Windows Spread Crashes Desktop

[CantankRus]

I have never had to deal with driver issues.
Only ever had desktops with nvidia cards that just work.
I would just be googling for fixes now.

Try googling "Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller" +ubuntu to find out why you're not using the intel driver.
Also try googlubuntu

[BJones007]

I fixed it! After doing some extensive research I found that it had nothing to do with my intel driver. In fact I have the Cinnamon desktop environment installed and was able to do the windows spread there. The issue was actually with Unity. At first I thought there was a conflict between Unity Tweak tool and CCSM, but I didn't have CCSM installed so I was baffled. Finally I came across this command

 dconf reset -f /org/compiz/ && setsid unity

and everything is now back to normal. Apparently this spread issue is a bug with the Unity Tweak tool. Hopefully this helps anyone else having the issue. Cheers!

[CantankRus]

Good to see it's working.
Don't understand why the /usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p command
shows your using software rendering though.
Out of curiosity what does this command give you.

sudo lshw -c video

[BJones007]

Here you go

   *-display                      description: VGA compatible controller
       product: 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 2
       bus info: pci@0000:00:02.0
       version: 09
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: msi pm vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom
       configuration: driver=i915 latency=0
       resources: irq:43 memory:f7800000-f7bfffff memory:e0000000-efffffff ioport:f000(size=64)

[CantankRus]

Here is the output for

 /usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p 

OpenGL vendor string:   VMware, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 3.4, 256 bits)
OpenGL version string:  2.1 Mesa 10.1.3


Not software rendered:    no
Not blacklisted:          yes
GLX fbconfig:             yes
GLX texture from pixmap:  yes
GL npot or rect textures: yes
GL vertex program:        yes
GL fragment program:      yes
GL vertex buffer object:  yes
GL framebuffer object:    yes
GL version is 1.4+:       yes


Unity 3D supported:       no

Does this give a different result now.

/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p

[BJones007]

Yeah it does

OpenGL vendor string:   Intel Open Source Technology CenterOpenGL renderer string: Mesa DRI Intel(R) Sandybridge Mobile 
OpenGL version string:  3.0 Mesa 10.1.3


Not software rendered:    yes
Not blacklisted:          yes
GLX fbconfig:             yes
GLX texture from pixmap:  yes
GL npot or rect textures: yes
GL vertex program:        yes
GL fragment program:      yes
GL vertex buffer object:  yes
GL framebuffer object:    yes
GL version is 1.4+:       yes


Unity 3D supported:       yes

[CantankRus]

That appears to show that for some reason the intel drivers were not being loaded.
and you were falling back to software rendering by llvmpipe instead of using your gfx card.
I don't have a full grasp on this but possibly it was a just case of compiz failing to load properly.
Anyway looks like you found a fix by setting compiz back to default and reloading.
If it happens again just try reloading compiz without setting back to defaults so you don't lose any customized compiz settings.
ie

setsid unity

before running if needed

dconf reset -f /org/compiz/ && setsid unity

Goodluck.

[colinafletcher]

I had the same issue. The symptoms started when I checked the 'click to access desktop' item in the Window Spread section of the Unity Tweak tool. It was initially greyed out, but became checkable after I toggled Window Spread off and on again. After checking it, when window spread was activated the desktop would flash. Activating window spread again would make the desktop crash.

No amount of unchecking that option (after rebooting) would return the thing to normal. Neither would

dconf reset -f

Inspired by that, however, I reset the Unity Tweak package:

dpkg-reconfigure unity-tweak-tool

Problem solved. Thanks for sharing, I wouldn't have figured this out otherwise.