Backlight on laptop not working

[Matt]

Binary package hint: power-manager

After installing 17th March updates, the backlight (or whatever you want to call it) on my laptop screen stopped working as soon as I selected a kernel to boot into from grub. The settings in Power Management are all correct and Fn + F7 to make the screen brighter doesn't do anything either. Also, the backlight does work when I boot into the alpha 5 livecd, so my guess is that this is a bug, possibly caused by power-manager.

I'm using Novatech rasor pro laptop, intel x3100 graphics chip, hardy 32bit and an up-to-date system as of this bug report.

Thanks

[Kow (kow)]

I do not think it is power-manager as the only update I see in the last couple of days that would affect power management is this:

Commit Log for Sun Mar 16 15:16:34 2008

Upgraded the following packages:
acpi-support (0.105) to 0.106

[Kow (kow)]

Here is the changelog:

acpi-support (0.106) hardy; urgency=low

  * Cherrypicked bugfix patches from Launchpad (LP: #193842)
  * lib/state-funcs: make wireless led work with asus-laptop (the new module);
    patch from Nicolò Chieffo (LP: #189889)
  * Add events/asus-video to support asus switch video hotkey; patch from
    Nicolò Chieffo (LP: #138228)
  * events/asus-wireless-2, asus-wireless-2.sh:
    Support Fn+F2 on Asus A8Js; patch from Matteo Collina (LP: #105929)
  * Fix the value range in sonybright.sh (0-7 instead of 1-8); patch from unggnu
    (LP: #136380)
  * "lib/FUJITSU SIEMENS.config":
    - Enable suspend for Fujitsu-Siemens C1110 (LP: #52970)
    - Enable STR for Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook S7020, S7110
  * resume.d/50-time.sh, suspend.d/88-time.sh:
    Fix handling of hardware clock before/after suspend; patch from Rodrigo
    Novo (LP: #36815)
  * events/asus-*: Fix event key names for ASUS (HOTK); patch from
    Jeroen van der Vegt (LP: #25784)
  * Fix names in comments for events/panasonic-{mute,volume-down,volume-up}
  * debian/rules, README.toshiba: Drop toshiba_acpi.modprobe, which only
    contained an invalid/obsolete option "hotkeys_over_acpi" (LP: #180678)
  * debian/control: Standards-Version 3.7.3
  * Drop thinkpad_acpi.modprobe: the workarounds therein are not needed for
    thinkpad_acpi in Hardy anymore; investigations by Jerone Young (LP: #194679)
  * Add events/lenovo-eject to handle the Thinkpad eject button (Fn+F9); patch
    from Jerone Young (LP: #194609)

 -- Daniel Hahler <email address hidden> Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:15:54 +0100

[mabovo (mabovo)]

I have a MacBook2,1 and since A5 the keyboard leds don't flash at startup or can be lighten after gnome login.
from xorg
mabovo@macbook:~$ xprop -root | grep XKB
_XKB_RULES_NAMES_BACKUP(STRING) = "xorg", "apple_laptop", "us", "basic", "grp_led:scrol l,compose:rwin,lv3:lwin_switch,grp:alts_toggle"
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "xorg", "apple_laptop", "us", "basic", "grp_led:scrol l,compose:rwin,lv3:lwin_switch,grp:alts_toggle"
mabovo@macbook:~$ gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/kbd
 layouts = [us basic]
 model = apple_laptop
 options = [grp_led grp_led:scrol l,Compose key compose:rwin,lv3 lv3:lwin_switch,grp grp:alts_toggle]
 overrideSettings = true
from dmesg:
[ 37.041515] usbcore: registered new interface driver hiddev
[ 37.045606] input: Apple Computer Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.0/input/input7
[ 37.099620] input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Apple Computer Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad] on usb-0000:00:1d.0-2
[ 37.103318] input: Apple Computer Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.2/input/input8
[ 37.107683] Linux video capture interface: v2.00
[ 37.159528] input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.11 Device [Apple Computer Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad] on usb-0000:00:1d.0-2
[ 37.162167] appletouch: Geyser mode initialized.
[ 37.162221] input: appletouch as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.1/input/input9
[ 37.165501] hiddev96hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Device [Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver] on usb-0000:00:1d.2-2
[ 37.182633] input: HID 05ac:1000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.3/usb4/4-1/4-1:1.0/input/input10
[ 37.287281] input,hidraw3: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [HID 05ac:1000] on usb-0000:00:1d.3-1
[ 37.311417] input: HID 05ac:1000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.3/usb4/4-1/4-1:1.1/input/input11
[ 37.375112] input,hidraw4: USB HID v1.11 Mouse [HID 05ac:1000] on usb-0000:00:1d.3-1
[ 37.375133] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbhid
[ 37.375136] /build/buildd/linux-2.6.24/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c: v2.6:USB HID core driver
[ 37.375354] usbcore: registered new interface driver appletouch
[ 37.966208] usbcore: registered new interface driver appleir
[ 37.966211] /build/buildd/linux-ubuntu-modules-2.6.24-2.6.24/debian/build/build-generic/mactel/appleir.c: v1.1:USB Apple MacMini IR Receiver driver
[ 38.726151] lp: driver loaded but no devices found
[ 38.987963] applesmc: Apple MacBook detected:
[ 38.987967] applesmc: - Model with accelerometer
[ 38.987969] applesmc: - Model without light sensors and backlight
[ 38.987970] applesmc: - Model with 10 temperature sensors
[ 39.045461] applesmc: device successfully initialized (0xe0, 0x00).
[ 39.045464] applesmc: device successfully initialized.
[ 39.046636] applesmc: 1 fans found.
[ 39.047158] input: applesmc as /devices/platform/applesmc.768/input/input12
[ 39.092160] applesmc: driver successfully loaded.
[ 54.021706] appletouch: incomplete data package (first byte: 2, length: 4).
[ 54.955662] input: Mouseemu virtual keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input13
[ 54.995218] input: Mouseemu virt...

