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flanque
May 4th, 2010, 01:01 PM
Hi all,

Just wondering how do I get the 10.04 final release working with an 855GM chipset? I get the dreaded black screen after upgrading via Update Manager. I managed to figure out that it didn't create an xorg.conf file so I can get something up with the xorg.conf.minimum or whatever it is. In the end I went back to 9.10 and it installed flawlessly.

I understand that the 855 driver had some critical memory leak and that 10.04 is generally foo for intel 855 users, so how do I keep up to date with:

1. When the driver is fixed of the memory leak?
2. When the general compatibility issues with 855 chips and 10.04 are fixed?

I'd love to hear that this is all fixed.

Thanks in advance.

frantid
May 4th, 2010, 01:19 PM
you can search launchpad for the bug and subscribe to it.

via release notes some things to try:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes

flanque
May 8th, 2010, 12:50 PM
OK. I'm new to this so what's launchpad, do you have a bug ID?

frantid
May 8th, 2010, 01:49 PM
Here's an example, but I don't think it is the one you need. Just use the search, it might take some digging.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/linux/+bug/563277

otchie1
May 8th, 2010, 09:45 PM
Here's an example, but I don't think it is the one you need. Just use the search, it might take some digging.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/linux/+bug/563277

Not that anything written in a bug report will make a blind bit of sense to a new user.

Ubuntu has decided to blacklist your Keybooard, Mouse and Screen FFS

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes

Great, real user friendly. Couldn't flash up a warning during the upgrade process then?

Best bet is to either stick with 9.10 or jump ship to (insert distro here).

Catharsis
May 9th, 2010, 01:16 AM
Hmm? I have an i855 and used Workaround A from the link, and my Lucid is great now. Certainly no reason to forsake it.

otchie1
May 12th, 2010, 02:45 PM
Hmm? I have an i855 and used Workaround A from the link, and my Lucid is great now. Certainly no reason to forsake it.

Fine, so long as you are happy to upgrade and be confronted with a black screen, disabled mouse & keyboard with no explanation and no warning.

Sure you can fix it so long as you can boot to another kernel/OS, wade through forums to find a possible solution and spend some time at the CLI but this is 2010 Ubuntu not 1995 Slackware.

This isn't like a sound card falling over or certain brand of digital camera failing, this is complete user interface lock out.

Catharsis
May 12th, 2010, 03:11 PM
It's explained very clearly in the Release Notes. You *do* read the Release Notes before you upgrade, right?

Unicast
May 16th, 2010, 08:53 AM
I have to agree that 855GM support sucks the big one on Lucid.

I tried a few of the workarounds, but nothing worked 100% for me. I even tried updating to a mainstream kernel, but that just kept messing up gnome panels.

Have now reverted to Karmic - everything just "works".

Lucid looks nice, but I'll wait until they've ironed out some of the bugs - which may not be until 10.10 at this rate.

James Keating
May 19th, 2010, 11:30 AM
Though I read the release notes, I failed to note the warning, which was at the end of the notes, spoke of 8xx chips I didn't realize I had, and failed to have big blinking letters telling me that a machine that has been working fine for years was suddenly going to be rendered completely incapable of booting in any mode whatsoever.

I couldn't even boot off the CD. I had to boot from a 9.10 CD in order to make the changes.

I have tried, I believe, all the workarounds mentioned in various posts. None worked for me. Some spoke of getting a newer kernel, which I had tried but decided to try again.

Success!

This worked for me:

1) edit /etc/defaults/grub (as root, on the hard drive)
2) add i915.modeset=1 to the default line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"
(Mine previously had i915.modeset=0 nomodeset, otherwise the machine froze on resuming)
3) save and run the command update-grub (as root)

That let me boot. But my system still crashed if I attempted to run any kind of video with any program. Firefox and some other programs would get stuck as soon as they opened and leave trails all over the screen if I grabbed and moved them.

The new kernel fixed that:

4) go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
5) download the image and header files, and install them with dpkg -i or gdebi-gtk
6) reboot and choose that kernel.

I've changed a post of mine below to expand the details of this.

Themotorman
May 23rd, 2010, 10:06 PM
Though I read the release notes, I failed to note the warning, which was at the end of the notes, spoke of 8xx chips I didn't realize I had, and failed to have big blinking letters telling me that a machine that has been working fine for years was suddenly going to be rendered completely incapable of booting in any mode whatsoever.

I couldn't even boot off the CD. I had to boot from a 9.10 CD in order to make the changes.

I have tried, I believe, all the workarounds mentioned in various posts. None worked for me. Some spoke of getting a newer kernel, which I had tried but decided to try again.

Success!


This worked for me:

1) edit /etc/defaults/grub (as root)
2) add i915.modeset=1 to the default line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"
(Mine previously had i915.modeset=0 nomodeset, otherwise the machine froze on resuming)
3) save and run the command update-grub (as root)

That let me boot. But my system still crashed if I attempted to run any kind of video with any program. Firefox and some other programs would get stuck as soon as they opened and leave trails all over the screen if I grabbed and moved them.

The new kernel fixed that:

4) go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
5) download the image and header files, and install them with dpkg -i or gdebi-gtk
6) reboot and choose that kernel.

I missed the notice about the 855 too...I am glad that this worked: Can someone put these steps into something that a newbee can do? PLEASE!! I have win machine that i can access. I can use a Mem stick or burn a CD OK, not sure how I would use a cd with my blank screen 10.04 laptop!! Alternatively can I just go back to 9.10 Ubuntu how do I do that please ?
Thanks for any detailed help..

James Keating
May 24th, 2010, 04:29 PM
If, like me, you can't boot after upgrading to Lucid, and can't boot off a Lucid CD, you need to

A) get a CD for a Ubuntu version before Lucid 10.04
B) change your boot parameters
C) optionally, install a newer kernel that fixes the Intel 8xx graphics problem

I have tried everything in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes and a number of other suggestions. I have only had success with this method.

