1002:6741 [Dell Vostro 3550] Display resolution keeps switching with external monitor connected

[Goran Obal]

If I use external monitor and extend my desktop to both the built-in laptop display and the external LCD, the display settings are auto-changed by the system. This may include resetting to a "mirrored" display at 1024x768, a single display on the laptop panel, or a single display on the external monitor.

If I use just the AMD GPU via the AMD CCC, my monitors keep switching between resolutions, mirroring switches on and off every minute or so.

WORKAROUND: If I switch to just the Intel GPU via the AMD GPU, or never install AMD drivers and just use the Intel GPU out-of-the-box, I can go a day without spontaneous switching of resolutions and/or mirroring displays, sometimes it happens like 2 or 3 times per day.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+1ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.8.0-35.50-generic 3.8.13.13
Uname: Linux 3.8.0-35-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.9.2-0ubuntu8.5
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
Date: Mon Mar 17 09:36:31 2014
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: raring
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: I just need to know a workaround
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0116] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:04cd]
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Whistler [Radeon HD 6600M/6700M/7600M Series] [1002:6741] (rev ff) (prog-if ff)
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-03-17 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Release amd64 (20130424)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Vostro 3550
MarkForUpload: True
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.8.0-35-generic root=UUID=d9ac2de5-de02-45d6-af39-3588757a6e61 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/03/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A11
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A11
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Not Specified
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA11:bd08/03/2012:svnDellInc.:pnVostro3550:pvrNotSpecified:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvrA11:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrNotSpecified:
dmi.product.name: Vostro 3550
dmi.product.version: Not Specified
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.9~daily13.06.19~13.04-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.46-1ubuntu0.1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.1.7-1ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.1.7-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.3-0ubuntu6.2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu2b2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.1.0-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.21.6-0ubuntu4.3
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.7-0ubuntu1

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Goran Obal, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ .

If it remains an issue, please just make a comment to this.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

I am now using Ubuntu 14.04 from the link above. At the time of starting this bug report I was using 13.04 (raring) and then also 13.10 (saucy) but the problem was the same with both. Will see how will it be with 14.04.
So far I have noticed one difference though! If I did cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch on 13.04 and 13.10 I got:

0:IGD:+:Pwr:0000:00:02.0
1:DIS: :Off:0000:01:00.0

With 14.04 I get somethin a bit different:

0:IGD:+:Pwr:0000:00:02.0
1:DIS: :DynOff:0000:01:00.0

Notice the Dyn in second line.
This is ofcourse before installing AMD drivers. After I install those, vgaswitcheroo is no longer there.

For now, I will not install AMD drivers on 14.04 to see if the problem will come up out-of-the-box. If I don't see any troubles for a whole week, I will install AMD drivers and provide feedback about both. If problems come up before, I will install AMD drivers right after.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

It just happened on 14.04 - my internal laptop monitor got disabled and now I am writing with only external monitor enabled...
Let's see how AMD drivers do.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

Reportin first test with AMD drivers. With AMD GPU enabled, I have massive screen corruption if I enable both monitors. If I only enable one, corruption is no longer present, however spontaneous switching/mirroring occurs.
Will now switch to Intel GPU and report back.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

OK, spontaneous switch just happened with Intel GPU.
user@DELL-Vostro-3550:~$ uptime
 13:09:48 up 2:43, 2 users, load average: 0,22, 0,14, 0,08

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

I have found a possible workaround.

For two days now I haven't had spontaneous monitor/resolution swithing, here's what I have done.
Immediately after boot I launch terminal and do the following:

Vostro-3550:~$ xinput
⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]
⎜ ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ Logitech USB Optical Mouse id=12 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ DualPoint Stick id=15 [slave pointer (2)]
⎜ ↳ AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad id=16 [slave pointer (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard id=3 [master keyboard (2)]
    ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard id=5 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Power Button id=6 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Power Button id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Sleep Button id=10 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Laptop_Integrated_Webcam_FHD id=11 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Dell Dell USB Entry Keyboard id=13 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard id=14 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Video Bus id=8 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Video Bus id=7 [slave keyboard (3)]
    ↳ Dell WMI hotkeys id=17 [slave keyboard (3)]
Vostro-3550:~$

Vostro-3550:~$ xinput disable 7
Vostro-3550:~$ xinput disable 8
Vostro-3550:~$ xinput disable 17

And that seems to do the trick.
I will do this every day now and will report back if it turns out that it doesn't work.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

Found a related bug IMHO: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1063658
With that one 'xinput disable x' was also workaround.
If you go and read that bug report, you can see that it really is about the same thing, only that the user didn't use external monitor for a while and when he did, he reported "If second monitor is plugged flickering of windows stops and system starts to turn off and on both monitors with different resolutions." - sounds like he's talking about the same thing to me.
Furthermore, he also uses Vostro 3550.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

Workaround seems to work. It's been a week and the switching/mirroring/turning off of monitors hasn't happened.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

I think the workaround can almost be confirmed, I no longer have issues described in this bug report. I am only waiting for Lee Willis to confirm that it works the same for him and IMHO then the workaround can be official.

I have made a script (path-to-my-script) with contents:
xinput disable 7
xinput disable 8
xinput disable 17

Then I did:
chmod +x path-to-my-script

And I have put this in my /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf:
session-setup-script=path-to-my-script

And now the workaround is automated and I don't have to wory about it anymore.

Note: The numbers after xinput disable are likely to be different on another computer, so you have to first determine, which numbers correspond to Video Bus and another Video Bus and Dell WMI hotkeys.

[Goran Obal (goran-obal)]

Just reporting back after a while... Workaround works. Not one single incident since the last time I wrote here.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Goran Obal, while the hardware under the hood is different between yours and LP#907381, for now let us mark this a duplicate given the scope of the hardware at issue (graphics card), and problem under review is the same as verified via a terminal:
cd ~/Desktop && wget -c https://launchpadlibrarian.net/161911014/Lspci.txt -O 1.txt && wget -c https://launchpadlibrarian.net/169792751/Lspci.txt -O 2.txt && grep -i ']:' 1.txt > 1-2.txt && grep -i ']:' 2.txt > 2-2.txt && diff 1-2.txt 2-2.txt ; rm 1-2.txt && rm 2-2.txt && rm 1.txt && rm 2.txt

Thank you for filing this bug report, as it it most helpful to have your hardware on file, in order to ensure your issue is resolved as well as others.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.