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

I am using acpi-support (0.107) and I still have this problem.

[Kow (kow)]

I am kind of floating around the possibilities right now but... Can you try acpi-support-.105?

http://launchpadlibrarian.net/11313847/acpi-support_0.105_i386.deb
http://launchpadlibrarian.net/11313844/acpi-support_0.105_amd64.deb

There are other archs but those 2 cover 99% of all Ubuntu users.

[mabovo (mabovo)]

Is that possibly causing keyboard leds to not light up ?

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

Kow, downgrading that package did not fix my problem.

Mabovo, I don't know if that was aimed at me, but I don't have any issues with keyboard LEDs not showing up.

Cheers

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

I have just changed my screen res from 1280 x 800 to 1280 x 768 and my backlight works! Sadly, the picture on1280 x 768 isn't as "sharp" or "crisp" etc as the other one, but its just about usable. Hopefully this can point us in the right direction to get a fix :D

[bclintbe (bclintbe)]

I've been using 7.10 on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop (ATI driver enabled) and just installed the 8.04 Beta. If I try to run off of battery the screen dims to the point that it is almost impossible to see. I checked System>Preferences>Power Management and went to the On Battery Power tab. Unchecked "Reduce backlight brightness" and "Dim display when idle." No effect. As soon as I plug back in everything is back to normal brightness. The dimness is only a problem on battery power.

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

I believe my problem is now due to a bug in the 965 intel graphics driver.

I grabbed the following updated driver from the below link and it didn't fix my problem.
http://people.ubuntu.com/~bryce/Uploads/xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.2.1-1ubuntu6_i386.deb. I know the ubuntu7 driver is going to hit the repos soon, so hopefully that fixes my problem.

However, I have found a workaround. If I switch to 1280 x 768 then switch back to 1280 x 800, the backlight works.

[Yuren Ju (yurenju)]

i use thinkpad x61 (intel X3100), the backlight up/down can't work, neither xbacklight can.

[bclintbe (bclintbe)]

Today tried unplugging the laptop and running off of battery again. Now when I use Fn + Up/Down Arrows the screen brightness does change and I can get it up to a normal brightness. I didn't see any updates going thru that seemed to be related to this, but I'm just happy it seems to be working ok now.

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

I have just reinstalled Hardy Beta (28th march daily build), ran all updates and this is still a problem. My FN + brightness keys don't work either. My workaround which I posted earlier in this report still works though.

[Matt (mattbutler-2)]

This bug has been fixed

[Oguz Yarimtepe (oguzy)]

At which package did this bug fixed?

[avinash (avula-avinash)]

i'm using emachines E725 i have installed ubuntu 11.04 and the backlight of my laptop screen stopped working as soon as I selected ubuntu to boot into from grub but when i select win 7 it work normally