[i945] partly corrupted screen after latest updates to Hardy [945GM]

[David Kaplan]

Binary package hint: xorg

Hi,

Since the last set of hardy updates on 7/16/2008 or 7/17/2008, X is doing funny things - strange lines appear in the background and windows at times don't refresh properly when scrolling.

uname -a:

Linux jaiba 2.6.24-19-generic #1 SMP Fri Jul 11 23:41:49 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

lspci -v:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GM
L Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
 Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device 2083
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 11
 Memory at d8100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
 I/O ports at 1800 [size=8]
 Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 Memory at d8200000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K]
 Capabilities: [90] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit- Queue=0/0
Enable-
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2

00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML E
xpress Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
 Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device 2083
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
 Memory at d8180000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2

Will attach xorg.conf and X log shortly.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

Looks like a driver problem. Do you have the proposed repository activated since there was no -intel driver update since late may.

[David Kaplan (dmkaplan)]

No, I don't have the proposed repository activated. But I recently (~a week or two ago) reconfigured X so that I could switch between laptop LCD and external monitor (see bug #247342). Perhaps I never noticed the problem before this or something I did related to monitor switching caused it??

[David Kaplan (dmkaplan)]

I have figured out what I need to do to reproduce this bug. Basically, if I start the laptop without the external monitor, log in, and then switch from internal to external monitor using the screen resolution control panel, then everything works fine till the next reboot. Next time I reboot, if the external monitor is attached at boot, then the problem will occur. To fix, I need to log in, switch to internal display only, reboot with only the internal display, then switch back to external display. This is really annoying and takes a lot of time. It appears to definitely be linked to the fact that I started using the frame buffer device in order to be able to switch monitors.

[hardke01 (hardke01)]

I still get these issues in Jaunty.

Weird lines across the screen when scrolling, black bars also appear when scrolling in certain applications. Seems that the addition of an external monitor may cause this issue. I will test further and report back.

uname -a
Linux sy001428 2.6.28-11-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP Fri Apr 17 01:57:59 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

lspci -v
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
 Subsystem: Lenovo Device 2017
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
 Capabilities: [e0] Vendor Specific Information <?>
 Kernel driver in use: agpgart-intel
 Kernel modules: intel-agp

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
 Subsystem: Lenovo Device 201a
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
 Memory at ee100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
 I/O ports at 1800 [size=8]
 Memory at d0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 Memory at ee200000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K]
 Capabilities: [90] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit- Queue=0/0 Enable-
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
 Kernel modules: intelfb

00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
 Subsystem: Lenovo Device 201a
 Flags: fast devsel
 Memory at ee180000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2

xorg.conf is pretty simple.

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Configured Screen Device"
 Device "Configured Video Device"
 SubSection "Display"
  Virtual 2048 768
 EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Device"
 Identifier "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

[hardke01 (hardke01)]

Further to this rolling back to the Intel 2.4 driver it fixes the speed of compiz graphical effects and general graphics performance. However this does not fix the screen corruption when scrolling documents. This is most easily reproducible in lotus notes 8.5 however happens in multiple applications.

[hardke01 (hardke01)]

Applying the optimal configuration from the following post has fixed the issues with the screen tearing when scrolling through the lotus notes documents. The Intel driver is still the same version i was previously using so the fix must have come in either the kernel updates or in the fixmtrr.sh script.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582

The only problem is that using the current Intel driver compiz performance is dreadful.

[hardke01 (hardke01)]

The old Intel 2.4 driver combined with the new kernel updates and script has fixed all screen tearing issues.
Re installing the old 2.4 driver has also now improved the compiz performance significantly to almost what i was originally getting with intrepid.

Obviously some issues here however at least thing are working for now.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[This is an automatic notification.]

A new major version of the -intel driver is now available in Karmic.

This version includes a major reworking of the acceleration
architecture, which resolves a huge number of issues. We do not know
whether it resolves the issue you reported.

Would you mind testing Karmic Alpha-2 and seeing if it is still a
problem? CD ISO images are available here:

  http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/releases/karmic/

If the issue can still be reproduced on karmic, please report here with
your findings, and attach a fresh Xorg.0.log from your test, and we will
be able to forward the bug upstream.

Otherwise, if the bug no longer exists in Karmic, let us know that as
well.

In the off chance you encounter different bugs while attempting to test
Karmic, please report those as new bug reports.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

We're closing this bug since it is has been some time with no response from the original reporter. However, if the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. Also, if you could, please test against the latest development version of Ubuntu, since this confirms the bug is one we may be able to pass upstream for help.

It seems likely to me this bug is gone; the -intel driver has improved immensely in Karmic and a lot of bugs are being reported as no longer present. So hopefully that's the case here too.