I have had this happen before, but this time I think I finally isolated the problem. When Desktop Effects are enabled, using alt-tab to switch between workspaces my system locks up. It also locks up with the desktop cube effect enabled and trying to switch between workspaces using ctrl-F11. It does not lock up every time, but the only consistent thing has been desktop effects enabled. Here is a segment of my log messages for the time that the system locked up: May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.701263] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: fail post-validate sync May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.701277] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: validate both_list May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.701291] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: validate: -16 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.769564] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: error fencing pushbuf: -16 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777875] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777898] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x02fc data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777907] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777921] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0300 data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777929] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.777942] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x03fc data 0x00000000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778003] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778016] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x02fc data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778024] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778036] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0300 data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778044] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778056] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x03fc data 0xffffffff May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778063] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778075] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0400 data 0x00000000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778083] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778095] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0404 data 0x00010001 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778135] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778170] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x02fc data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778184] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778217] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0300 data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778232] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778265] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x03fc data 0x00000000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778279] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778312] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0400 data 0x00100000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778325] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778358] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0404 data 0x00e20011 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778372] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778406] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x02fc data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778419] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778450] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0300 data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778465] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778499] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x03fc data 0x00000000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778513] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778546] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x02fc data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778565] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778597] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0300 data 0x00000003 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778612] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778644] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x03fc data 0x00000000 May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778659] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ERROR nsource: ILLEGAL_MTHD nstatus: PROTECTION_FAULT May 5 09:03:59 linux-aw90 kernel: [24314.778690] [drm] nouveau 0000:00:0d.0: PGRAPH - ch 1 (0x0005b000) subc 6 class 0x0039 mthd 0x0400 data 0x00000000 So you can see that it repeated the error in the log file several times. My mouse was responsive, but nothing on the keyboard was responsive, so I had no choice but to hit the reset button on the computer and reboot. It seems that the error is related to the nouveau driver for my nvidia display, and I googled to find that some other people have had related problems with the nouveau driver (though I didn't see any on SUSE forums, only other distros). I am using my desktop (box #1 below) and the driver description is more accurate to be listed like this: nVidia C61 [GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a] The big question is this. Is it better to get a proprietary nVidia driver, and will that make my graphics generally perform better, as well as not have the system lockups? The nVidia driver available from the nVidia repositories is x11-video-nvidiaG02. I sometimes read people not wanting to use proprietary drivers so I am hesitant, thinking this might cause more problems than it solves. Any ideas? -- G.O. Box #1: 12.1 | KDE 4.8.2 | AMD Athlon X3 | 64 | nVidia C61 GeForce 7025 | 4GB RAM Box #2 12.1 | KDE 4.7.2 | Pentium 4 (2core) | 32 | Intel 82915G | 2GB RAM Lap #1: 12.1 | KDE 4.8.2 | Core2 Duo T8100 | 64 | Intel 965GM | 3GB RAM Lap #2: 12.1 | KDE 4.8.2 | Core Duo T2400 | 32 | NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120 | 2GB RAM learning openSUSE and loving it -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org