A)
1. Go to the Ubuntu Releases site, http://releases.ubuntu.com/
2. Choose Karmic or 9.10 and download one of the desktop CD .iso files.
3. Burn its contents to a 700 Mb CD.

B)
Boot from that CD.

You must edit a boot file as root. Nautilus has no options for editing files as root, so you must use commands.

1. Open a terminal.

2. The easiest way to go from here is to start Nautilus as root with "sudo nautilus" and edit files the usual way, without running each editing command below.

You will need to edit the boot file on your hard drive, not on the CD. The CD makes this confusing, since directories will not be in their usual places.
From the command line, your hard drive will be under /media/(long-nonsensical-name)
From Nautilus, it will show under Places as "106 GB Filesystem" or something.
If you have multiple partitions and there is more than one such listing, find the one that contains your home directory.

3. Navigate to /etc/default on your hard drive

4. Edit the file called grub
sudo gedit grub
On the line that begins GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, add i915.modeset=1
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"

If your /etc/default/grub doesn't exist, you are using the old Grub.
In that case, go to /boot/grub/ on your hard drive
and edit the file called menu.lst
There is one line that begins with # defoptions. Add i915.modeset=1"
# defoptions=quiet splash i915.modeset=1

5. Save and run the command
sudo update-grub

If gedit doesn't work, try another text editor. At the very least, nano should be present (control-o saves; control-x exits).

6. Reboot.

C)
1. Go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
2. Download the kernel image and header files
3. Install them from a terminal with the command
sudo dpkg -i (kernelfilename.deb) (headersfilename.deb)
or run sudo gdebi-gtk
3. reboot and choose that kernel.

Catharsis
May 24th, 2010, 04:52 PM
Can someone put these steps into something that a newbee can do?

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes
This is the link that the Release Notes point to.

If anything in there is confusing or poorly explained, please let me know and I'll change it. Alternately, if anyone else feels comfortable enough to update it, all you have to do is click "Edit" at the top.

BXL
May 25th, 2010, 04:52 PM
It's explained very clearly in the Release Notes. You *do* read the Release Notes before you upgrade, right?

Actually I disagree with you. Both alpha and beta worked fine and there was NO problem with the Intel 8xx chip before updating to RC or the final release. Since 10.04 should be a stable version offering LTS I expect that everything works out of the box. This is imo an upgrade disaster, no matter what is written in the Release Notes or not.

Catharsis
May 25th, 2010, 07:24 PM
Actually I disagree with you. Both alpha and beta worked fine and there was NO problem with the Intel 8xx chip before updating to RC or the final release. Since 10.04 should be a stable version offering LTS I expect that everything works out of the box. This is imo an upgrade disaster, no matter what is written in the Release Notes or not.

That's not my point. I totally agree with you that blacklisting KMS for i8xx chips was a terrible decision.

What I'm saying is it isn't the end of the world to workaround it. Like a responsible Ubuntu user, I read the Release Notes before I upgraded. I saw the warning about i8xx cards and then tried the LiveCD to see if I was affected. I was. Then I followed the workaround and everything was fixed. So I installed Lucid and applied the fix permanently. The whole ordeal took maybe five minutes to solve because I followed the correct upgrade procedure.

All I'm asking for is a little responsibility and common sense while upgrading.

cchi
May 25th, 2010, 08:06 PM
All I'm asking for is a little responsibility and common sense while upgrading.

Well, I disagree with this too. Most of us, have the common sense to come here, and find the solution to *our* problem.

But, what about the granny next door, the teenager down the road, the wife that we introduced Ubuntu to, as a "respectable and viable alternative to Windows or Mac, that was at least as easy to use".

How to do we answer them when they phone us, and tell us that they ran the auto update, and they can only boot into a black screen. What do we say when they say, "I would have never deleted my Windows PC and used your Linux thing if I knew this would happen"? What do we say?

"Didn't you read the release notes? Didn't you know that your graphics card is mentioned in there? Oh - you don't know what a graphics card is? Oh..."

I don't appreciate having to do this... I'm sorry, but if we want Linux to have a chance of becoming mainstream, the fundamentals have to be right... That includes, being able to see something on one's screen.

Catharsis
May 25th, 2010, 08:57 PM
Well, I disagree with this too. Most of us, have the common sense to come here, and find the solution to *our* problem.

But, what about the granny next door, the teenager down the road, the wife that we introduced Ubuntu to, as a "respectable and viable alternative to Windows or Mac, that was at least as easy to use".

How to do we answer them when they phone us, and tell us that they ran the auto update, and they can only boot into a black screen. What do we say when they say, "I would have never deleted my Windows PC and used your Linux thing if I knew this would happen"? What do we say?

"Didn't you read the release notes? Didn't you know that your graphics card is mentioned in there? Oh - you don't know what a graphics card is? Oh..."

That's exactly what I'm saying. There's nothing I can do about this now that it's released. But I can point people to the Release Notes and stress its importance so they don't end up like the hypothetical people you mentioned. What else am I supposed to do? It's all damage control at this point.


I'm sorry, but if we want Linux to have a chance of becoming mainstream, the fundamentals have to be right... That includes, being able to see something on one's screen.

So do something about it. Run the development releases and report bugs. Triage X bugs so the devs can actually fix things instead of wasting their time cleaning Launchpad. Attend meetings, follow development, and contribute to decisions you care about. That's the great thing about Ubuntu; everything's completely transparent. If you really want to make Ubuntu better, you have the power to do so.

