plasma screen flickering

[P]

since upgrade from ubiquity to vivid and so since using plasma-desktop, my screen is flickring:
- each time my background image changes (i use background diaporama)
- each time a new icon appears and disappear in the task bar
- each time I maximize then reduce a window to normal

the entire screen flickkers during screen changes. It seems this happends only when something is refreshed in the plasma taskbar.

This of course did not happen in ubiquity (so not using plasma).
I use KDE desktop and intel driver :
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (secondary) (rev 03)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: plasma-desktop 4:5.2.2-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-15.15-lowlatency 3.19.3
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-15-lowlatency x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.17.2-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Wed Apr 29 22:13:06 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-01-03 (116 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 14.10 "Utopic Unicorn" - Release amd64 (20141022.1)
SourcePackage: plasma-desktop
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to vivid on 2015-04-23 (5 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Arindam (arindam)]

I am also having similar problem. When doing alt+tab and maximize windows, the screen is flickering like anything. After sometime, it becomes more weird, the traces of older screen remains on top of current active screen.

Its difficult to explain, I managed to grab a video of the situation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_zVI_yY6r0

Actions when it is happening: Any window maximize, ALT+ TAB, scroll in Mozilla

I am using:

 Kubuntu 1.04
kde plasma 5.2.2
qt 5.4.1
kernel 3.19.0-15-generic

os 64 bit
ram 4gb

processor AMD E1-6010 - AMD Radeon Graphics
Dell Vostro 14 3000 series

Kubuntu Fresh Install Date: May 25 , 2015

[Arindam (arindam)]

Typo: Kubuntu 15.04

[Philipp (shiat)]

I discoverd that my xorg.conf file was deleted after I upgraded to Kubuntu 15.04. In my case I just created the file

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

and added my driver like this:

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

Worked well for me, perhaps it can help someone.

[leon_ti (leon-ti)]

I have a "Device" section with Driver "radeon" clause, but I still have desktop flickering.
Probably a kwin_x11 or plasmashell bug...

[mendes (mendes3000)]

I've installed Kubuntu 15.04 on two computers (one is 32 bits and the other 64 bits) and both have this bug. The screen flickers, sometimes i can work on pc for a long time without problem but other times the only solution is reboot the computer.

[Alexander Lochmann (alexander-lochmann)]

My system is affected by this bug as well. I run a fresh install of kubuntu 15.04 on a Intel Core-i3 2310M (including Intel HD Graphics, HD3000).
I'm using the plasma desktop(5.3.2) from the kubuntu backports ppa.

[lucas (lucascube)]

I followed what Philipp (shiat) advised and the issue went away. Running a D830 Dell and rather than radeon, I just put in place nvidia.

[Chris Taylor (chris-taylor-t)]

Possibly an issue with the compositor? See http://askubuntu.com/questions/672007/flickering-in-kde-plasma-5-4 where solutions given are:

1. change Compositor Rendering Back-end To OpenGL 3 and then change again to OpenGL 2.
2. Go into System Setting > Hardware > Display and Monitor > Compositor and change the tearing prevention to "Full screen repaints"
3. As an alternative, in the same menu change the compositor to XRender
4. If you'd prefer to not do either of the above, create a script file in /etc/profile.d named kwin.sh (or anything ending .sh really). In that file place the line export KWIN_TRIPLE_BUFFER=1

[shura (shura0)]

to Chris:
it does not work for me.
Nvidia card, AMD CPU.
I tried all solutions described in the thread, but nothing helps

[Flames_in_Paradise (ellisistfroh-deactivatedaccount)]

Asking your attention that Vivid Vervet will be reaching EOL (End-of-Lifecycle) later this month)

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Time to consider for Wily Werewolfe 15.10

best regards

[Chris Taylor (chris-taylor-t)]

To Shura: sorry but I can't help further. I'm no expert but the above happened to work for me.

[Nikaslg (nikusis)]

Chris Taylor (chris-taylor-t), thank you that fixed my problem, on dell xps 9333

[Vasyĺ V. Vercynśkyj (fuckel)]

Still blinking.

$lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 15.10
Release: 15.10
Codename: wily

$uname -srvi
Linux 4.2.0-27-generic #32-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jan 22 04:49:08 UTC 2016 x86_64

$lspci | grep VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09)

[Nikola Snele (n-schnelle)]

This seems to be intel driver problem. Solution for me is to use DRI3 instead of DRI2.

[Peter Fletcher (peter-traal)]

I have this problem with a new computer (Skylake i5-6400T), and the problem appears to come and go over time. Aside from the blinking, scrolling is jerky, vertical patches of the window become misaligned, and windows often do not refresh when uncovered.

I switched from using the Intel video to an nVidia graphics card, and the problems did not change, therefore I do not believe this is an Intel driver issue.

I am using Kubuntu 15.10 upgraded to the 4.4 kernel.

[Nagy Tamás (ntomka)]

I am on 16.04 with fresh KDE (5.6) from backports ppa and I have this issue also. I had it in 15.10 too.

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-5200
GPU: Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500 (Broadwell GT2)
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.2 (Core Profile) Mesa 11.3.0-devel (git-aac90ba 2016-05-30 xenial-oibaf-ppa)

[Scott Moore (scottbomb)]

Seeing this in 16.04 (using nouveau) as well.

[Danilo Schembri (danilo-schembri)]

I'm trying this remediation (and it's working well):

sudo apt-get purge xserver-xorg-video-intel

Source: https://askubuntu.com/questions/766725/annoying-flickering-in-16-04-lts-chrome/814226#814226

[Scarlett Gately Moore (scarlettmoore)]

This bug is very old, if it is still an issue please update the bug with information from a supported release.

[P (p92)]

no more a problem for me in 2024 :)