[MPlayer-users] segfault even when running with no input files or options

[Oliver Seitz]

>
> What causes programs to start segfaulting out of the blue without any
> other changes to the system? H/w problems.
>
> 1) Memory corruption, but those are transient, causing whatever code
> that loads into that location to segfault. Doesn't fit your symptoms.
>
> 2) Disk corruption. That fits the repeatability symptom, but the fact
> that it still happens when you build from scratch means either that the
> issue is in a system file or you didn't first "make clean" (or whatever
> the mplayer build system calls it).
>
> 3) Controller corruption, which is highly unlikely unless your system
> was hit by a power surge, and then you'd see it in more than just one
> program.
>

4) CPU malfunction. When silicon wears off (yes, it does wear off in 
some sense), it does not necessarily die going up in smoke. A tiny bit 
of circuitry, which is only used by a higly specialized multimedia 
program, may be corrupt while the biggest part still works fine. This 
would be a very rare case, but possible.

Greets,
Kiste