Incorrect refresh rate probed from bad BIOS tables in 855GM

[Gard Spreemann]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-intel

When using the xserver-xorg-video-intel drivers for the Intel 855GM graphics card, the driver attempts to use clock frequencies from the card's BIOS tables. These are known to be wrong (see for instance the old issues with needing to patch the tables to get correct resolutions), and this causes X to set a wrong refresh rate leading to for example a flickering display.

The problem is described by Freedesktop.org[1], and a patch that bypasses BIOS tables for the 855GM is described in the third comment of [1]. In order to enable this patch after recompiling the drivers, one needs to set
Option "ModeDebug" "true"
in the device section of the X.org config. I suppose this could lead to some extra debugging info being printed as a side-effect.

For those looking for a quick fix, I've uploaded a patched version[2]. Apart from that I guess the Freedesktop.org patch should be included into Ubuntu's xserver-xorg-video-intel as soon as possible, as this can be a real showstopper for people with the 855GM, especially taking into consideration the existence of bug #155312 preventing some to use the older i810 drivers for the card in Gutsy.

I can confirm that the patch fixes the problem in my case.

[1] http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11917
[2] http://folk.ntnu.no/spreeman/deb/ubuntu/gutsy/xserver-xorg-video-intel/ (see version 2.2.1-0ubuntu9.1)

[Jody (jody)]

git head as of June 16 still presents with the same issues.
Any hints on debugging ?

[Jody (jody)]

git head as of July 3 now sizes things correctly.

However, there is a significant flicker that still leaves it less useful than the old driver and 915resolution. re-titling.

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

Isn't it because of wrong refresh rate for VGA outputs? I can get only 1024x768@60Hz on my configuration and the list of availible resolutions looks smaller - previously it worked fine. Output from xrandr attached

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

Created an attachment (id=10584)
Output from xrandr

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

Issue still persists with git from July 20. Any hints how could we help to debug it?

[Gordon Jin (gordon-jin)]

changing status from NEEDINFO to NEW, as I'm not seeing any query to reporter.

[Keith Packard (keithp)]

An X server log with the 'modedebug' option turned on might have some clues. Also, what kind of machine is this?

[Jody (jody)]

Created an attachment (id=11459)
ModeDebug run with git head

based on
commit 286f5df0b62f571cbb4dbf120679d3af029b8775
Author: Keith Packard <email address hidden>
Date: Thu Sep 6 14:31:55 2007 -0700

[Jody (jody)]

An older fujitsu P5020d 'lifebook'

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

I have the same problem, with a Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook E8010.

It looks like a CRT monitor running 60Hz. I never seen anything like this on an LCD monitor. It works with the old 1.7.x version, but not with 2.1.0 and 2.1.1.

Gentoo Linux, xorg-server 1.3. It's just got stabled today.

[Shuber2 (shuber2)]

Flicker occurs on my Asus Notebook A3827-NLP with 15" SXGA+ Display too. System:
   - Gentoo-Linux with xorg-7.2, xorg-server-1.3.0.0,
     xrandr-1.2.2, and randrproto-1.2.1
   - i810-1.7.4 works, i810-2.* does not
   - Same holds for xorg-server-1.2

[Fdbugs-schwen (fdbugs-schwen)]

Flicker (60Hz) occurs on my Fujitsu Lifebook 5010d at 1280x768 with a

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)

So far neither adding and selecting new gtf modelines (85Hz) with xrandr, nor the patch by Eric Anholt allows me to select a higher refresh rate for my local flat panel. Needless to say it was flicker-free with the i810 driver plus videobios patching.

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-intel

When using the xserver-xorg-video-intel drivers for the Intel 855GM graphics card, the driver attempts to use clock frequencies from the card's BIOS tables. These are known to be wrong (see for instance the old issues with needing to patch the tables to get correct resolutions), and this causes X to set a wrong refresh rate leading to for example a flickering display.

The problem is described by Freedesktop.org[1], and a patch that bypasses BIOS tables for the 855GM is described in the third comment of [1]. In order to enable this patch after recompiling the drivers, one needs to set
Option "ModeDebug" "true"
in the device section of the X.org config. I suppose this could lead to some extra debugging info being printed as a side-effect.

