[MPlayer-users] mencoder often COMPLETLY locks up my machine

[Thomas Buchmüller]

Hi!

I've got a similar problem when using mplayer (not mencoder).
That's no bugreport at the moment,
I just wanted to know what it means if I can telnet to my machine,
because that is possible in my case. In fact the system is running
but just not accepting keyboard/mouse input and the screen is locked.
Even if I kill mplayer the screen stays like it is.

Thanx in advance

On Fri, 17 May 2002, Matijs van Zuijlen wrote:

> On Fri, May 17, 2002 at 04:05:19PM -0400, Diego Zuccato wrote:
> > [Automatic answer: RTFM (read DOCS, FAQ), also read DOCS/bugreports.html]
> > Jukka Tastula wrote:
> >
> > > > Often (w/ about 1/3 probability) mencoder completly locks up my machine
> > > > while encoding a vcd (directly from cd or from an mplayer-ripped file
> > > > doesen't matter).
> > > This really sounds like a hardware problem. Are you overclocking your
> > > cpu/memory (not enough cooling/voltage?)? Maybe your hdd is failing?
> > > Too long IDE cables? Inadequate power supply?
> > It's a laptop. It usually runs UNDERclocked. Never had lockup troubles,
> > EXCEPT 4 times in 2 days, and ONLY when using mencoder... Not even when
> > compiling the kernel... Quite strange that's NOT related to mencoder...
> > BTW, RamStressTest reports no failures, kernel compiles well, mplayer
> > works (except for trashing part of the video memory). So I'd look at
> > ANYTHING but hardware :-)
> >
> > > Anyway, it can't be mencoder's fault that your system locks up.
> > > Maybe a kernel bug if its not the hardware?
> > uhm... This might be. BUT what can it be ? It must be something that
> > gets exposed JUST by mencoder. It's not related to VCD reading (mplayer
> > dumped the stream without troubles), it's not related to CPU load... And
> > it's something that gets stuck at 100% CPU use...
>
> Some suggestions/questions:
>
> Have you tried to telnet into your machine? Did it work?
> Have you tried compling support for the magic sysrq key in the kernel?
> That may help to kill runaway processes.
> Are you running X when you run mencoder?
> Does running mencoder exhaust memory? At some point the kernel will
> start killing other processes to free some memory. I had some mysterous
> lockups in the past that were probably related to that. Strangely,
> upgrading my BIOS solved that problem.
>
> Just my 2 cents...
>
> --
> Matijs van Zuijlen
>
>     ... designed to fill holes or cracks of not more than two cubic vims.
> 			    -- Robert Sheckley, Untouched by Human Hands
>