Ubuntu
xserver-xorg-video-intel package

[i945] X flickers wildly whenever anything on-screen updates

Bug #412492 reported by Ronald McCollam on 2009-08-12

This bug report is a duplicate of: Bug #415023: brightness is broken on MSI WIND U100. Edit Remove

This bug affects 5 people

	Status	Importance	Assigned to
xf86-video-intel	Fix Released	Unknown	freedesktop-bugs #23368
linux (Ubuntu)	Fix Released	Medium	Leann Ogasawara
xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu)	Fix Released	Medium	Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: xorg

After dist-upgrading today on , X flickers and is unusable any time any object on the screen is painted. Opening the main menu from the panel causes the entire screen to flicker for around a second. Switching desktops or opening/closing/moving a window causes similar behavior.

The flickering appears to be parts of the screen being briefly updated in the wrong place; it's much like a jerky shift of halves or quarters of the screen to the wrong position very briefly.

Deactivating compiz does not seem to change this behavior.

The graphics controller is:
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

I've attached a video of an example of the effect captured from my phone. (I apologize for the poor quality of the video, but it gives a sample of the effect.) In the video I have opened the main menu and then switched to another virtual desktop. However the same effect happens during nearly any screen update -- every character I type right now in this bug report is causing a brief nauseating flash.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Aug 12 08:30:34 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
MachineType: Dell Inc. MXC061
Package: xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
ProcCmdLine: root=UUID=4e88e4b9-d7a1-4e91-8105-ecfbf01429a9 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
PATH=(custom, user)
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-5.24-generic
RelatedPackageVersions:
xserver-xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu5
libgl1-mesa-glx 7.5-1ubuntu1
libdrm2 2.4.12-1ubuntu1
xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.8.0-0ubuntu2
xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.12.99+git20090629.f39cafc5-0ubuntu5
SourcePackage: xorg
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-5-generic x86_64
dmi.bios.date: 04/02/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A10
dmi.board.name: 0MG532
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA10:bd04/02/2007:svnDellInc.:pnMXC061:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0MG532:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: MXC061
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
fglrx: Not loaded
system:
distro: Ubuntu
architecture: x86_64kernel: 2.6.31-5-generic

Tags:

Related branches

lp:ubuntu/karmic/linux-fsl-imx51

Revision history for this message

Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote on 2009-08-12:

Video of the effect Edit (492.4 KiB, video/3gpp)
BootDmesg.txt Edit (44.3 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
CurrentDmesg.txt Edit (2.4 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
Dependencies.txt Edit (5.1 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
Lspci.txt Edit (12.3 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
Lsusb.txt Edit (614 bytes, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
PciDisplay.txt Edit (1.2 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
ProcCpuinfo.txt Edit (1.4 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
ProcInterrupts.txt Edit (1.4 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
ProcModules.txt Edit (3.9 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
UdevDb.txt Edit (101.9 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
UdevLog.txt Edit (215.3 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
XorgConf.txt Edit (1.5 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
XorgLog.gz Edit (6.5 KiB, application/x-gzip)
XorgLogOld.gz Edit (6.5 KiB, application/x-gzip)
Xrandr.txt Edit (7.1 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
glxinfo.txt Edit (15.8 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
setxkbmap.txt Edit (291 bytes, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
xdpyinfo.txt Edit (19.2 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
xkbcomp.txt Edit (54.2 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")

Revision history for this message

Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote on 2009-08-12:

Further testing reveals that this appears to affect my display only when set to its native resolution (1440x900). Changing to another resolution, e.g. 1024x768, makes this problem go away.

Daniel K (sinani201) on 2009-08-12

Changed in xorg (Ubuntu):
status:	New → Confirmed

Bryce Harrington (bryce) on 2009-08-18

summary:	- X flickers wildly whenever anything on-screen updates + [i945] X flickers wildly whenever anything on-screen updates
affects:	xorg (Ubuntu) → xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu)
Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu):
importance:	Undecided → Medium

Revision history for this message

Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote on 2009-08-19:

Ronald - I've forwarded this bug upstream to https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=23398 - please subscribe yourself to this bug, in case they need further information or wish you to test something. Thanks ahead of time!