Themotorman
May 26th, 2010, 02:31 AM
[QUOTE=Catharsis;9264429]Hmm? I have an i855 and used Workaround A from the link, and my Lucid is great now. Certainly no reason to forsake it.[/QUOTE

I tried to do the workaround but cannot edit the grub as i do not have permissions. This is because i am booting from a live CD 9.10 and then trying to edit the boot/menu.lst file.. I can edit but not save due to permission problem. Please anyone tell me how to get around this or how to just revert to 9.10 ( it was fine )
Thank you.
I need very simple instructions, I am not a unix or software guru just an ex win user..

Catharsis
May 26th, 2010, 05:59 AM
Hmm? I have an i855 and used Workaround A from the link, and my Lucid is great now. Certainly no reason to forsake it.

I tried to do the workaround but cannot edit the grub as i do not have permissions. This is because i am booting from a live CD 9.10 and then trying to edit the boot/menu.lst file.. I can edit but not save due to permission problem. Please anyone tell me how to get around this or how to just revert to 9.10 ( it was fine )
Thank you.
I need very simple instructions, I am not a unix or software guru just an ex win user..

You have to open it as root.

gksudo gedit FILEPATH
where FILEPATH is wherever the file manager tells you the file is, i.e. /media/data/boot/grub/menu.lst or whatever it is.

Alternately, I *think* you can edit it through the file manager if you open the file manager as root

gksudo nautilus
Then just find and edit the file as you did before.

jamsh
June 4th, 2010, 05:28 PM
I am now using 9.10 after using 10.04beta successfully for several months, but after pressing the button to install the RC a few weeks ago, disaster.
I haven't been able to boot 10.04 at all on my Dell Latitude x300 and have reinstalled 9.10.
I must agree with a previous writer who said that to release this OS with a major bug was very shortsighted. Really,it's not too much to ask for a LTS to 'just work' without the convoluted workarounds I have seen proposed.
Is there going to be a simple fix for this?

davidmohammed
June 4th, 2010, 06:31 PM
There is some interesting upstream work that claims to fix many if not all of these issues.

For me - I followed the instructions in this bug (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/541511) description to upgrade my intel graphics with a new kernel. It fixed my issues. Worth a try..

Catharsis
June 4th, 2010, 09:35 PM
Is there going to be a simple fix for this?

There's already a simple fix. It should be very well documented at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes

There will not be any sort of updates released though that will "solve" this. The devs blacklisted KMS on i8xx cards to workaround freeze problems in those cards, but never expected that this would cause the breakage that it did for other users who weren't experiencing the freezes (because there's no reason for UMS not to work). So now the only way they could "fix" this is by potentially breaking systems that work with the packages installed in the release ISO, and Ubuntu hates releasing regressions into Ubuntu releases more than anything. So they decided to leave it as is and leave detailed instructions for working around the issue.

trekguy
June 5th, 2010, 12:01 AM
From bug#568779 Here (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/568779)

This worked for my bricked laptop... works great again.

1. After power on your PC, press shift (keep press) until see boot loader menu. Choose a recovery mode option.
2. On next step select start failsafeX session.
3. Choose OK when advert for poor resolution.
4. Login in, your are now on your desktop
5. Open a terminal command line (Application > Accessories -> terminal)
6. Type this command and press enter (without quotes):
"sudo -i" and enter your password.
7. Type this command and press enter (without quotes):
"cd /tmp"
8. Type this command and press enter (without quotes):
"wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v2.6.34-rc5-lucid/linux-image-2.6.34-020634rc5-generic_2.6.34-020634rc5_i386.deb"
9. Type this command and press enter (without quotes):
"dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.34-020634rc5-generic_2.6.34-020634rc5_i386.deb"
10. Type this command and press enter (whitout quotes):
"apt-get update && apt-get upgrade"
11 . Type this command and press enter (whitout quotes):
"init 6"

Your computer restart with new kernel and intel driver updated and, hopefully, works without freeze.

samhall555
June 6th, 2010, 02:57 AM
If, like me, you can't boot after upgrading to Lucid, and can't boot off a Lucid CD, you need to

A) get a CD for a Ubuntu version before Lucid 10.04
B) change your boot parameters
C) optionally, install a newer kernel that fixes the Intel 8xx graphics problem

I have tried everything in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes and a number of other suggestions. I have only had success with this method.

A)
1. Go to the Ubuntu Releases site, http://releases.ubuntu.com/
2. Choose Karmic or 9.10 and download one of the desktop CD .iso files.
3. Burn its contents to a 700 Mb CD.

B)
Boot from that CD.

You must edit a boot file as root. Nautilus has no options for editing files as root, so you must use commands.

1. Open a terminal.

2. The easiest way to go from here is to start Nautilus as root with "sudo nautilus" and edit files the usual way, without running each editing command below.

You will need to edit the boot file on your hard drive, not on the CD. The CD makes this confusing, since directories will not be in their usual places.
From the command line, your hard drive will be under /media/(long-nonsensical-name)
From Nautilus, it will show under Places as "106 GB Filesystem" or something.
If you have multiple partitions and there is more than one such listing, find the one that contains your home directory.

3. Navigate to /etc/default on your hard drive

4. Edit the file called grub
sudo gedit grub
On the line that begins GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, add i915.modeset=1
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"

If your /etc/default/grub doesn't exist, you are using the old Grub.
In that case, go to /boot/grub/ on your hard drive
and edit the file called menu.lst
There is one line that begins with # defoptions. Add i915.modeset=1"
# defoptions=quiet splash i915.modeset=1

5. Save and run the command
sudo update-grub

If gedit doesn't work, try another text editor. At the very least, nano should be present (control-o saves; control-x exits).

6. Reboot.

C)
1. Go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ (http://kernel.ubuntu.com/%7Ekernel-ppa/mainline/) and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
2. Download the kernel image and header files
3. Install them from a terminal with the command
sudo dpkg -i (kernelfilename.deb) (headersfilename.deb)
or run sudo gdebi-gtk
3. reboot and choose that kernel.


