[SOLVED] X blacks out my external after y minutes

[quanumphaze]

Hardy finaly makes use of the Fn+F5 display button for my Intel 945GM/GMS and then this happens:

Everything works as it did in Gutsy, I have my 19' external LCD @ 1280x1024 and my laptop screen off (xrandr --output LVDS --off)
All works fine but occasionally the display will jump left by about 10-15 pixels for one frame and return to normal.
Then later out of nowhere the screen will go black. The LCD is still getting a signal since the backlight is still on.
Lucky Fn+F5 is here to the rescue as my laptop screen still works.

No amount on playing with xrandr or disabling compiz or even crtl+alt+bksp will fix it. I even used my old xorg.conf from Gutsy without success. Seems like a driver problem as a reboot does fix it.

Does anyone else have this problem or have a fix?

(I may not get back to this thread for a while, it's late)

Edit: just found a launchpad bug for it: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...el/+bug/193419

[tekkenlord]

Hello quanumphaze. Apparently we are experiencing similar problems. I do not know if someone is working on a solution in Launchpad, its been a month with no answer.

Anyway, there are two drivers for the intel graphics card, namely the i810 and intel. In Gutsy I was using the intel by default. I found in the system-settings (I have Kubuntu Hardy) that the default is i810, which may be the cause of our troubles. I manually edited the xorg.conf and added under the "Device" section the following:

Driver "intel"

Now, in the system-settings it still shows the i810 driver but so far I have not experienced any flickering or external monitor loss. Perhaps, it's to early to draw any conclusions but you can try it and post your results.

If it also works for you then perhaps we can post the solution to the Launchpad site as well. Good luck!

[quanumphaze]

My xorg.conf already uses "intel" by default.

I also will try my old Gutsy xorg.conf for a longer time to see if the problem is there.
Last time it was already blacked out and I was trying to fix it with the other xorg.conf

Some more details on the symptoms:
Yesterday it didn't black out but it was very shaky. It often jumped left by anywhere between 10 to 200 pixels for one frame or flickered black or white for one frame.

IMO this is worse than the old xorg/intel bug

[tekkenlord]

My xorg.conf already uses "intel" by default.

Thats very strange. My xorg.conf by default did not list any driver under the Device section. If you are sure that your xorg.conf uses the "intel" driver then this means that I should expect my method to fail soon on me...

[quanumphaze]

Sorry about that, I just realised that I was using my old Gutsy xorg,conf at the time of posting which used the intel driver and I thought that was Hardy's xorg.conf

I'll give you my xorg.conf files if they help

Gutsy's xorg.conf:

# xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"CoreKeyboard"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
	Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
	Option		"ZAxisMapping"		"4 5"
	Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Synaptics Touchpad"
	Driver		"synaptics"
	Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/psaux"
	Option		"Protocol"		"auto-dev"
	Option		"HorizEdgeScroll"	"0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"stylus"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"stylus"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"eraser"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"eraser"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"cursor"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"cursor"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Intel 945"
	Driver		"intel"
	Option		"monitor-LVDS" "laptop"
	BusID		"PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Intel 945 extern"
	Driver		"intel"
	Option		"monitor-VGA" "extern"
	BusID		"PCI:0:2:1"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"laptop"
	Option		"DPMS"
	Option		"LeftOf" "extern"
	Option		"Enable" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"extern"
	Option		"DPMS"
	Option		"PreferredMode" "1280x800"
	Option		"Ignore" "true"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Device		"Intel 945"
	Monitor		"laptop"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Modes		"1280x800" "1280x1024" "1024x768"
		Virtual		2048 2048
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
	InputDevice	"Generic Keyboard"
	InputDevice	"Configured Mouse"

# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
#	InputDevice     "stylus"	"SendCoreEvents"
#	InputDevice     "cursor"	"SendCoreEvents"
#	InputDevice     "eraser"	"SendCoreEvents"
	InputDevice	"Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Hardy's xorg.conf:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
	Option		"XkbVariant"	"euro"
	Option		"XkbOptions"	"lv3:ralt_switch"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Synaptics Touchpad"
	Driver		"synaptics"
	Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/psaux"
	Option		"Protocol"		"auto-dev"
	Option		"HorizEdgeScroll"	"0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
	InputDevice	"Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

The old one from Gutsy is not the stock one, it has some lines that seemed to make it work well with the external screen.

Hardy's xorg.conf looks really weird and seems to rely on some sort of automation since there is nothing in the device, monitor and screen sections.

It hasn't blacked out with the old Gutsy xorg.conf yet but it still flickers and jumps. I'm currently using the Hardy one and it seems to be jumping and flickering more than the Gutsy one.

[tekkenlord]

I have been using extensively my external monitor and haven't experienced and flickering or loss yet. I am pretty confident that the problem is gone, at least in my case.

Anyway, as you noticed in the Hardy xorg.conf there is no reference to the Driver, so add it yourself and see what happens. I know that things have become a bit automated with the new Xorg and the xorg.conf has less importance than before, so I do not know if the extra commands you have for your monitor are applicable here.

Have you already tried adding only the Driver "intel" to your Hardy xorg.conf?

[quanumphaze]

I have just added the line Driver_______"intel" under Device in the Hardy xorg.conf
I'll let you know if it (doesn't) gets better.

[quanumphaze]

Adding Driver "intel" does nothing.

But the link tekkenlord posted on launchpad gives the xorg.conf line that fixes this completely.

http://kb.huptas.net/2008/02/21/ubun...latitude-d620/

Edit your xorg.conf to include the following Option in the Device Section of “Configured Video Device”:

Section "Device"
    Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
    Option          “FramebufferCompression” “off”
EndSection