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I have an 8-core Linux laptop that's been working fine, but the last couple days of last week it started to suddenly run slowly. My project build takes about 8 times longer than normal. The fan will blow constantly while it's running slowly. A reboot seems to clear it up for a while. Top doesn't show any processes consuming the CPU, iostat doesn't show any sudden spikes in any of the metrics it shows.
The only major change I made last week was to install VMWare's conversion tool to run my VM under Virtual Box. I occasionally run a Windows guest on the workstation. I've since uninstalled the tool to try to rule that out as a cause. The issue persists.
What kinds of issues could create a problem that's not visible in top or iostat? Are there other tools that would serve me better to diagnose the problem? Is it possible that the VMWare is connected to the issue in some way, or is that just a coincidence?
Don Branson
Posted 2012-05-07T14:11:19.303
Reputation: 160
What does
topsay? – Sven – 2012-05-07T14:14:13.293Top doesn't show any processes consuming the CPU. If I run my build, that shows, of course, but there's still plenty of idle - 40-60% or more. – Don Branson – 2012-05-07T14:35:23.067
What does
dstatsay? – Tom O'Connor – 2012-05-07T14:35:30.9232Perhaps you need to hoover the fluff out of the cpu fan/cooler. – Tom O'Connor – 2012-05-07T14:35:55.777
I haven't tried dstat, but I could install it and try it. What should I look for, that is, what will it show that iostat and top don't? – Don Branson – 2012-05-07T14:37:01.067
So Tom, you think it could be hardware slowing the clock to counter overheating? – Don Branson – 2012-05-07T14:37:47.727
I dunno. Every laptop I've ever had that overheated was effectively cured with a hoover and a can of air. – Tom O'Connor – 2012-05-07T14:40:20.450
I've heard recently that vacuuming can lead to ESD issues. I'll give the canned air a shot to see if it helps. Thanks! – Don Branson – 2012-05-07T14:42:46.240
Well, make sure it's plugged in, and earthed when you hoover? – Tom O'Connor – 2012-05-07T14:44:49.913
Tom, how about you throw your comments out there as an answer? My box is running fine after some canned air. – Don Branson – 2012-05-08T18:21:49.010