For those looking for a quick fix, I've uploaded a patched version[2]. Apart from that I guess the Freedesktop.org patch should be included into Ubuntu's xserver-xorg-video-intel as soon as possible, as this can be a real showstopper for people with the 855GM, especially taking into consideration the existence of bug #155312 preventing some to use the older i810 drivers for the card in Gutsy.

I can confirm that the patch fixes the problem in my case.

[1] http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11917
[2] http://folk.ntnu.no/spreeman/deb/ubuntu/gutsy/xserver-xorg-video-intel/ (see version 2.2.1-0ubuntu9.1)

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

My description of the cause of the bug may be a bit hasty I see. I recommend people read the Freedesktop.org bug comments for a more accurate description.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi gspr,

Thanks for reporting this bug, and especially for pointing out the upstream bug report with available patch.

Can you test on Hardy to see if the issue still exists there? We've upgraded to the 2.2 -intel driver on Hardy, so presumably it should work without the patch, but please check if you can.

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

Sorry, I'll be unable to test until perhaps around the end of the month, due to exams. If no one else has tested before then, I'll do so and report back.

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

And by month I mean year...

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

From the xorg.log:
1. we can't probe the EDID data, so we change to use the probe the BIOS programmed mode. It seems this mode is also not correct, the dotclock is too low, and the refresh rate is only 24KHz.
(Modeline "1280x768"x0.0 40.54 1280 1328 1440 1688 768 771 777 806 (24.0 kHz))

2. Also we can't get a working mode from VBT table.
Modeline "54x0"x0.0 287.20 54 54 852 54 0 23 70 0 (5318.5 kHz)

So our driver can't find a good mode for the panel. Can you post the output of
1. xrandr --verbose
2. ddcprobe
Can you switch to other 1024x768 modes if there are some ?

thanks,
Hong

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

Here are the requested outputs. This is with xorg-server 1.3, xrandr 1.2.2, intel driver 1.7.4. The video BIOS patched to support the 1400x1050 mode I needed. It's working fine with this combination. If you need the outputs with newer driver version please let me know, and I install the new driver again.

hu3cs41c ~ # ddcprobe
VESA 3.0 detected.
OEM Name: Intel(r)852GM/852GME/855GM/855GME Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS
Vendor Name: Intel Corporation
Product Name: Intel(r)852GM/852GME/855GM/855GME Graphics Controller
Product Revision: Hardware Version 0.0
Memory installed = 192 * 64k blocks = 12288kb
Supported standard modes:
        1280x1024x256
        1280x1024x64k
        1280x1024x16m
        1024x768x256
        1024x768x64k
        1024x768x16m
        640x480x16m
        800x600x64k
        800x600x16m
        640x480x256
        800x600x256
        640x480x64k
EDID read failed. (No DDC-capable monitor attached?)
hu3cs41c ~ # logout
andrewjr@hu3cs41c ~ $ xrandr --verbose
Screen 0: minimum 1280 x 1024, current 1400 x 1050, maximum 1400 x 1050
default connected 1400x1050+0+0 (0x54) normal (normal left inverted right) 0mm x 0mm
        Identifier: 0x53
        Timestamp: -498900606
        Subpixel: unknown
        Clones:
        CRTC: 0
        CRTCs: 0
  1400x1050 (0x54) 88.2MHz
        h: width 1400 start 0 end 0 total 1400 skew 0 clock 63.0KHz
        v: height 1050 start 0 end 0 total 1050 clock 60.0Hz
  1280x1024 (0x55) 78.6MHz
        h: width 1280 start 0 end 0 total 1280 skew 0 clock 61.4KHz
        v: height 1024 start 0 end 0 total 1024 clock 60.0Hz

[Jody (jody)]

Created an attachment (id=13150)
requested output

Using the 2.2 release

commit 177924e879564b7e9e70fd607141978bfd053fff
Author: Jesse Barnes <email address hidden>
Date: Thu Nov 8 18:16:48 2007 -0800

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

I tried with the Hardy Alpha 2 CD today, and I can confirm that the version of xserver-xorg-video-intel (2:2.2.0-1ubuntu1) used there does NOT fix the problem. I get the exact same symptoms - flickering screen as if the refresh rate were set incredibly low - as I did in Gutsy before applying the aforementioned patch.

This bug is a potential showstopper for some Intel 855GM users, as bug #155312 prevents the use of the old i810 drivers as a fallback, essentially rendering the system unusable unless the patch is applied.

