This is a Mandriva 2009.1 system running the Gnome desktop. I've been
using 2009.1 since May. System specs have not been changed since
then. Starting about a month ago at random times the screen will go
black. Moving the mouse or hitting a keyboard key will return the
desktop.

Once recently, it locked up the system and needed a push of the reset
button to get it started again.

I've only found a few vague references to Gnomes power management
perhaps being the culprit.

Some of these references date back to 2007 on up to June of 2009.
I've never encountered this weirdness out of Gnome in any of my
versions of Mandriva. Any thoughts on this one?

Oh, and speaking of lock ups, why the heck did they eliminate the
Ctrl/Alt/Backspace command used to restart X?

On Tuesday 27 October 2009 02:49 in alt.os.linux.mandriva, somebody
identifying as JTJersey wrote...

This is a Mandriva 2009.1 system running the Gnome desktop. I've been
using 2009.1 since May. System specs have not been changed since
then. Starting about a month ago at random times the screen will go
black. Moving the mouse or hitting a keyboard key will return the
desktop.

I'm no expert on Gnome, but it sounds like you have a blank screensaver
engaged, and/or DPMS (Display Power Management System), which will
first switch the monitor into "standby", then into "suspend" after a
longer timeout, and then eventually into "soft off". Striking any key
on the keyboard or moving the mouse would bring back the monitor from
its lower power state and disengage the screensaver, unless the latter
is set up to require a password.

Once recently, it locked up the system and needed a push of the reset
button to get it started again.

Didn't think of trying the magic System Requests first, did you? :p

I've only found a few vague references to Gnomes power management
perhaps being the culprit.

Actually, Gnome - or any other desktop for that matter - only offers a
front-end to these power management settings. It's the X server that
actually handles them, via the video driver.

Some of these references date back to 2007 on up to June of 2009.
I've never encountered this weirdness out of Gnome in any of my
versions of Mandriva. Any thoughts on this one?

Well, if you haven't set it up that way yourself and nobody else in your
household has had access to the machine via your account, then perhaps
one of the recent upgrades changed your configuration to enable these
features by default.

Oh, and speaking of lock ups, why the heck did they eliminate the
Ctrl/Alt/Backspace command used to restart X?

Check */etc/X11/xorg.conf* for a line that says...

Option "DontZap" "on"

Change that to "off" and restart the X server.

Check */etc/X11/xorg.conf* for a line that says...

Option "DontZap" "on"

Change that to "off" and restart the X server.

Aragorn writes:

On Tuesday 27 October 2009 02:49 in alt.os.linux.mandriva, somebody
identifying as JTJersey wrote...

Oh, and speaking of lock ups, why the heck did they eliminate the
Ctrl/Alt/Backspace command used to restart X?

Check */etc/X11/xorg.conf* for a line that says...

Option "DontZap" "on"

Change that to "off" and restart the X server.

I thought xorg.conf was on it's way out.

Isn't "xset q" still the right place to start?

This is a Mandriva 2009.1 system running the Gnome desktop. I've been
using 2009.1 since May. System specs have not been changed since then.
Starting about a month ago at random times the screen will go black.
Moving the mouse or hitting a keyboard key will return the desktop.
Once recently, it locked up the system and needed a push of the reset
button to get it started again. I've only found a few vague references
to Gnomes power management perhaps being the culprit. Some of these
references date back to 2007 on up to June of 2009. I've never
encountered this weirdness out of Gnome in any of my versions of
Mandriva. Any thoughts on this one? Oh, and speaking of lock ups, why
the heck did they eliminate the Ctrl/Alt/Backspace command used to
restart X?