Rainbow colors cover Launcher and top panel

[VMC]

Yes, thanks for reporting this. I will need to file a bug report. Installing nvidia-173 solved my issue regarding the "rainbow" effect, but now I have a severe lag issue. I'm sure its all tied to nouveau.
ubuntu12.04 had no problem. saucy's nouveau Version: 2.4.46-1. I'll have to check Precise version.

[corradoventu]

same problem w nvidia 7600 Gt nouveau saucy installed (no live) amd64 intel

[eco2geek2]

Installing nvidia-173 solved my issue

If you've got a 6150 chipset, try using the 304.108 driver (package name: nvidia-304-updates). 304.xx is the last one that supports series 6 and 7 GeForce GPUs. It's probably faster than the 173.xx driver.

(Note: when you use the Nvidia driver, nouveau is totally disabled, so your lag doesn't have to do with nouveau. You could probably experiment with Nvidia's command-line tool, nvidia-xconfig, to create a customized /etc/X11/xorg.conf with settings that would help speed things up.)

Having experience with both GPUs, I can tell you that both the 6- and 7-series have problems with GLX compositing using the nouveau driver on other Linux distros, as well. It's not just Unity on Ubuntu.

[VMC]

Thanks for the info. One reason I choose '173' is that its small (20mb), and also I wasn't sure where the development ended for the '6150' chip. So as you suggested, I'll try '304'.

Also, what I do is after I get the deb files, I then compress "/var/cache/apt/archives", and save it. I can just uncompress and just "sudo dpkg -i *deb" that file location on next install.

Having experience with both GPUs, I can tell you that both the 6- and 7-series have problems with GLX compositing using the nouveau driver on other Linux distros, as well. It's not just Unity on Ubuntu.

Kubuntu doesn't have this issue at all, and runs very fast. But it will freeze until I install my modified config files(.kde/share/config), then it never fails, lags or freeze.

[cecilpierce]

Just reinstalled daily, still a mess, no cure yet ?

[eco2geek2]

The best solution is to install the proprietary nvidia driver, from Ubuntu's repository.

However, this reminds me of an old openSUSE bug involving the nouveau driver and GeForce 6- and 7-series cards (including the 6150, which I had at the time). Try this from the Live CD (OK, it no longer fits on a CD, but you know what I mean):

Create a file named "50-device.conf" (without the quotes) in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d with the following lines:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Card0"
    Option "NoAccel" "1"
    Option "ShadowFB" "1"
EndSection

and then go to a VT (virtual terminal) and stop and then start lightdm. Unity comes up without the launcher and global menu bar covered with the rainbow coloration shown in the first post, on my box. But compositing is pretty slow. YMMV.

[VMC]

The best solution is to install the proprietary nvidia driver, from Ubuntu's repository.

However, this reminds me of an old openSUSE bug involving the nouveau driver and GeForce 6- and 7-series cards (including the 6150, which I had at the time). Try this from the Live CD (OK, it no longer fits on a CD, but you know what I mean):

Create a file named "50-device.conf" (without the quotes) in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d with the following lines:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Card0"
    Option "NoAccel" "1"
    Option "ShadowFB" "1"
EndSection

and then go to a VT (virtual terminal) and stop and then start lightdm. Unity comes up without the launcher and global menu bar covered with the rainbow coloration shown in the first post, on my box. But compositing is pretty slow. YMMV.

Thanks! That worked. BTW, reading the man on xorg.conf, you don't need to add the "1". It defaults to true, so:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Card0"
    Option "NoAccel"
    Option "ShadowFB"
EndSection

Works the same. Just a FYI.

I'm actually using the livecd right now. I was thinking it would freeze at some point, and in fact it did, but not as I thought.
I kept pumping programs into the system to see when it would crash, freeze. It frooze when I was playing a song from Rhythmbox.
So using a VT and top, I was looking for anyoffending program. The mouse would work but no response.
Replacing compiz didn't work, but killing Rhythmbox did.

I will read that link you posted. Thanks again for this "fix".

I played games, used Libreoffice, etc, etc. It still works.

[VMC]

Interestingly that Suse bug report is almost 2 years old. I just now experienced the problems. The screen shots with the grabled display is exactly what I got using Fedora and Mint. Maybe this "fix" what work with them as well. The bug report poster also said using a previous xorg-x11-driver-video-nouveau worked. That was going to be my next step, since Precise works great, and Saucy worked up until several weeks ago.

[eco2geek2]

BTW, reading the man on xorg.conf, you don't need to add the "1". It defaults to true

Thanks, didn't know that.

The bug report poster also said using a previous xorg-x11-driver-video-nouveau worked. That was going to be my next step, since Precise works great, and Saucy worked up until several weeks ago.

How do you revert to prior packages using *buntu, anyway? Where do you get the old packages from, and how do you keep dist-upgrades from replacing them? I've been using Ubuntu-based distros (and betas) for years now and have never done this. (I'm familiar with the concept of apt-pinning.)

I mainly use KDE-based distros (like Kubuntu and openSUSE) due to personal preference. With the newer versions of KDE, you can switch between the XRender and GLX backends, so if you've got screen glitches with the nouveau driver (which I do, with what seems like the entire crop of new distros coming out - F20, openSUSE 13.1, and Kubuntu 13.10), you can usually resolve the problem and have your compositing effects if you can see the screen well enough to bring up System Settings and switch from GLX to XRender. AFAIK, Unity only works with GLX.

(openSUSE 11.4, the version that bug report refers to, displayed too garbled of a screen to even see anything clearly, which is why you had to create an xorg.conf prior to starting the display manager, kdm.)

[VMC]

I also have Kubuntu 1310 installed and it is almost perfect. The trick is to boot first time using 'nomodeset', then afterwards I can boot normally. Don't need any gimmick to use nouveau. Also UbuntuGNOME is almost the same. Only Ubuntu(Unity) do I have issues.

After trying that
"fix" for a while and also using it on UbuntuGNOME, it is not usable. The color is now OK, but the experience is sluggish.

Regarding downgrading my xorg*nouveau. I found it may be more work than worth. There's a topic a couple of years ago, on , I think Natty, that described the scenario.