Running an old IBM thinkpad G40, updating the kernel worked, before I had no video playback though it is possible to boot into recovery mode, set i915.modeset=1 and then back into low graphics mode and run
echo options i915 modeset=1 | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/i915-kms.conf
sudo update-initramfs -uin the terminal window:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes
gets you on your feet, and this should get you walking.

ketansp
June 11th, 2010, 04:00 PM
hello everybody,

i am facing kinda similar problems on my machine (X86_64 bit and nvidia 8400GS).

i upgraded to lucid lynx 4 weeks back. after tthe installation was complete, it wanted a restart. when i restarted it, i could not see anything, not even the bios, neither the grub. nothing. not even live cd worked. i could though listen to the login sound.

i just removed my laptop battery and put it in again and the display worked for that time only. each time i had to take put my battery and put it in to start.

i managed with it for a few days, but wanted a permanant solution. i installed nvidia current version 195 from stnaptic. activated it hardware drivers under amin. it demanded a restart. i restarted my laptop and now its gone again.

the display has stopped working. it does not even show the bios menu, neither the grub. so no use of putting in a live cd. i ve checked and know its not a hardware fault. the trick with removing battery and putting it in does not work anymore.

i can log in to command line mode with the help of cntrl+alt+F3. i have tried some commands for removing the driver, but its not working. i even tried the SSH thing but could not run it successfully.

could you pls help me with this problem. i am ready to sacrifice my data on ubuntu partition. pls give me some solution.:confused::confused::confused::confused:: confused:

robb.
June 13th, 2010, 05:06 PM
i am exceptionally confused. i've had temporary success with a few of these solutions. starting with the documentation (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes). i'm using an old compaq V2000.

my main failure is that the system crashes whenever i try to watch .avi files in movie player.

first i tried workaround A. that worked for a while, but i think a kernel update made that obsolete. i also did a workaround to restore the boot splash screen.

then i tried upgrading the kernel to 2.6.34 (workaround D), which worked, but with bugs. so i went to 2.6.35rc1, which didn't work at all.

so then i went back to using the stock kernel 2.6.32-22-generic and tried workaround F. first i did the "updated" method (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582), but that prevented me from even fully booting. i ran safemode and restored default graphics. then i tried the more basic version (http://www.ubuntugeek.com/intel-graphics-performance-guide-for-ubuntu-904-jaunty-users.html) and it worked.

so i decided to delete the other two kernels. i was tired of having to scroll down to 2.6.32-22 every time i booted. and now it doesn't work. so i ran in safemode to restore default graphics and then do workaround F again. it still won't work. so i'm kind of stuck, because i definitely have the video card described in workaround F.

any thoughts regarding why this only works some of the time? thanks.

robb.

juliobahar
June 14th, 2010, 08:56 PM
It's explained very clearly in the Release Notes. You *do* read the Release Notes before you upgrade, right?

are you serious who really does that?!!! :lolflag:

robb.
June 16th, 2010, 12:18 AM
then i tried upgrading the kernel to 2.6.34 (workaround D), which worked, but with bugs.

strangely, this is working for me now, without the bugs. i acknowledge that i must have done something wrong previously to cause the bugs and i inadvertently stumbled into doing it the right way this time.

whatevs. problems solved for me. however, if someone does have insight into why it would have worked conditionally for me previously, i'd like to know, for my edification. thanks.

robb.

juliobahar
June 16th, 2010, 08:48 PM
Well, for me I may say that reverting back to kernel 2.6.31 worked for me. Now I'm just waiting for the new 2.6.34 kernel to arrive, hoping this video issue will get solved then.

Julio

adamsiddhi
June 23rd, 2010, 01:43 AM
Though I read the release notes, I failed to note the warning, which was at the end of the notes, spoke of 8xx chips I didn't realize I had, and failed to have big blinking letters telling me that a machine that has been working fine for years was suddenly going to be rendered completely incapable of booting in any mode whatsoever.

I couldn't even boot off the CD. I had to boot from a 9.10 CD in order to make the changes.

I have tried, I believe, all the workarounds mentioned in various posts. None worked for me. Some spoke of getting a newer kernel, which I had tried but decided to try again.

Success!

This worked for me:

1) edit /etc/defaults/grub (as root, on the hard drive)
2) add i915.modeset=1 to the default line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"
(Mine previously had i915.modeset=0 nomodeset, otherwise the machine froze on resuming)
3) save and run the command update-grub (as root)

That let me boot. But my system still crashed if I attempted to run any kind of video with any program. Firefox and some other programs would get stuck as soon as they opened and leave trails all over the screen if I grabbed and moved them.

The new kernel fixed that:

4) go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
5) download the image and header files, and install them with dpkg -i or gdebi-gtk
6) reboot and choose that kernel.

I've changed a post of mine below to expand the details of this.

Hey James,

I do not understand step 6. After installing the headers and source I restart/reboot but I do not have a choice of kernel to choose from. It just loads Xubuntu right to the desktop. Any ideas?

Thanks,
:adam

adamsiddhi
June 23rd, 2010, 03:04 AM
Though I read the release notes, I failed to note the warning, which was at the end of the notes, spoke of 8xx chips I didn't realize I had, and failed to have big blinking letters telling me that a machine that has been working fine for years was suddenly going to be rendered completely incapable of booting in any mode whatsoever.

I couldn't even boot off the CD. I had to boot from a 9.10 CD in order to make the changes.

I have tried, I believe, all the workarounds mentioned in various posts. None worked for me. Some spoke of getting a newer kernel, which I had tried but decided to try again.

Success!