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

Created an attachment (id=13849)
fix 8xx clock p2 value

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

sorry for the long latency...

Would you please try the attached patch to see if anything changed?

For those who have i810-1.7.4 working on your laptops, would you please try to dump the registers when your laptop is working? You can use the intel_reg_dump tool which is in the new driver package (xf86-video-intel/src/reg_dump).

With this kind of info, we may compare the difference between intel-driver and vbios when programming the display registers.

Thanks,
Hong

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

Everything looks fine for me after removing the monitor sections from xorg.conf (1.4.0.90 + intel 2.2-branch)

[Michael Fu (michael-fu-intel)]

Lukasz Jernas,

could you post your xorg.conf file here? Did you apply Hong's patch?

Jody,

any update from you?

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

Created an attachment (id=13878)
DeeJay1's xorg.conf

It looks ugly (most of it can and should be stripped away) but works for me.

[Łukasz Jernaś (deejay1)]

It was without Hong's patch.

[Jody (jody)]

Created an attachment (id=13891)
xrandr --verbose, ddcprobe, xorg.conf, and modedebug run

Unchanged with patch applied to git HEAD.

commit db0a7c569e383436a2725e1e74f35fb426da1196
Author: Andreas Stawinoga <email address hidden>
Date: Thu Jan 24 08:51:09 2008 +0800

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

(In reply to comment #22)
> Created an attachment (id=13891) [details]
> xrandr --verbose, ddcprobe, xorg.conf, and modedebug run
>
> Unchanged with patch applied to git HEAD.
>
> commit db0a7c569e383436a2725e1e74f35fb426da1196
> Author: Andreas Stawinoga <email address hidden>
> Date: Thu Jan 24 08:51:09 2008 +0800
>

It's weird that your log doesn't change with patch applied.

(II) intel(0): DPLL_B: 0x90046000 (enabled, non-dvo, spread spectrum clock, LVDS mode, p1 = 3, p2 = 14)
              p2 should be 7 after patch applied

(II) intel(0): pipe A dot 50307 n 2 m1 18 m2 7 p1 13 p2 4
(II) intel(0): pipe B dot 122857 n 3 m1 22 m2 7 p1 3 p2 7
               the dot is wrong because we are using the 96M/100M ref clock which only available on i9XX platform. After patch, we should use 48M/66M ref clock.

(II) intel(0): Modeline "1280x768"x0.0 40.54 1280 1328 1440 1688 768 771 777 806 (24.0 kHz)
 the dotclock should be changed to 80.09MHz.

Would you please recheck the patch is applied, thanks.

Can you try the following mode by xrandr to see if it works?
Modeline "1280x768"x0.0 80.09 1280 1328 1440 1688 768 771 777 806

Thanks,
Hong

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

Created an attachment (id=13948)
ProTech's xorg.conf, xorg log, xrandr --verbose, ddcprobe

I used the following Gentoo packages:

xorg-server-1.3.0.0
x11-drivers/xf86-video-i810-2.2.1_pre20080123 + patch from this bug

The display is still flickering.

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

I tried to compile this reg_dumper program, but it failed. All I did was:
# ./autogen.sh
# cd src/reg_dumper/
# make

main.c:32:23: error: pciaccess.h: No such file or directory

Is this because I'm running xorg-server 1.3 or I made a mistake somewhere?

[Julien Cristau (jcristau)]

(In reply to comment #25)
> I tried to compile this reg_dumper program, but it failed. All I did was:
> # ./autogen.sh
> # cd src/reg_dumper/
> # make
>
> main.c:32:23: error: pciaccess.h: No such file or directory
>
> Is this because I'm running xorg-server 1.3 or I made a mistake somewhere?
>
reg_dumper needs libpciaccess. You can get it from
git://anongit.freedesktop.org/git/xorg/lib/libpciaccess

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

Created an attachment (id=13952)
ProTech's regdump with 1.7.4

After installing libpciaccess I was able to compile the reg_dumper utility.

Here is the output with the 1.7.4 driver, which is working correctly for me.

[Michael Fu (michael-fu-intel)]

(In reply to comment #23)
> (In reply to comment #22)

> Would you please recheck the patch is applied, thanks.
>
> Can you try the following mode by xrandr to see if it works?
> Modeline "1280x768"x0.0 80.09 1280 1328 1440 1688 768 771 777 806
>
> Thanks,
> Hong
>

Jody, Need your response...

