a solution!

Uninstall Skype using ‘Add or Remove Programs’ in Control Panel, then download SkypeSetup.exe and reinstall, but this time click on Options at the first page and deselect ‘Install Skype Extras Manager’. This ensures that the rogue skypePM.exe is not installed and prevents the double shutdown issue.