X display is black after 18.04 upgrade from 17.10

[Kevin Dalley]

I can manually start lightdm, and that will give me a login screen,

Unfortunately, most of the desktop environments crash after login.

Only plasma gives me a little bit of clients, though even plasma complains

All shell packages missing
And
Vboxclient warning

Under 17.10, I successfully used Wayland

WORKAROUND: Use GNOME Flashback (Metacity).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-20.21-generic 4.15.17
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,vpswitch,snap,mousepoll,resize,place,move,wall,grid,regex,imgpng,session,gnomecompat,animation,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,workarounds,scale,expo,ezoom,unityshell]
Date: Wed May 9 19:15:12 2018
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: bionic
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation HD Graphics 5500 [8086:1616] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell HD Graphics 5500 [1028:0665]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-05-18 (1087 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422)
MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS 13 9343
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=linux
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.15.0-20-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro persistent quiet splash i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 vt.handoff=1
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
Title: Xorg crash
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/23/2018
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A15
dmi.board.name: 0310JH
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA15:bd01/23/2018:svnDellInc.:pnXPS139343:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0310JH:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: XPS 13 9343
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.13.1+18.04.20180302-0ubuntu1
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.91-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.5-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:18.0.1-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20171229-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.15-2

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Kevin Dalley, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

1) Regarding non-default kernel boot parameter i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 is this required? If you remove it, how does it affect this issue?

2) After you login, are there crash files in the /var/crash folder?

3) To confirm, if you install gnome-session-flashback and login to it does this provide a WORKAROUND?

4) Do you have any self-compiled/unsupported software installed?

[Kevin Dalley (nereocystis)]

After removing:

i915.i915_enable_rc6=1

I still have problems.

I'll attach a few files from /var/crash

[Kevin Dalley (nereocystis)]

Since filing this bug, I have been successfully using lxdm as a worked around, with lxde

Recently, after I open this bug, I built my own version of

xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

following the instructions here:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/462135/touchpad-issue-jumping-cursor-while-typing-ubuntu-14-04-syndaemon-dont-help

That solved the problem with using the touchpad, but did not affect lightdm.

I have some other programs I built myself, digikam, for example.
I suspect that none of the others are at fault, but I'm not positive.

[Kevin Dalley (nereocystis)]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I just installed:
gnome-session-flashback

Working:
Gnome Flashback (Metacity)

not working:
Gnome Flashback (Compiz)

And a new item in /var/crash:

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Kevin Dalley:

1) To advise, you will not want to manually attach crash reports. This is due to how they may contain sensitive information you would not want to release publicly.

2) Regarding those crash reports, in order to process them automatically and in a privacy respectful way, it is best to execute the following via a terminal on each crash report:
ubuntu-bug /var/crash/FILENAME.crash

where FILENAME is replaced with the actual file name.

3) Regarding i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 could you please advise to:
* Why you were using it to begin with?
* Now that you removed it, do you have more/less/same issues?

4) To rule out left over update cruft and self-compiled programs, could you please test http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ and advise to the results?

[Kevin Dalley (nereocystis)]

Finally getting back to this.

My notes on setting enable_rc6 aren't very good.

I may have started using it as a possible way to extend battery life, as mentioned here.

I don't notice a difference now that I have removed it.

https://askubuntu.com/questions/93654/why-does-my-computer-get-less-battery-life-with-ubuntu-compared-to-windows#38194

I tried the cdimage mentioned above, and it works.

What does that ultimately suggest?

I didn't have a login screen for the cdimage, of course.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Kevin Dalley, to clarify your comment:

>"I tried the cdimage mentioned above, and it works. What does that ultimately suggest? I didn't have a login screen for the cdimage, of course."

You said the image works, but you don't have a login screen. Not having a login screen would be considered not working. Could you please clarify?

[Kevin Dalley (nereocystis)]

I did not install the image, just ran it from the USB stick.

By default, it does not not have a login screen, since there is a single user, I believe.

I added a second user, and logged in to that user, which was successful.

But this may be different from what I see on my long-installed system.

Does the default use lightdm?

I didn't check.