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

(In reply to comment #27)
> Created an attachment (id=13952) [details]
> ProTech's regdump with 1.7.4
>
> After installing libpciaccess I was able to compile the reg_dumper utility.
>
> Here is the output with the 1.7.4 driver, which is working correctly for me.
>

Hi, ProTech
Thanks for providing the log, and would you please try the following mode to see if it works?
Modeline "1400x1050_test" 106.86 1400 1416 1528 1688 1050 1051 1054 1066

Thanks,
Hong

[Prot3ch (prot3ch)]

I made a mistake last time I checked the patch. It's working now with or without setting the Modeline.

The mistake: I used the Gentoo ebuild unpack method to extract the source, then applied the patch manually and then executed the ebuild install, which installed it under /var/tmp/portage/something. I missed the last step ebuild merge, which installs it to the real system. I never used these ebuild commands before...

Thanks for the fix.

[Jody (jody)]

Created an attachment (id=14044)
log

My apologies. I had recompiled and installed, but not checked to see if the new module was actually being used. The changes appear to fix things for me.

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

*** Bug 11917 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

Patch is commited.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

This should be fixed in the upstream release 2.2.0.90.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

2.2.0.90 is uploaded; marking fix released.

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

I just installed the Alpha 4 version of Hardy on a Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook E4010 featuring an Intel 855 GM chip. According to Synaptic I am using the above-mentioned 2.2.0.90 driver release. The flickering is still there. Since I was confused about the "option modedebug true" mentioned by GSPR I tried with and without it. Maybe I put it at the wrong place? Anyway it didn't remove the flickering. Uninstalling the 2.2.0.90 and replacing it with the patched version from GSPR for testing purposes didn't work out (conflicting packages).

Please tell me whether you need more info.

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

There still seems to be an issue with the driver.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

Hardy Alpha 4 is from 31st so the Patch isn't integrated. Hardy Alpha 5 should be released today or tomorrow so you can recheck it.

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

There was an update just minutes ago for the intel driver: 2:2.2.0.90-2ubuntu7 (hardy). This didn't fix the flickering (even after reboot). Do I have to intall the Hardy 5 CD completely fresh or are the changes incorporated into my system by simply updating?

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

Although there's no announcment about Alpha 5 yet, this morning the update manager asked me whether I wanted to upgrade or not. Is there a way to which version actually is on my laptop now? By the way, the flickering doesn't want to go away. Intel driver is still version 2:2.2.0.90-2ubuntu7 (hardy). I've attached the log from X, maybe it's helpful.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

Ok, I have thought you were only using the Live CD. If you have a Hardy install the Patch should be already integrated. Btw. Hardy was delayed until 22nd (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardyReleaseSchedule).

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

You recommend waiting for the Alpha 5? Okay. Should be released today, right (22nd)? What information do you guys need in case it still refuses to work flawlessly?

[unggnu (unggnu)]

No, if you have a Hardy installation and install the updates regularly you will always have the latest Updates so it doesn't seems to be fixed or something is wrong, I don't know.

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

How shall I continue? It really makes me sad that the stupid 855GM chip isn't supported properly. Is it sensible to keep up this bug report or is it better to talk with the guys from the x driver development?

[unggnu (unggnu)]

It is always a good idea to connect with upstream especially if Ubuntu uses the latest upstream releases like in Hardy.

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

(In reply to comment #33)
> Patch is commited.
>

I am using a Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook E4010 with an Intel 855GM chip. According to the folks at ubuntu the current Alpha 5 of Hardy Heron includes the patch/fix but it's not working for me (see also Incorrect refresh rate probed from bad BIOS tables in 855GM; https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/157213). I do get the right resolution (1400x1050) but still with the annoying flicker. The x.org.log reports driver version 2:2.2.0.90-2ubuntu7 (hardy) (http://launchpadlibrarian.net/12151169/Xorg.0.log) which is supposed to solve the problem.

I'm stuck. What else information do you need?

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

I am sorry about the dumb question: what do you mean with upstream? The underlying project, i.e. the developers of the driver/xorg? I'm still new to this bug reporting business.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

Upstream means the original developers of the program/driver. I would post your information under bug report https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10773. The patch seems to be integrated and it doesn't work for you. Maybe reopen it if you are sure that you have made nothing wrong or have another card or something like that :)

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

Thank you very much, I will do that!

