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TBog/Linux X hangup fix.md

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Linux X hangup fix.md

The next time X crashes, don't hit the hard reset button before trying a few other things first:

Try shutting down X gracefully with <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Backspace>. You may have to first reconfigure your OS to re-enable this key combo, which recent distros have turned off by default. Instructions here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/367983/how-do-i-enable-ctrl-alt-backspace-to-kill-the-x-server If that doesn't work, try switching to a TTY console with <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<F1> and do:

reboot

or

poweroff

Use sudo if you need to.

If that still doesn't work, it's time to try the sysrq methods which will pass system calls to the kernel at a very basic level.

  1. First, try <Alt>+<Sysrq>+<k>. Again, this combo is disabled in a default install. Instructions to re-enable are here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/526691/alt-prtsc-k-not-working
  2. If SysReq key works, you can kill processes one-by-one using <Alt>+<SysReq>+<F>. Kernel will kill the mostly «expensive» process each time. If you want to kill all processes for one console, you can issue <Alt>+<SysReq>+<K>.
  3. Lastly, if all else fails, do REISUB as explained here: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=617349

Only when all else fails should you hit the physical reset button, which is pretty much the nuclear option when it comes to the OS.

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