Display Module Fails to Load

Bug #35833 reported by TrinitronX
20
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
kde-guidance (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Medium
Kubuntu Bugs

Bug Description

Something got totally messed up in my install of kubuntu-desktop, specifically under the kde system settings.

On my fresh install of Dapper Flight 5, clicking on Display under the system settings gives an error message saying that the module failed to load on some occasions, especially when trying to use 'administrator mode'.
However, on one occasion, after multiple reboots, I was able to get the dialog running. I used it to change my display options so that I could run 2 displays as an extended desktop configuration. After applying the changes, I exited the dialog and rebooted.

However, something was totally messed up with the settings, and my display is now defaulting to a very large one, however it is not stretching to fit both displays, I believe this is a problem with my video card (ATI 9800pro) not being configured for Xinerama at the moment. However, I only wish to be able to open the display dialog again to reset the settings back to normal.

After multiple reboots again, I still am unable to get the Display dialog working, it always gives me this error:

"The module Display could not be loaded
The diagnostics is:
Possible reasons:
*An error occurred during your last KDE upgrade leaving an orphaned control module
*You have old third party modules lying around.
Check these points carefully and try to remove the module mentioned in the error message. If this fails, consider contacting your distributor or packager."

My install of kubuntu-desktop went fine before, and no errors were reported during it... so I believe the Display module is broken somehow.

I also ran kcontrol from the command line, and tried opening the display dialog under "Peripherals>Display", and got this debug info from the command line:

-----BEGIN DEBUG INFO-----
trinitronx@Arcturus:~$ kcontrol

Pythonize constructor -- pid = 5719
Python interpreter initialized!

Pythonize constructor -- pid = 5719
Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":0.0".
Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":0.0".
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 8, in kcontrol_bridge_create_displayconfig
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfig.py", line 1651, in create_displayconfig
    return DisplayApp(parent, name)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfig.py", line 425, in __init__
    self.xsetup = XSetup(self.xconfigpath)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfigabstraction.py", line 354, in __init__
    self._finalizeInit()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfigabstraction.py", line 359, in _finalizeInit
    gfxcard._finalizeInit()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfigabstraction.py", line 965, in _finalizeInit
    screen._finalizeInit()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/displayconfigabstraction.py", line 1355, in _finalizeInit
    for size in self.x_live_screen.getAvailableSizes():
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/xf86misc.py", line 68, in getAvailableSizes
    return self.sizes[:]
AttributeError: 'XF86Screen' object has no attribute 'sizes'
error: *** runFunction failure
;
------END DEBUG INFO------

This is all the info I can provide at the moment, hopefully this helps.

description: updated
Kenny Duffus (kduffus)
Changed in kde-systemsettings:
assignee: nobody → kubuntu-team
Revision history for this message
Nick Davies (nick-lasventajas) wrote :

Several kcontrol modules failed to load for me. They are:

Display
Disk & filesystems
File Sharing
Local network browsing

Toshiba Portege 4000 laptop
PIII 750Mhz
256 MB
release 2.6.15-19-386 (updated 22 Mar 06)
Clean install

Revision history for this message
Kenny Duffus (kduffus) wrote :

@Nick

The only one of those I get (3.5.2) is the Local network browsing where I get the following error dialog twice:

http://www2.duffus.org/tmp/35833.png

The problem with that seems to be the LISa daemon and lan:/ modules. Where the above error is repeated in their tabs.

Revision history for this message
TrinitronX (trinitronx-comcast) wrote :

I can confirm the "Local network browsing" returning the same error twice on my Dapper install as well Kenny.

Oh yes... I forgot to mention I am running Dapper installed fresh from the Flight 5 install CD, with recent updates (Last update at time of post: 03-24-2006).

Also, I have realized that the display module under the kde system settings actually edits the xorg.conf file! I managed to fix my display problems by launching a command terminal and restoring my old xorg.conf from the auto-backup the display module made (called xorg.conf.<n> where <n> is an integer increment).

