Facebook has caused Ubuntu to fail to function in anything but Recovery Mode

Additional Information:

uname -a
Linux (Name) 3.13.0-121-generic #170-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jun 14 09:05:46 UTC 2017 i686 i686 i686 GNU/Linux

lsb_release -crid
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS
Release: 14.04
Codename: trusty

sudo dpkg --audit
(Prompts for password)
sudo dpkg –audit
no response: Cursor stops blinking until Terminal Minimized and then restored.

apt-cache policy Firefox
firefox:
  Installed: 54.0+build3-0ubuntu0.14.04.1
  Candidate: 54.0+build3-0ubuntu0.14.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 54.0+build3-0ubuntu0.14.04.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-updates/main i386 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-security/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     28.0+build2-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main i386 Packages

Additionally: Friday, June 23, 2017. 07:00PM PDT. Facebook did something to Crash the Firefox Browser. Upon Reboot found that no applications will start in Ubuntu unless started in 'Recovery Mode' FSCK' at first run did not show and file errors. on a subsequent run could not resolve ./ and prompted to 'Run FSCK manually' --How do you run FSCK manually? Now Ubuntu prompts --Unknown System Error, and my installation of Synaptic Package Manager Will Not Start either in Ubuntu Normal Nor Recovery mode.
(As you might guess, I am posting this while in 'Recovery Mode')

Please repeat running the command

sudo dpkg --audit

in a terminal window and tell us exactly what there is happening.
Does the command just produce no output and show the command prompt in the next line, or does the command hang without returning to the command prompt?

What exactly happens if you try booting in normal mode (not recovery mode)?

Are there error messages in the system logs?
What is the output of the command
dmesg | tail
?

Hi Manfred. I believe this is all related to Question 640429.

sudo dpkg --audit
blinking cursor.

dmesg | tail
[ 168.928076] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 168.928084] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:00:16:3b/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 168.928084] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 168.928088] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 168.928120] ata1: soft resetting link
[ 169.100369] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[ 169.100377] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0
[ 169.100390] ata1: EH complete
[ 512.827009] type=1400 audit(1499413912.381:33): apparmor="STATUS" operation="profile_replace" profile="unconfined" name="/usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf" pid=2460 comm="apparmor_parser"
[ 512.827027] type=1400 audit(1499413912.381:34): apparmor="STATUS" operation="profile_replace" profile="unconfined" name="/usr/sbin/cupsd" pid=2460 comm="apparmor_parser"

"sudo dpkg --audit
 blinking cursor."
does not sufficiently answer my question.
In a terminal window the cursor usually is blinking.
The question is: Does it return to the command prompt or not?

Please also provide the output of

dmesg | grep ata1.00

Yes Manfred, it blinks after the command prompt.

I am sorry, but I do not know how I have to formulate my question that you understand what I am asking for.

Can you please open a terminal window and issue the command

sudo dpkg --audit

provide your password when asked, wait half a minute, use the terminal window's menu entries "edit - select all" and "edit - copy" and then paste everything into a new comment of this question document.

AND

please provide the output that you receive for the command

dmesg | grep ata1.00

So here it is again:

dmesg | grep ata1.00
[ 1.424522] ata1.00: ATA-6: WDC WD400JB-00JJC0, 05.01C05, max UDMA/100
[ 1.424529] ata1.00: 78165360 sectors, multi 16: LBA
[ 1.432373] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[ 85.824083] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 85.824090] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 85.824098] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:f0:3a:45/00:00:00:00:00/e1 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 85.824103] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 85.996373] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[ 85.996384] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0
[ 116.832079] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 116.832089] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 116.832102] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:58:a5:0a/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 116.832109] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 117.004430] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[ 117.004442] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0
[ 148.816073] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 148.816080] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 148.816088] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:70:7c:16/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 148.816093] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 148.988355] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[ 148.988366] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0
[ 316.016062] ata1.00: limiting speed to UDMA/66:PIO4
[ 316.016068] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 316.016075] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 316.016083] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:20:08:2c/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 316.016087] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 316.188363] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/66
[ 316.188373] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0
[ 347.988063] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 347.988070] ata1.00: failed command: READ DMA
[ 347.988078] ata1.00: cmd c8/00:00:00:c3:2b/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
[ 347.988083] ata1.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 348.160362] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/66
[ 348.160371] ata1.00: device reported invalid CHS sector 0

Please reference this back to the original question #64029. As this is all the dame issue.

This Issue IS something Ubuntu/Canonical is doing: After you start up ANY browser, then once about Every Hour, Without ANY warning to the user., They are running some Sort of Operating System Check, WHICH SINCE THE MAY 2017 UPDATE, IS NEITHER BEING DONE SILENTLY NOR IN THE BACKGROUND!! INSTEAD IT CAUSES THE BROWSER TO GREY-OUT AND FREEZE UP. AND CRASH!! IF THE USER UNFORTUNATELY HAPPENS TO BE WATCHING SOME YOUTUBE VIDEO AT THE TIME, IT NOT ONLY GREYS-OUT THE BROWSER, AND CAUSES ALL USER FUNCTIONS AND APPLICATIONS TO BECOME INACCESSIBLE, iT LOCKES THE AUDIO PLAYBACK IN A CONTINUAL 1/2 SECOND LOOP- IN EVERY CASE FORCING THE USER TO HAVE TO DO AN EMERGENCY RESTART AND TO NEED TO RUN FSCK IN RECOVERY MODE IN ORDER TO RECOVER THE OPERATING SYSTEM!!

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! I WANT IT FIXED!! NOW!!

Your log file indicates problems with the hard disk.

I assume that all those application crashes and hangs are related to a hard disk problem and has nothing to do with software.

Sunday July 09, 2017. 05:45PM PDT. --Manfred., This is the third brand new, (albeit antiquated) Hard Drive that I have done a Fresh and Clean Ubuntu Install on in the last three Months!! I believe it is something as yet Unresolved with the Recent Ubuntu Kernals in regards to addressing OLDER HARDWARE that is causing this issue rather than the hard drives themselves. --That said., I am back to square one after yet Another Failure of the Firefox Browser in its FAILING to implement its 'multitasking' correctly.. Yet again causing a complete Freeze up of Both the Firefox Browser and The Ubuntu Operating System. Forcing once again an emergency restatrt, and having to run FSCK Four Times Over to correct the Corruption of the ./tmp directory YET AGAIN!! And once more, all Ununtu Basic Applications Failing to be able to start Because of it!!

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.