switching users distorts graphics

[ricardisimo]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-openchrome

I'm on Ubuntu 9.04, running xserver-xorg-video-openchrome version 1:0.2.903+svn713-1ubuntu1.

My computer uses a Biostar P4M90-M4 motherboard, and my graphics card is a VIA Chrome 9 HC.

I log in, browse a while, go to the kitchen to get a snack, and come back to find that my wife has switched to her user account. I mumble under my breath for a while until she leaves. When I log back into my account (and it doesn't appear to matter if I log her out or just switch users) my screen is striated vertically. These lines aren't like video noise, moving left and right - they are just there, completely still, distorting the screen.

I log back into her account, and her display is pristine. THEN, I try logging into my son's account, and his display is also perfect. OK, fine... I log out of his account and go back to my wife's... and now hers is also striated. So, it appears that only the last user to log in has full graphics functionality with openchrome.

I reported something similar with this card several distributions ago when the vesa driver was the best I could get, Bug #117638 [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/117638]. In that case, however, it was crucial that different users had different screen resolutions. My wife, son and I now all have the exact same resolution. Also, the striation appears on the login splash screen after a few logins and logouts, which was not the case before.

Please let me know if there is any further information I can give here. I thank you, as always, for all of the good work that you do.

[lspci]
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN896/VN896/P4M900 Host Bridge [1106:0364]
     Subsystem: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN896/VN896/P4M900 Host Bridge [1106:0364]
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN896/VN896/P4M900 [Chrome 9 HC] [1106:3371] (rev 01)
     Subsystem: Biostar Microtech Int'l Corp Device [1565:1207]

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi ricardisimo,

Please attach the output of `lspci -vvnn`, and attach your /var/log/Xorg.0.log (and maybe Xorg.0.log.old) file from after reproducing this issue. If you've made any customizations to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf please attach that as well.

[This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

Here's the lspci output...

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

... and the Xorg.0.log...

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

... and finally the Xorg.0.log.old file. All of the above, I should mentioned were done while staring at a messed-up screen with the striation I described - this time by switching users from me to my wife and back to me again.

Thanks again for your attention to this.

Related, but somewhat off-topic: Is the proprietary VIA driver something for me to look into in your opinion, or no? Bear in mind that I have NO positive experiences compiling from source...

[Bartosz Kosiorek (gang65)]

I think this bug was fixed by latest openchrome version.

Please build, install the latest version of openchrome.
The instructions how to do it is there:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OpenChrome

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

I'll give it a shot as soon as I get home, but three things:

1) What are the odds that I'll find a newer driver than what was included with a fresh Jaunty install?

2) The instructions on the Community openchrome page appear to be from pre-Gutsy days. Xorg.conf files don't have any information to edit any longer, so I can't replace "vesa" with "openchrome"... there's no "vesa" to replace. And likewise, sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg does very little now in terms of configuration, or at least that was my experience in Gutsy, Hardy and Intrepid.

3) Finally, aren't I already using the latest version of openchrome?

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

My Xorg.0.log file says:
"(II) Module openchrome: vendor="http://openchrome.org/"
 compiled for 1.5.99.902, module version = 0.2.903
 Module class: X.Org Video Driver"
According to the openchrome.org site, 0.2.903 is the latest version. If you just want me to try reinstalling, I can do that, but it doesn't appear that I can get any newer version of this driver. Am I missing something?

[Martin Olsson (mnemo)]

At any rate, it seems like a good idea to describe this problem to the upstream developers. Please open a bug here: http://openchrome.org/trac/report and then link the upstream bug to this bug report using the "Also affects project" link near the top of this page (that way, if upstream fixes the bug then ubuntu packagers immediately get notified).

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

Done: http://openchrome.org/trac/ticket/298

Please look it over, as I am a perpetual noob, and may have missed something obvious. Thanks.

P.S. - For example, I didn't see any "Also affects..." option. Sorry.

[Flávio Etrusco (etrusco)]

Hi Bryce,
the openchrome package in the/your Xorg PPA (in https://edge.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x-swat/+archive/x-updates/) fix this issue for me, and I suggested it to the OP (in the openchrome trac).
Do you have other suggestions?

[ricardisimo (ricardisimo)]

I can confirm with some certainty that the new driver that etrusco recommended is working perfectly well. No distortion issues at all thus far.

I have tried opening numerous user accounts at once, switching users, closing and reopening accounts rapidly (I didn't mention it earlier, but the new timed logout in Jaunty may have had some effect on the issue as well). None of this seems to affect the graphics, certainly not negatively.

Thank you etrusco! Thank you launchpad and openchrome project!

[Bartosz Kosiorek (gang65)]

Here you have changes which should be done to fix this bug:

http://www.openchrome.org/trac/changeset/734/trunk

[Bartosz Kosiorek (gang65)]

This bug was fixed in Karmic Koala