This worked for me:

1) edit /etc/defaults/grub (as root, on the hard drive)
2) add i915.modeset=1 to the default line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash i915.modeset=1"
(Mine previously had i915.modeset=0 nomodeset, otherwise the machine froze on resuming)
3) save and run the command update-grub (as root)

That let me boot. But my system still crashed if I attempted to run any kind of video with any program. Firefox and some other programs would get stuck as soon as they opened and leave trails all over the screen if I grabbed and moved them.

The new kernel fixed that:

4) go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and find the newest directory (I used v2.6.34-rc7-lucid)
5) download the image and header files, and install them with dpkg -i or gdebi-gtk
6) reboot and choose that kernel.

I've changed a post of mine below to expand the details of this.

Hey James,

I found out that I did not install the image package properly (pressed CTRL-c when it said 'Done'. it was still processing). So I finally installed it properly, rebooted, pressed SHIFT to get in to GRUB, saw the new kernel (2.6.35) and pressed ENTER/return.
Well it turns out that it was not able to load.

Here is the grub.cfg

2.6.35

menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.35-020635rc1-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93c90a69-6071-4ad9-a381-9fefe4bf369b
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-020635rc1-generic root=UUID=93c90a69-6071-4ad9-a381-9fefe4bf369b ro ipv6.disable=1 ipv6.disable=1 quiet splash i915.modeset=1
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-020635rc1-generic
}

2.6.32-22 (the previous kernel I use that crashes when playing video)

menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-22-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93c90a69-6071-4ad9-a381-9fefe4bf369b
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic root=UUID=93c90a69-6071-4ad9-a381-9fefe4bf369b ro ipv6.disable=1 ipv6.disable=1 quiet splash i915.modeset=1
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-22-generic
}

Any ideas on how to solve this?

Catharsis
June 23rd, 2010, 04:00 AM
Why are you trying to install the mainline kernel? Are you still experiencing issues after adding i915.modeset=1?

I suggest you try the 2.6.34-lucid kernel, since it's the latest stable release. If you want bleeding edge, go with the 2.6.35-rc3-maverick kernel. You can also remove "quiet splash" from the boot line to see what's going on as you boot.

adamsiddhi
June 23rd, 2010, 03:44 PM
Why are you trying to install the mainline kernel? Are you still experiencing issues after adding i915.modeset=1?

I suggest you try the 2.6.34-lucid kernel, since it's the latest stable release. If you want bleeding edge, go with the 2.6.35-rc3-maverick kernel. You can also remove "quiet splash" from the boot line to see what's going on as you boot.

Ok so I installed 2.6.34, booted from it and it works. Video works now in browser and VLC player.

Since I do not need 2.6.35 mainline kernel, how do I uninstall it?
Ahh never mind. I figured it out.

Thanks Catharsis
:adam

James Keating
June 23rd, 2010, 04:26 PM
Answering a couple of things:

Why install a mainline kernel? Because, in my case at least, nothing else worked -- i915.modeset=1 let me boot at last, but I still had frequent video freezes and system crashes with the current kernel at that time, plus several older ones. I would not suggest it if I had not tried all other suggested methods first.

As for having trouble with installing and uninstalling the kernel, you are not specific enough for me to tell what you did wrong.

You should have downloaded two package files: one for the headers and one for the image:
linux-headers-2.6.34........._i386.deb
linux-image-2.6.34............._i386.deb

You need both, but not the source package.

From the command line, in the directory with the package files, you can install both at the same time:
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-2.6.34........._i386.deb linux-image-2.6.34............._i386.deb

Cancelling the installation of a package in mid-installation is a bad idea. You can do it over with the same command. If the installation process gets stuck and can't resolve some conflict, try
dpkg --configure -a
dpkg --configure --pending

With gdebi-gtk, you install them one at a time.

If your boot trouble is due to editing the grub.cfg directly, you need to know that after doing so, you must run the command
sudo update-grub
so that the changes are reflected in the other files GRUB uses.

If you are using GRUB 2, /boot/grub/grub.cfg is not the correct file. If the file /etc/default/grub exists, you are using GRUB2 and must make changes there.

Once the kernel is installed, removing it should be easy in Synaptic.
From the command line, run
sudo apt-get remove --purge linux-headers-(hit tab key, choose headers) linux-image-(tab, choose)

And as for not seeing the GRUB menu on booting, I didn't know it was possible. On investigating, I think you may have the option
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
and to see the GRUB prompt without having to press shift, comment it out by putting a # in front of the line, saving the file and running sudo update-grub.

see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1195275

For older GRUB, the relevant line may be
hiddenmenu

see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1364318

adamsiddhi
June 23rd, 2010, 10:29 PM
Actually everything has worked out fine. What I did was install 2.6.34 which is the latest stable release and it worked. Video plays fine. 2.6.35 is now considered the mainline release AFAIK. That one did not play so friendly. I could only get into that one via the recovery boot mode. I had to choose to boot in fail safe mode. Its not ready yet.

Thanks for your help :)

juliobahar
July 5th, 2010, 06:57 PM
I've just install lucid kernel 2.6.34-020634-generic, as a desperate solution for the intel 855GM freezes.

Videos are working now fine, but my graphics seem to run very slow, especially when compiz is set as the main windows decorator. Changing it to Metacity, makes the computer more responsive, yet I'm losing the eye-candy effects of compiz.

Videos aren't running well on totem with this new kernel.

I'm running Lucid 386, on an old Toshiba Satellite-A55, with an Intel Corporation 82852/855Gm integrated Graphics Device.

davidmohammed
July 5th, 2010, 08:04 PM
All us 855GM users should really be following the advice in this (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/541511) bug report - as suggested in the description, the key upstream fixes to our issues have now been wrapped up in a new specially designed kernel. The fixes are not in the mainline .34 or .35 kernels.

