[i945] Screen flickering after logging in

[Javier Cabezas]

I'm using Ubuntu Jaunty. Relevant packages' versions:

xserver-xorg-video-intel: 2.5.1-1ubuntu7
libdrm-intel-1: 2.4.1-0ubuntu8
xserver-xorg-core: 1.5.99.3-0ubuntu3
linux-image-2.6.28-4

I have noticed that the following lines are printed many times:

(II) intel(0): Printing DDC gathered Modelines:
(II) intel(0): Modeline "1280x800"x0.0 71.00 1280 1328 1360 1440 800 803 809 823 -hsync -vsync (49.3 kHz)
(II) intel(0): EDID vendor "APP", prod id 40030
(II) intel(0): EDID vendor "APP", prod id 40030

but after flickering stops, it is not printed anymore.

I'll attach lspci, xorg.conf, Xorg.0.log

[lspci]
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub [8086:27a0] (rev 03)
     Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:7270]
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27a2] (rev 03)
     Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:7270]

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. This bug did not have a package associated with it, which is important for ensuring that it gets looked at by the proper developers. You can learn more about finding the right package at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage . I have classified this bug as a bug in xserver-xorg-video-intel.
For future reference you might be interested to know that a lot of applications have bug reporting functionality built in to them. This can be accessed via the Report a Problem option in the Help menu for the application with which you are having an issue. You can learn more about this feature at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs.

[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

I have noticed that it happens when I unplug the laptop too. I don't know if it is related with the brightness lowering performed by the desktop. After the usual 20 seconds of flickering the computer is not usable for 2-3 minutes (the Xorg process uses the 100% of the CPU).

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

Are you using KDE or Gnome? Sometimes KDE has been known to probe the monitor for EDID information very often, and on some monitors an EDID probe leads to a blink (many blinks if the monitor is probed often). Do you get the same behaviour if you log in using another desktop environment?

Could you also include the output of `lspci -vvnn`? This gives numeric PCI IDs not included in `lspci -vv` that can be useful in some cases.

[Shirish Agarwal (shirishag75)]

Flickering in my case is very much in Firefox. If required can give
the lspci --vvnn.
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[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

I'm using GNOME

[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

The screen flickering (and heavy CPU usage) continues with:

xserver-xorg-video-intel 2.6.1-1ubuntu1
xserver-xorg-core 1.5.99.901-1ubuntu1
libdrm-intel1 2.4.4-0ubuntu2

[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

I attach a bootchart graph which shows the heavy CPU (Xorg process) and IO usage after logging in. I believe that the CPU and IO peaks coincide with the screen flicker.

[Furious Dave (john-mullins-27)]

i've solved disabling dim display when idle feature in power management.
Problem still exist if i try to dim display manually from function keys of laptop.
sorry for my english.
Dave

[Christian Göbel (christiangoebel)]

I suffer from a similar bug, see #344554 .
Maybe this bug can/should be marked as a duplicate?

[Ofir Klinger (klinger-ofir)]

My screen also flicker, and if I am trying to change screen brightness, the screen just freaks out and starts to flicker without stopping.

I am running Ubuntu Jaunty beta, on lenovo 3000 N100. I changed some settings in Power Management - screenshots attached.

[tangerine (2wtangerine)]

I filed a new bug which could be related to this issue.
Bug #370773.

[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.

[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

The bug was fixed for me in the latest Jaunty alpha/beta versions. It is working OK in Karmic too

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Thanks for letting us know the issue is resolved.

[Ofir Klinger (klinger-ofir)]

I still have flickers!

How can I upgrade from Jaunty stable to Karmic alpha 2 without formatting?

(If there is no other way I will format, but I prefer upgrade...)

[Javier Cabezas (javier-cabezas)]

I did not have any flickering with Jaunty stable. It would be better upgrading the video drivers only since Karmic is pretty unstable now. Try the drivers from the ubuntu-x-swat ppa:

https://edge.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x-swat/+archive/x-updates

Anyway, if you want to upgrade to karmic you don't have to format. Just open a terminal and write:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d