blank screen after user switch in logout menu

[TommyBoy]

Binary package hint: fast-user-switch-applet

This bug is intermittent, seems that it might be related to when networking in enabled in network manager. This is not confirmed.

To reproduce:

Chhose switch user and then try to login as the user who is already logged in enter password. See if desktop displays. One time out of 10 you will get a blank screen no windows/desktop. However the system is still running because if i do alt+f2 and type orca i can angivate the system blind.

Expected:

To return to my desktop as before.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: fast-user-switch-applet (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Sat Mar 27 15:26:49 2010
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha i386 (20100325)
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: fast-user-switch-applet
---
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha i386 (20100325)
Package: indicator-session 0.2.7-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[Martin Meredith (mez)]

This is something that was identified in the Birmingham Global Jam... Personally, I can't get this issue myself, however, I've seen it happening on multiple other machines we have here...

Attaching info to this from my machine, to hopefully help show differences.

[blu Jay (gordon-hammond)]

I am having this same problem. It does not seem to be related to network manager as it happens whether it is disabled or not.

[Martin Meredith (mez)]

Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha i386 (20100325)
Package: indicator-session 0.2.7-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/zsh
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[Martin Meredith (mez)]

apport information

[TommyBoy (thomaslloyd)]

apport information

[blu Jay (gordon-hammond)]

Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: bf865b7e3da0c958f925ce81c621fa3f
CheckboxSystem: 55ba142b3b792c71cc61171c782c3b13
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Beta i386 (20100318)
Package: indicator-session 0.2.7-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-17.26-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-17-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[blu Jay (gordon-hammond)]

apport information

[Rafael Monica (monraaf-deactivatedaccount)]

if you do alt+f2 and type:

xgamma -gamma 1.0

Does that restore the display? If so this is probably a duplicate of this bug:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/xserver-xorg-driver-ati/+bug/546578

[Aethralis (aethralis)]

Seems also similar to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/529882

[hads (hads)]

I think I'm seeing this bug. Using a T400 laptop with the intel driver. It's more like one in two than one in ten for me though. Also, unfortunately I can't ALT-F2 or do anything, I need to ssh in from another host and restart gdm.

[Cameron Matheson (cameron-matheson)]

I'm also on a laptop with the intel driver. Running xgamma doesn't help. This affects me nearly every time I try to switch users.

[Chris Pick (cpick)]

If I switch from user A to user B and user B is not logged in, then I don't get the black screen issue. However, If I try to switch to a user who is already logged in, I get the black screen issue.

I'm currently running an nVidia MCP78S [GeForce 8200] with the default open source drivers on a fresh install of Lucid with dual monitors.

The xgamma workaround works partially for me, it restores one of my monitors but not the other (which happens to be the one with my gnome panels unfortunately).

[Jack Zubyk (jzubyk)]

I am having this problem as well. It worked fine in 9.10. I did an upgrade and now get a blank screen during bootup and when I switch users when that users is already logged on. It happens everytime.

[Dave Erickson (david-j-erickson)]

I am also having the same issue. Running a Lenovo G550, Intel graphics chip. It happens every time for me too.

[Magnus Ljungqvist (magnus-ljungqvist)]

Old GeForce FX 5200 and fresh installation of Lucid. Propertary nvidia driver. Switching user goes nicely but logout with another user logged in gives a black screen and a system that not responds at all. No xgamma works, or anything else, only the reset button... This bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/578139 is more exactly my problem but I have a feeling they are related. Worked fine with Karmic and, before that, Jaunty inside.

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

This is likely a dupe of bug 546578. TommyBoy, can you confirm Alt+F2 and typing in "xgamma -gamma 1.0" fixes the issue? (You might have to blindly type in your password for gnome-screensaver first.)

Anyone else, please hold off the "me toos" to this bug before we can confirm if it's a duplicate or not.

[Ivan Frederiks (idfred)]

Same bug, Alt-F2 + "xgamma -gamma 1.0" works fine.

[Paul van Genderen (paulvg)]

You don't actually need to switch to another account for this bug to reproduce. Switching to yourself can trigger this, too. Also, it seems the mouse cursor is always still visible regardless(?).

The first time I've seen this happen the screen wasn't actually all black but very dimmed, as if it tried to fade-in but failed. So the symptom was similar to that of a hung gnome-screensaver and xgamma -gamma 1.0 worked fine.

[Jack Zubyk (jzubyk)]

My problem is the same as Paul's and the Alt-F2 + "xgamma -gamma 1.0" worked for me as well.

[Jack Zubyk (jzubyk)]

I am still experiencing this bug, is there anything you need from me? Log files? Hardware info? Let me know. This occurs ever time I do "Switch User". Typing in Alt-F2 + "xgamma -gamma 1.0" will fix the problem.

[Ivan Frederiks (idfred)]

@Jack Zubyk
Update to gnome-screensaver 2.30.0-0ubuntu2 from lucid proposed.
See https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/546578

[David Tombs (dgtombs)]

OK, based on other people's comments, I'm setting this as a dupe of bug 546578. TommyBoy, if you can still reproduce the issue after the gnome-screensaver update, please un-dupe this. Thanks!

[penalvch (penalvch)]

TommyBoy, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If so, could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ .

If it remains an issue, could you please run the following command in the development release from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report:

apport-collect 549632

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xorg (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]