To those adverse to reading bug reports, below is how to resolve the vast majority of crashes and freezes...

run the following commands:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:brian-rogers/graphics-fixes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install linux-image-2.6.34-v9patch-generic

jaycee42
July 8th, 2010, 10:23 AM
I give up.

I have tried the fixes, the workarounds, deleting the workarounds and the new fixes, it boots but as to video no luck, does anybody know of a fast booting reasonable distro

I have dell 510m 1.6ghz i855 onboard graphics 512mb ram

Thanks

John

mbojan
July 31st, 2010, 11:55 PM
I've just install lucid kernel 2.6.34-020634-generic, as a desperate solution for the intel 855GM freezes.

Videos are working now fine, but my graphics seem to run very slow, especially when compiz is set as the main windows decorator. Changing it to Metacity, makes the computer more responsive, yet I'm losing the eye-candy effects of compiz.

Videos aren't running well on totem with this new kernel.


Does anybody has any update in the 855GM+Lucid story?

I'm running ThinkPad G41 with
Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)

I'm experiencing frequent freezes/crashes while playing videos or playing some of the games (wesnoth, openttd). Every time I have to reboot the system with the power button :( Everything used to work fine in Karmic. I'm asking myself constantly why did I press this "upgrade" button...

The fix packages from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes did not work for me.

Does it make sense to try the 2.6.34-lucid kernel?

@juliobahar does videos work for you under this new kernel or not? what do you mean by "work but are not running well on totem"? how about 'mplayer'?

Should I downgrade to karmic or is there a chance it will be fixed in lucid *LTS* soon?

juliobahar
August 1st, 2010, 02:50 AM
@juliobahar does videos work for you under this new kernel or not? what do you mean by "work but are not running well on totem"? how about 'mplayer'?


Videos are running under the new kernel same as with the patched one - no more computer freezing and hard restarting - BUT the problem is that the video frame stops or turns black when switching between windowed and full screen. So as when moving the windows or pausing and playing. Quite a strange thing.

I haven't tried mplayer, but VLC suffers the same very issue. Ah but videos from youtube run well - using flash plugins and adobe.

Everything was working fine until I upgraded. I also asked myself why have I done it?!

I have no solution at the moment for the INTEL G8xx graphics, and my laptop is rendered useless at the moment.

juliobahar
August 1st, 2010, 07:18 PM
I stand corrected here. As I've just checked again videos with VLC seems to run well not like what I've stated earlier that is suffers the same issue as with totem.

I might haven't mentioned that my laptops general performance has degrated dramatically after the kernel upgrade, and reverted to earlier kernels doesn't seem to solve the Intel G8xx graphic driver problems.

Serious help is needed with this driver's odd behavior.

mbojan
August 2nd, 2010, 08:17 AM
OK, thanks. My laptop is virtually unusable too. I think more and more seriously about downgrading... Unless somebody more involved in the development provide some more insights, anybody?

Catharsis
August 2nd, 2010, 05:26 PM
UPDATE:

Upstream has released a new intel driver that re-introduces a GEM-less UMS codepath. It's designed to solve the i8xx problems introduced in Lucid, but it needs serious testing from the community.

I've updated the Lucidi8xxFreezes Wiki (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes#Call For Testing: Potential Fixes) to contain testing and reporting instructions.

Happy testing, and best of luck.

mbojan
August 2nd, 2010, 06:20 PM
Great!!! I'll start testing tonight.

Thanks for the update.

juliobahar
August 3rd, 2010, 08:19 AM
UPDATE:

Upstream has released a new intel driver that re-introduces a GEM-less UMS codepath. It's designed to solve the i8xx problems introduced in Lucid, but it needs serious testing from the community.

I've updated the Lucidi8xxFreezes Wiki (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes#Call For Testing: Potential Fixes) to contain testing and reporting instructions.

Happy testing, and best of luck.

Not at all all this worked for me. I felt for a while that this might be the right solution but my laptop just freezes like before.

If I disable KMS ubuntu will not start.

any previous kernels before 2.6.34-v9patch-generic just freeze as soon as I start a video play.

juliobahar
August 3rd, 2010, 08:20 AM
Excuse my ignorance but what the hell is wrong with the intel i8xx driver and ubuntu that just happened now after Lucid upgrade.

I really don't understand it.

juliobahar
August 3rd, 2010, 08:44 AM
This worked for me

kernel 2.6.34-v9patch-generic



sudo add-apt-repository ppa:raof/aubergine
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade


and keeping i915 modeset=1, I guess this is what is meant by enalbing KMS - darn what that means -



echo options i915 modeset=1 | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/i915-kms.conf
sudo update-initramfs -u


I had to do a "Parial upgrade" after rebooting the system

Yet doing all this still my computer is less graphically responsive, but totem is working better when moving its window or fullscreen.

Not there yet guys!!!

mbojan
August 3rd, 2010, 01:39 PM
Not at all all this worked for me. I felt for a while that this might be the right solution but my laptop just freezes like before.

If I disable KMS ubuntu will not start.

any previous kernels before 2.6.34-v9patch-generic just freeze as soon as I start a video play.


Same here. Doesn't even boot now. I sent the results to ubuntu-x mailing list. I hope the guys there will be able to push things forward.

I did not experiment with alternative kernels as I did not want to tamper with too many things simultaneously. For similar reason i did not try the second solution from the wiki page. I did try it before (not sure if the packages where updated in the meantime) and it did not solve the problem with the videos etc.

juliobahar
August 3rd, 2010, 01:59 PM
Same here. Doesn't even boot now. I sent the results to ubuntu-x mailing list. I hope the guys there will be able to push things forward.


Well good that you've forwarded your results, but how did you do that if your computer doesn't even boot?