[unggnu (unggnu)]

@gspr
If you have some time could you please recheck the issue with Hardy Alpha 5 Live CD (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/hardy/alpha-5)?

[Felix Braun (felix-braun)]

I looked at the sources distributed with ubuntu hardy alpha xserver-xorg-2.2.90-2ubuntu7 and they seem to include some version of the patch albeit not the exact same version attached to this bug. And I can confirm that the issue has regressed for me too. Moreover, the patch does no longer apply :-(

[Störm Poorun (subs-olan)]

I can confirm Comment #34:

I am using an acer C111Tci (Acer C100 series) running Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5.

The graphics processor is 855GM, resolution 1024x768, @ 60Hz

I have to fall back on the i810 driver, which works with a previous (fully configured0 xorg.conf, but lacks the auto-configure functionality, and does not deal well with external screens/monitors.

The refresh rate problem with the Intel driver has persisted for me, even with the latest release I have installed - xserver-xorg-2.2.90-2ubuntu7.

The resolution has been set correctly by the driver, but the refresh rate is still wrong - 130Hz! I am still suffereing flickering and an unusable display as a result. (I cannot change the refresh rate with randr.)

[Hong-liu (hong-liu)]

Would you please try the latest git version of our driver?

We've made a mistake when committing the patch. And the fix has been committed (commit id cdc5cb7c3d24f36a30fb931b43ec6df8294709e2), I am not sure whether your ubuntu package (xserver-xorg-2.2.90-2ubuntu7) has the this patch.

Thanks,
Hong

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

(In reply to comment #37)
> Would you please try the latest git version of our driver?
>
> ...
>
> Thanks,
> Hong

I'd like to give it a try, but ...

Is there a manual for creating this driver from the sources? I just stumbled through the git manual but wasn't able to find a hint to this task. I am new to this.

[Gordon Jin (gordon-jin)]

(In reply to comment #38)
> Is there a manual for creating this driver from the sources?
http://www.intellinuxgraphics.org/install.html

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

unggnu: I just tried the Hardy Alpha 5 Live CD, and I can verify that the bug persists. The symptoms at least are exactly the same.

I also took a look at the source for xserver-xorg-video-intel for Hardy (2:2.2.0.90-2ubuntu7). The region where the Gutsy patch I'm using (see attachment) makes changes is exactly the same as it is before the patch in Gutsy.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

According to upstream there was made a mistake and a fix was committed. Could please someone fix this in the Ubuntu Intel driver?

" ------- Comment #37 From Hong Liu 2008-02-24 17:25:46 PST -------

Would you please try the latest git version of our driver?

We've made a mistake when committing the patch. And the fix has been committed
(commit id cdc5cb7c3d24f36a30fb931b43ec6df8294709e2), I am not sure whether
your ubuntu package (xserver-xorg-2.2.90-2ubuntu7) has the this patch.

Thanks,
Hong
"

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

Today's upgrade of Hardy Heron did the trick! I am very happy with a flicker-free 855GM-based lifebook :D! Thank you very much!!!

[Waldgeist_dI (noway)]

I am delighted to inform you that the flickering finally vanished for me. The upgrade from today did the trick. Thank you very much!

[D. Hugh Redelmeier (hugh-mimosa)]

See my comments in Bug #155261
They should probably be here instead.
Summary: the problem was present with Hardy Alpha 5; went away after installing
http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/x/xserver-xorg-video-intel/xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.2.1-1ubuntu2_i386.deb

Will there be an update to 7.10 to fix this problem?

[Gard Spreemann (gspreemann)]

ungnu: I'm sorry, I must have missed you request (2008-02-26). Is the problem still suspected to remain in Hardy, and is a test still needed? I get the impression things have been resolved.

[abraXxl (abra-xas)]

As of today, i tried to configure and multihead setup here. My Sony Multisync 19" CRT shows nothing than a warning, that the refresh is out of sync. Sometimes on switching the CRT on i see a very dark brown image of the desktop.

The CRT is correctly detected an xrand with out arguments show that it should have 60Hz with 1280x1024 but nothing shown. I have no clue how to help. But my xorg.conf that i tried ar e attached.

[Andreas Schildbach (schildbach)]

I'm coming from duplicate bug 165008. I'm happy to say that the bug (flickering) has been fixed for me with Hardy. Thanks a lot!