The old xorg.conf restored my ability to load the Display module, I realized that to recreate this bug, all I needed to do was edit my xorg.conf. I believe this bug is related to possible parsing errors in the xorg.conf file. If the program can't gather the information it needs, it may fail to load. It seems this module needs a bit of work, whenever I try to use it to configure dual displays, it ends up creating an xorg.conf that doesn't realize that my Radeon 9800pro can be treated as 2 display adapters in one. This results in a faulty monitor configuration, and after this edit has been done to my xorg.conf by the program, it may be having troubles parsing it and fails to load. Even after correctly editing the file by hand, and getting a working dual monitor setup running with my video card being treated as two display adapters linked to separate monitors, the display module won't load yet again.
If kubuntu is going to be used by normal users who have no idea how to edit the xorg.conf file, then fixing the Display module is a must. Hope my logic is right here, I don't know what exactly is going on inside the internals of the program... I'm just going by instinct, observation, and an educated guess :D.

Revision history for this message
Andre LeBlanc (andrepleblanc) wrote :

Same problem with the display module. I'm using an nvidia card, my initial install of dapper failed to start the GUI, I had to manually edit my xorg.conf to make it use the nvidia card instead of my onboard video. perhaps this caused the problem? I have never been able to get the display module to load at all. no problems with any other modules though

Revision history for this message
Kenny Duffus (kduffus) wrote :

TrinitronX do you still have this problem with latest updates?

Changed in kde-systemsettings:
status: Unconfirmed → Needs Info
Revision history for this message
TrinitronX (trinitronx-comcast) wrote : Update

Ok... sorry about the time it took me to reply, I just finished re-installing fresh from the new Flight 6 CD, and getting the updates as well as installing the kubuntu-desktop package again. (Last updated packages today: 4/05/2006). I also have been struggling to get a stable wifi connection, since I'm getting the bug with networkmanager concerning the madwifi driver causing uncontrollable disconnects from background scanning. But that's a separate bug... onto this one:

After testing the updated version of the systemsettings display module, I've found it to be much more stable than it was before.
However, while messing around with it, I managed to get it to crash again (lucky me :P). However, luckily, 'administrator mode' still is able to load; it seems to crash only in normal mode, not running as root. I've attached the error output from running kcontrol in a terminal and selecting the display module, as well as the modified version of xorg.conf that playing around in the settings module created.

At first, I tried setting up the two displays under 1 video card 'device', which resulted in the very large desktop, too large to fit on screen, moving the mouse to the edge for scrolling.
After this setup, I was still able to load the module without it crashing!
So, I modified it again and set it up to use 2 'devices' each with a separate display under them. With this setup, I actually was able to configure my widescreen LCD to be the right resolution! No more huge desktop though, but my other secondary screen isn't getting a signal.
I looked into the xorg.conf and found that even though I selected "ATI Radeon (fglrx)" as both video card devices, it didn't change the "driver" line in xorg.conf to read:
driver "fglrx"
It still is using the "ati" mesa driver, running fglrxinfo gives:
display: :0.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect
OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.4.1)

After this configuration, using the xorg.conf attached in the tar.gz file, the display module doesn't load in non-administrator mode. I am still able to click the administrator mode button and it runs it again successfully.

Revision history for this message
chatmoa (jpherbien) wrote :

I've got the same error. Display module fails to load.
My xorg.conf was hand-made.
To correct this problem, I've deleted the "BoardName" line in any "device section" and now the module loads correctly.

Revision history for this message
Simon Edwards (simon-simonzone) wrote :

chatmoa, can you post your old non-working xorg.conf here. (or at least say what that BoardName line was exactly).

Revision history for this message
Rocco Stanzione (trappist) wrote :

Been at "Needs Info" for over four months without reply. Original error is impossible in the current package after a brief glance at the source. If this is still a problem, please file a new bug report with the python backtrace if possible, or your customized xorg.conf otherwise.

Changed in kde-guidance:
status: Needs Info → Fix Released
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