i did as you suggested... booting into single mode and here's what happend:
just loading hald from the command line immediately crashes (hard rest!) the
laptop. (not switching init to run level 6 !)
booting again. starting hald with strace loads it with no crash ! :-) and
continuing to load other daemons manually works smoothly with finally loading
kdm which loads KDE (which i love ;-) . and all's great.
BUT...
so i thought... tweaking the /etc/dbus-1/event.d/20hal script to load hald
with strace (while throwing debug messages into an output file) would to the
trick, but it didn't :-(
attached, is hald's strace when all works fine. i couldn't get and strace of a
crash. for very understandable reasons... it wasn't saved :-)
thanks for all the help :-)
execve("/usr/sbin/hald", ["/usr/sbin/hald"], [/* 30 vars */]) = 0
uname({sys="Linux", node="laptop", ...}) = 0
brk(0) = 0x8087000
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
mmap2(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) =
0xb7f0c000
access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=96638, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 96638, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7ef4000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/libdbus-glib-1.so.2", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\0j\0\000"..., 512) =
512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=106760, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 109888, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7ed9000
mmap2(0xb7ef3000, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x19) = 0xb7ef3000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/libglib-2.0.so.0", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=596608, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 596204, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7e47000
mmap2(0xb7ed8000, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x91) = 0xb7ed8000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/librt.so.1", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0000\36\0"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=30612, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) =
0xb7e46000
mmap2(NULL, 33384, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7e3d000
mmap2(0xb7e44000, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x6) = 0xb7e44000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/libdbus-1.so.3", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\0K\0\000"..., 512) =
512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=203724, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 203000, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7e0b000
mmap2(0xb7e3c000, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x31) = 0xb7e3c000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libm.so.6", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0`3\0\000"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=145136, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 147584, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7de6000
mmap2(0xb7e09000, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x22) = 0xb7e09000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/libexpat.so.1", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\340 \0"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=126112, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 124920, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7dc7000
mmap2(0xb7de4000, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x1d) = 0xb7de4000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\240O\1"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=1241580, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 1247388, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7c96000
mmap2(0xb7dbd000, 28672, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x127) = 0xb7dbd000
mmap2(0xb7dc4000, 10396, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7dc4000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\300i\0"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=237156, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 237380, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7c5c000
mmap2(0xb7c95000, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x39) = 0xb7c95000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libnsl.so.1", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0p5\0\000"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=76548, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) =
0xb7c5b000
mmap2(NULL, 87808, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7c45000
mmap2(0xb7c57000, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x11) = 0xb7c57000
mmap2(0xb7c59000, 5888, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7c59000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libpthread.so.0", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\240H\0"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_size=89370, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 70104, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) =
0xb7c33000
mmap2(0xb7c41000, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0xe) = 0xb7c41000
mmap2(0xb7c43000, 4568, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE,
MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7c43000
close(3) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) =
0xb7c32000
mprotect(0xb7dbd000, 20480, PROT_READ) = 0
set_thread_area({entry_number:-1 -> 6, base_addr:0xb7c328e0, limit:1048575,
seg_32bit:1, contents:0, read_exec_only:0, limit_in_pages:1, seg_not_present:0,
useable:1}) = 0
munmap(0xb7ef4000, 96638) = 0
set_tid_address(0xb7c32928) = 2663
rt_sigaction(SIGRTMIN, {0xb7c374c0, [], SA_SIGINFO}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGRT_1, {0xb7c37420, [], SA_RESTART|SA_SIGINFO}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, [RTMIN RT_1], NULL, 8) = 0
getrlimit(RLIMIT_STACK, {rlim_cur=8192*1024, rlim_max=RLIM_INFINITY}) = 0
uname({sys="Linux", node="laptop", ...}) = 0
brk(0) = 0x8087000
brk(0x80a8000) = 0x80a8000
gettimeofday({1165225158, 628170}, NULL) = 0
pipe([3, 4]) = 0
chdir("/") = 0
clone(child_stack=0, flags=CLONE_CHILD_CLEARTID|CLONE_CHILD_SETTID|SIGCHLD,
child_tidptr=0xb7c32928) = 2664
rt_sigaction(SIGCHLD, {0x8055b40, [CHLD], SA_RESTART}, {SIG_DFL}, 8) = 0
select(4, [3], NULL, [3], {250, 0}) = 1 (in [3], left {248, 124000})
exit_group(0) = ?