I was so lazy today to dig further in submitting bug reports here and there. Not that BUG savvy either.

mbojan
August 3rd, 2010, 02:04 PM
It does boot in the recovery mode to the root console

Catharsis
August 3rd, 2010, 07:03 PM
Well good that you've forwarded your results, but how did you do that if your computer doesn't even boot?

I was so lazy today to dig further in submitting bug reports here and there. Not that BUG savvy either.

You've managed to get on the internet apparently, since you're posting this. Just send an email to ubuntu-x@lists.ubuntu.com with your experiences.

As a side note, I don't think I've seen a single person able to boot the legacy driver with KMS disabled (which is the testcase). If we can send enough tested-bys with this failed result, maybe we won't have a repeat of when KMS was disabled during Lucid development without enough testing and we all got black screens on boot as a result after it was released.

Catharsis
August 3rd, 2010, 07:11 PM
...and keeping i915 modeset=1, I guess this is what is meant by enalbing KMS - darn what that means -

KMS stands for Kernel Mode Setting, and is an alternative to UMS which stands for User Mode Setting. The difference is that UMS uses xserver-xorg-video-intel as the main graphics driver, whereas KMS uses drivers that are in the kernel as the main graphics drivers.

In general, KMS is the correct step forward in graphics development, since it's more tightly connected with the more basal aspects of the system (can't get much more intimate between hardware and software than the kernel, after all). It's generally faster and more stable during boot and going into and out of suspend/hibernate, since UMS has to wait for the system to come completely back, whereas the kernel is the very first thing that's active and working in these situations, so the graphics drivers can start earlier and are less prone to breakage due to strange interactions.

fbobraga
August 16th, 2010, 04:22 PM
in this weekend I've installed a system (in my Dad's HP Pavilion ze2000 (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=444477&lc=en&cc=br&dlc=pt&lang=pt&cc=br), that haves a 855GM video chip) by using xforcevesa boot option in the liveCD (without it it doesn't even boot: drops to unresponsive black screen)... now, in the installed system, what I need to change to X.org stops using the 'vesa' video driver?

edit: I've found a way to get rid of the 'vesa' driver after the install: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9244457&postcount=17

juliobahar
August 16th, 2010, 04:29 PM
...
In general, KMS is the correct step forward in graphics development ...
It's generally faster and more stable ...
so the graphics drivers can start earlier and are less prone to breakage... due to strange interactions.

Very nice explanation. Thank you for your time. As a conclusion of what you just disclosed and what I'm experiencing with my so currently doomed laptop, I must say that KMS is not doing its proposed job for me, Alas!

t.h.w.
November 21st, 2010, 11:48 AM
Hi!

I have experienced trouble with Lucid after installing in combination with my Intel855GME video-chip.
There was in November an update of X-server in Update Manager:

xserver-xorg-video-intel (2:2.9.0-1ubuntu2.1) to 2:2.9.0-1ubuntu2.2

Does anyone know if this solves the problem?

Thanks!

davidmohammed
January 7th, 2011, 09:32 PM
All - there is a proposed fix that looks very promising for lucid/maverick and the latest natty alpha release.

Brian Rogers is calling for testers (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10326942#post10326942) - if you want to help, install the fix with the following code:


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:brian-rogers/graphics-fixes-testing
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.37-graphics2+12 linux-headers-2.6.37-graphics2+12-generic linux-image-2.6.37-graphics2+12-generic

I'm currently running this - no crashes so far.

n.b. I've had to add "nomce" to my boot options due to a transient error message on boot "[Hardware Error]: No human readable MCE decoding support on this CPU type."

Rubi1200
January 7th, 2011, 09:44 PM
Interesting. Thanks for the information davidmohammed.

I have applied Stefan Glasenhardt's GTT Incoherency Patch for i855 on both Lucid and Maverick and have encountered no problems thus far (except for the fact that I am unable to use Compiz on Maverick; which is not really a problem since one of the first things I do after an install is turn effects off anyway).

Will definitely take a look at this new option too.

t.h.w.
August 6th, 2011, 07:32 PM
Hmm? I have an i855 and used Workaround A from the link, and my Lucid is great now. Certainly no reason to forsake it.

Hi, I'm still stuck with 9.10 (intel 855GM)
Q1: Which workaround is preferable? Brian Rogers or Glasen?
Q2: Do I first apply the workaround and then upgrade to 10.04, or do I upgrade first and then use a 9.10 liveCD to apply the workarouds?
Q3: Or do I just edit Grub with the imode-line
Q3a: On the line it already says "quiet splash" Do I replace this, or do I add it?

Thanks!

Catharsis
August 7th, 2011, 01:21 AM
Hi, I'm still stuck with 9.10 (intel 855GM)
Q1: Which workaround is preferable? Brian Rogers or Glasen?
Q2: Do I first apply the workaround and then upgrade to 10.04, or do I upgrade first and then use a 9.10 liveCD to apply the workarouds?
Q3: Or do I just edit Grub with the imode-line
Q3a: On the line it already says "quiet splash" Do I replace this, or do I add it?

Thanks!

Hello.

First, this problem has been fixed since Maverick, so you should upgrade to the current version of Ubuntu, Natty Narwhal.

But if you would like to use Lucid Lynx anyway, then here are the answers to your questions :)

Boot into Lucid, and it will back screen on you. You need to do this workaround (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/Lucidi8xxFreezes#Workaround_A:_Re-enable_KMS). If you're on the LiveCD, follow the instructions to enable the workaround on the LiveCD, and if it's an install, use the install instructions. Then make it permanent using the terminal command, as it says in the instructions.

Keep in mind that even after you apply the workaround, your computer will still freeze every time you play a video file from your hard drive. Hence the suggestion to upgrade to Natty.

t.h.w.
August 7th, 2011, 10:08 AM
Hi Catharsis,

Thanks for this update, I didn't know it was finally, thankfully, fixed.