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu):
status:	Confirmed → Triaged

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater) on 2009-08-19

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel:
status:	Unknown → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote on 2009-08-19:

Leann, looking like this may be another one needing a kernel fix... would you mind getting Ronald a kernel built with this patch rolled in for him to test to verify this?

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment.cgi?id=28751

Revision history for this message

Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara) wrote on 2009-08-19:

Hey Bryce and Ronald,

Sorry for the delay. Ronald, I'll queue up a build and post a link to the test package when it's ready. Thanks!

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
assignee:	nobody → Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)
importance:	Undecided → Medium
status:	New → In Progress

Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr) on 2009-08-20

tags:

added: 945gm flicker karmic

Revision history for this message

Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara) wrote on 2009-08-21:

Hi Ronald,

I've posted a test kernel at the following. Please test and let us know your results. Thanks.

http://people.canonical.com/~ogasawara/lp412492/

Revision history for this message

Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote on 2009-08-22:

Leann,

This kernel seems to have fixed the issue! I will report back if the behavior reoccurs.

Thank you -- my laptop is usable again :)

Revision history for this message

Omer Mano (mermerico-gmail) wrote on 2009-08-24:

Hey, I'm having what looks to be the same problem, but with a 32 bit machine. The bug report is here https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/417744

Is this a duplicate of this bug, or is it an unrelated issue?

Revision history for this message

Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara) wrote on 2009-08-25:

Hi Ronald,

Just fyi, I've submitted this patch to the kernel team to consider carrying temporarily until it's merged upstream and subsequently automatically rebased into the Ubuntu kernel.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2009-August/006966.html

Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) on 2009-08-25

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status:	In Progress → Fix Committed

Revision history for this message

Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara) wrote on 2009-08-25:

#10

Marking this Fix Commited as it looks like this has just been applied.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2009-August/006967.html

The launchpad janitor should automatically post a comment here when this fix has been officially released. Thanks!

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater) on 2009-08-25

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel:
status:	Confirmed → Invalid

Revision history for this message

Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr) wrote on 2009-08-25:

#11

Updated the bug watch.

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel:
status:	Invalid → Unknown

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater) on 2009-08-26

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel:
status:	Unknown → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote on 2009-08-27:

#12

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 2.6.31-8.28

---------------
linux (2.6.31-8.28) karmic; urgency=low

[ Ike Panhc ]

* [Config] Let nic-shared-modules depends on crypto-modules
- LP: #360966

[ Leann Ogasawara ]

  * [Upstream] (drop after 2.6.31) drm/i915: increase default latency
    constant
    - LP: #412492

[ Mario Limonciello ]

  * [Upstream]: (drop after 2.6.31) dell-laptop: don't change softblock
    status if HW switch is disabled
    - LP: #418721
  * [Upstream]: (drop after 2.6.31) compal-laptop: Add support for known
    Compal made Dell laptops
  * [Upstream]: (drop after 2.6.31) compal-laptop: Replace sysfs support
    with rfkill support

[ Tim Gardner ]

  * [Config] Add acpiphp to virtual sub-flavour
    - LP: #364916
  * Drop KSM patch set for now because of instabilities with encrypted swap.
    - LP: #418781

-- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:14:26 -0600

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status:	Fix Committed → Fix Released

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater) on 2009-09-14

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel:
status:	Confirmed → Fix Released

Bryce Harrington (bryce) on 2009-10-08

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu):
status:	Triaged → Fix Released

István Miklós Antal (djdarkmanx) on 2009-10-21

Changed in xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu):
status:	Fix Released → Confirmed
Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status:	Fix Released → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

István Miklós Antal (djdarkmanx) wrote on 2009-10-21:

#13

I am still affected by this bug, with all the latest updates applied.

Revision history for this message

Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr) wrote on 2009-10-21:

#14

István, please don't reopen closed bug reports unless you are the original reporter. Rather, file a new bug with the `ubuntu-bug -p xserver-xorg-video-intel`. You can mention this bug report in the description if you'd like. That way we can focus on the details of _your_ system rather than on Ronald's (original reporter of this bug) whose issue has now been fixed.