JFL92 and Ubuntu 8.04, huge problem out of the box.

NOTE: Pitabred, I noticed there is a section for linux help from your sig, so while I might be able to get some tests by compal people, I figure I'll drop in here too and let the penguin brigade think on it.

Quoting from post in Compal section : http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3364282#post3364282

I have been wracking my brain for a week now with a serious problem using the new Ubuntu 8.04, on my brand new JFL92 I got last week. Here is the issue.

When using it, after anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds of idle, the screen freezes. As in cursors that were blinking, stop blinking, and animations that were going, stop going. I move my mouse, and I get 2-3 seconds of huge mouse lag as the pointer jumps from one side of the screen to another, and then things are back to normal.

This happens when I am using wireless, wired, and completely disconnected. I have used various methods to test each scenario and found no coorelation.

It has a repeatable example test. On first boot after a default install, go right to a terminal in gnome and do:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get dist-upgrade

Basically just getting yourself up to date. If you don't move the mouse or press any keys, you will see exactly what I described happen. If you are on wireless, you will at that point have to re-connect to your wireless as it will be in a defunct state. If you are on ethernet, you will resume where you left off, but only after you bring it out of the 'lag'. It will have been recieving no data while in the 'lag'.

This can also be tested by simpling 'ping google.com', after 100 or so replies it will freeze.

Offline this can be seen by just watching 'top' for a few minutes.

Ubuntuforums have not been able to provide me with any help. It is such a HUGE and OBVIOUS issue, and is apparent on first boot with the default install, that I cannot be the only one who is noticing it. My best bet is to find some JFL92 users who can help me out by testing this and seeing if I'm crazy.

JFL92 users who use linux, anyone using Ubuntu and run into this? I am about ready to chuck this JFL92 out the window.

Other notes : Everything works 100% in Vista and XP, I have run 5 memtest86 tests, prime95 on both cores simul, HD tests from OEM and GRC Spinrite, and GPU stress tests; all tests watching temps and volts. This laptop is mechanically perfect.

More notes :
I have bios 116.
noapic doesnt help
apci=no causes kernel panic thrown by a PNP_BIOS error.

 

Have you tried reinstalling? Have you checked the integrity of your disc you used?

 

Yes I have verified the disc 5x with the 'Check disk for defects' option on bootup, and verified the MD5SUM of the ISO I burned from, and from the dd of the actual CD when inserted. It is a perfect burn.

I have reinstalled 12 times now, trying different boot options etc.

 

Your problem may be an issue with your laptop and others like the Lenovo R31, regarding a problem where anytime ACPI or APM events are polled, like when checking battery status, it causes the mouse to jerk around the screen clicking on things. The way that others seem to have fixed this is to append a switch on the kernel boot command of i8042.nomux=1. For example changing a kernel boot command from this;

Code:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda2 ro quiet splash

to this;

Code:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda2 ro quiet splash i8042.nomux=1

may work.

Good Luck..

 

It's a cpi=no, right? Just making sure.

 

Well I have it fixed. the kernel boot params need noacpi AND noapic appended to fix this lag/stutter problem. acpi=no didnt seem to help, but noacpi did. Odd.

 

That is odd, considering they mean the same thing. Anyway if you haven't already, you should try the i8042.nomux=1 kernel boot parameter alone and see if it allows your laptop to operate normally without turning off both APIC and ACPI. There are lots of users who experienced similar problems to yours and fixed it by using this i8042 kernel parameter (to turn off the checking of the presence of an active multiplexing controller). This long Ubuntu bug thread has comments from a user describing a similar problem to yours here, and his solution here.

Good Luck..