Can I upgrade from Karmic to Natty in one go? Or do I have to upgrade first to Lucid, solve the problems, then Maverick and then Natty...?

Big question: Due to this problems and I prefer the LTS: Is it also fixed in 10.04.3? (To me it seems not to be...), or will it be fixed in 10.04.4? (Then I'll wait...)

Furtermore: I found this: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/541511/comments/436

The Glasen-fix seems to work for 10.04. Do I apply it to my 9.10 and then upgrade to 10.04?

Thanks!

Catharsis
August 7th, 2011, 08:38 PM
The bug is in the video driver code in the kernel that shipped with Lucid (2.6.32). Since Lucid will always use that kernel, it will always be affected by the bug. Developers don't backport fixes; they apply the fix to their upcoming release and tell people to upgrade, in this case to the 2.6.38 kernel (which ships with Natty).

Since the bug is in the Lucid kernel, you'd need to apply any patches to the Lucid kernel. It would be counter-intuitive to apply a patch designed to fix the Lucid kernel to the Karmic kernel, which isn't even affected by the bug. The problem is with Lucid, so you need to fix Lucid, not Karmic.

And P.S., don't upgrade distributions. Always boot the LiveCD and do a fresh install. Some will tell you that upgrading is safe, but others will tell you that most of the problems posted in this forum after a new release are due to an upgrade which didn't go perfectly (there are just way too many variables and things to mess up when you're upgrading and configuring thousands of packages all at the same time, including the kernel and the boot loader). This is especially true the more times you upgrade -- i.e. upgrading to Lucid might cause a bug or two, upgrading from that buggy install to Maverick will compound those bugs, and upgrading from that even-more-buggy Maverick install will give you a pretty "interesting" Natty install. Unless everything goes perfectly. Which, if you find that happens a lot to you, you might be OK. :)

And you can't skip releases when upgrading. You have to go through each, i.e. Lucid->Maverick->Natty. Unless you're running LTS releases, which can upgrade to the next LTS release (i.e. Dapper ->Hardy->Lucid->yet-to-be-named-12.04-release).

t.h.w.
August 8th, 2011, 08:31 AM
Yes, I already feared that.
Ok, a fresh install... Luckily I have a separate /home, but I will have to make a list of all the additional things I've installed over time... Any suggestions how to make that easier? Not everything is in the repositories (yet)...

Something else: I understand the problem is especially with the 2.6.32-kernel. There are rumours there is a 2.6.34-kernel for Lucid available... Any chance this might be in the 10.04.3/4 version?

Thanks again!

Catharsis
August 8th, 2011, 08:57 AM
Yes, I already feared that.
Ok, a fresh install... Luckily I have a separate /home, but I will have to make a list of all the additional things I've installed over time... Any suggestions how to make that easier? Not everything is in the repositories (yet)...

Sorry, I don't have any experience with that. You could google around to see if there are any tricks or utilities. Just make sure you backup your data on all your partitions before trying to install anything.


Something else: I understand the problem is especially with the 2.6.32-kernel. There are rumours there is a 2.6.34-kernel for Lucid available... Any chance this might be in the 10.04.3/4 version?

Thanks again!

No, there is no chance that Lucid will ever have a different kernel. And the point releases (10.04.1/2/3/4/etc) aren't real versions. They're just respins of the ISOs using the current versions of packages in the repositories. It's just so that when you install the LTS a year or two after it was released, you don't have to upgrade 95% of your packages because a newer version was pushed to the repos after the LTS shipped.

The kernel team has also offered backported kernels from future versions for the LTS versions. I haven't been keeping up on it, but back during Maverick you could install "linux-meta-lts-backport-maverick" or "linux-lts-backport-maverick" (can't remember which) to install the current Maverick kernel on Lucid. You could try using -natty instead of -maverick and see if it gives you a working kernel. Definitely something to look into.

t.h.w.
August 11th, 2011, 07:35 AM
And you can't skip releases when upgrading. You have to go through each, i.e. Lucid->Maverick->Natty. Unless you're running LTS releases, which can upgrade to the next LTS release (i.e. Dapper ->Hardy->Lucid->yet-to-be-named-12.04-release).

To overcome my troubles I have upgraded to Natty. The Live CD offered the possibility to upgrade from 9.10 to 11.04 in one go, keeping my /home and partitions intact. Nice. Only thing is: I have to install again all my additional programs, but hey, good opportunity to clear those programms I didn't use a lot any more...

Greetz! :)

Catharsis
August 11th, 2011, 09:09 AM
Awesome, I'm glad to hear that everything is working well for you.

Just one additional piece of information: From Maverick and on, Ubuntu defaulted to not use the -intel graphics driver for i8xx cards, because of all the bugs. It's using a framebuffer driver instead, which gives pretty sub-par performance and very few features. So if you find an issue with either of those, you should switch to use the -intel graphics driver instead. The Natty kernel contains the fix to the original problem, so you can safely use the -intel driver again. This is exactly what I'm doing with my Natty install and it's running wonderfully, no problems at all.

To use the -intel driver instead of the fbdev framebuffer driver, just make an xorg.conf file
gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
and paste the following into it

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "intel"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
Device "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
Save, reboot, enjoy.

If you need to revert you can just delete the xorg.conf

sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Of course, if you're happy with Natty the way it is, please don't feel urged unnecessarily to switch video drivers. It's your computer, so you should do whatever you want with it. Just wanted to make sure you had all the info. :)

t.h.w.
August 11th, 2011, 10:37 AM
OK, thanks, I would like to make use of all the meager graphics I have.

It does solve some speed issues, but now my youtube full-screen is in black&white.... ???

Seems to be a problem that more people have...:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=11140663#post11140663