[regression] boot failure with thinkpad laptop (ipw2200 issue?)

The above screenshots are all from different failed boots. I have gotten to the point in the 3rd screenshot multiple times, and it is always accompanied with the disk light on (the other two do not ever have the disk light on).

This problem is intermittent, but happens fairly regularly (maybe 50% of the time?).

More random information:

I always get past 'Reading files needed to reboot'

I seem to never get to 'Setting system clock'

I still got a hang after adding the following to /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200:
install ipw2200 { sleep 5; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install ipw2200; }

The disk light came on when I got a hang at a different point than the 3rd screenshot

For clarification:

I seem to never get to 'Setting system clock', when it hangs (which is only occasionally)

I just tried 2.6.26-5.17-generic and got a hang. Will try 2.6.24 next.

I tried playing with rf_kill. I don't seem to have a way to enable rf_kill. Fn+F5 will toggle it to 1, but it goes to 0 on reboot. I can disable it in the bios, but then ipw2200 isn't detected/loaded during boot.

With 2.6.27, this is very sporadic-- sometimes it will hang 5 times in a row, other times I have gotten as many as 9 consecutive successful boots, but the 10th resulted in a hang. (still working on 2.6.24)

I believe I am mistaken about 2.6.26-5.17-generic. I just booted 31 consecutive times without a hang with 2.6.26-5.17-generic. I must have selected the wrong kernel before.

Hung with 2.6.27-6.9-generic

Hung with 2.6.27-4.6-generic

Hung with 2.6.27-3.4-generic (after 36 consecutive successful boots). Seems like I'll need to give 2.6.26-5.17-generic another bunch of tries...

Hung with 2.6.27-2.3-generic (after 6 successful boots)

Ok, I successfully booted 78 consecutive times with 2.6.26-5.17-generic. This appears to have been introduced in 2.6.27.

Hi Jamie,

Care to do one more round of testing but with the 2.6.27-7.12 kernel? Tim mentioned the relationship of iwl3945 and bug 263059 is a red herring - https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/263059/comments/154 .

However, the most recent comments from 263059 seem to confirm this is no longer an issue with the more recent 2.6.27-7.12 kernel due to a kernel config change:

linux (2.6.27-7.12) intrepid; urgency=low
[...]
  * disable CONFIG_DYNAMIC_FTRACE due to possible memory corruption on
    module unload

Hopefully this will be resolved for you as well. Please let us know. Thanks.

87 consecutive successful boots with no hangs with 2.6.27-7.12. Marking as Fixed Release.