I installed RedHat 7.0 on my machine yesterday. When I came in today, the screensaver was not changing and would not put up a login screen. In fact, X refused to quit on C-A-BackSpace, nor would it allow me to switch to a virtual console. A remote login showed that X was running at 99% CPU; xscreensaver-command -restart hung, as did chvt 1. It's not clear where the problem was. This is a 7.0 install with all the latest updates; architecture is i686, card is ELSA GLoria Synergy. XFree86-4.0.1-1 xscreensaver-3.25-4
I've had X crash several times more. I've disabled a couple of screensavers that seem to be implicated: Laser and Flow. I *think* they'll only crash the X server if they're run immediately after another screensaver. This is a pretty serious bug, leaving the machine in a state where I am forced to reboot it in order to get anything done.
I have exactly the same problem: I leave my machine, I come back and X is completely hung. A remote ssh showed X at 99% of the CPU; explicitly killing X with -9 didn't help, init 3 didn't help, I had to reboot my machine. Disabling xscreensaver fixes it; I'll try disabling the same xscreensavers that klmitch mentioned and see if that helps. I just installed RedHat 7 Saturday, and have been using RedHat 6.2 on this machine since it came out without problems. I'm using a stock install with all the latest updates. X driver is 3Dlabs Permedia2 (glint) for Diamond Fire GL 2000. PII 400Mhz (i686), 256M RAM.
I can reliably reproduce the problem by using "Laser" as the screen saver in the GNOME Control Center, then clicking on the Lock button in the panel (or xscreensaver-command -activate). The Laser saver starts, then X freezes after only a couple of seconds.
Upgrading to XFree86-4.0.2-1 and xscreensaver-3.26-2 (using rawhide RPMs) didn't help. I forgot: I don't have a completely stock install, I am using Helix, i mean, Ximian GNOME. I doubt that's relevant, but just in case...
TO the original reporter, please (as always) attach X server error logs and X configuration file to bug report. I have no idea what an Elsa Gloria Synergy is. What I need to know should be in the server log though.
Please upgrade XFree86 to the latest Rawhide release.