flickering on external screen

[hanfkeks]

Binary package hint: xorg

I use a laptop (Dell Inspiron 6400, with an ATI X1300) and have an external screen attached (via VGA, res. 1920x1200).

When I boot without the external monitor attached everything is fine,
if the monitor is attached the image on the external screen is scrambled (horizontal flickering, as if the frequency is wrong).
If i then use the function key on the laptop to switch of the laptop screen, and have only the external monitor suddenly everything is fine. But i have to do that before I log in, once I log in this trick doesn't work any and will result in a freeze.

The scrambled image is already that way when the ubuntu boot logo is shown,
and also when I switch to a console with CTRL+F_ .

This bug occured after updating from kernel
2.6.32-14-generic(last ine to work properly) to the next one, is can still boot with that kernel and everything works fine.
(So i'm not sure if it is a xorg or a kernel bug)

if you need any more information or need me to try sth out please let me know.

----
Description: Ubuntu lucid (development branch)
Release: 10.04

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: xorg 1:7.5+5ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-19.28-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-19-generic i686
Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: f09df0fdd3530e2a1218a8d41b922fe1
CheckboxSystem: d00f84de8a555815fa1c4660280da308
Date: Fri Apr 9 20:14:17 2010
DkmsStatus: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha i386 (20100224.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. MM061
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-19-generic root=UUID=b0ee0216-ba33-4ce9-90cf-bbbedc4d9041 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: xorg
dmi.bios.date: 06/13/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A17
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA17:bd06/13/2007:svnDellInc.:pnMM061:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: MM061
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucid
 architecture: i686
 kernel: 2.6.32-19-generic

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Can you include a photo of the external monitor that shows the corruption?

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

I have the same problem with "01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility X1400" on "Linux 2.6.32-20-generic #30-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 12 15:20:57 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux" Ubuntu 10.04 beta2. I'll post a picture as soon as possible. If additional information is claimed I can make it available.

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

After disableing the external monitor the notebook LCD-screen begin to flicker an stays unreadable

[hanfkeks (c-weber23)]

@Christian: thank you for adding the image & the video, i'm travelling right now so can't add any pictures, but for me it looks exactly the same.

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

@Bryce/@all: is there a possibility to help finding the bug or to test paches? What happens with this bug-report. Is it forwarded to the xorg-developers? >> I'd like to help but I've no idea on the "how to help" :/

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

i'm not sure but there's probably the same problem in an older bug report described as "shivering" - see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/linux/+bug/541501

[Crackh34d (bartmacco)]

I have exactly the same problem. Karmic works fine, but I just tested 10.04 Beta 2 on a USB-stick. Everything works fine without an external screen. But when I use an external screen, I get the same effect as is shown in the attached picture. Everything else works fine. However, if I press Fn+F7 (switches screens) or start the Display application, I get a full freeze, Ctrl+Alt+F1 doesn't work.

Hardware: Lenovo T60p, FireGL V5250 (The same chip as x1650 Pro I believe)

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

I unmarked this bug as duplicate of 541501 as there is a patch for 541501 - but no update that was released last time seemed to help me with my problem of flickering and shivering on external monitor.

but as i installed the latest kernel from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/MainlineBuilds?action=show&redirect=KernelMainlineBuilds the problem doesn't appear again. probably the bug is not in the *-ati package but in the kernel?

[Robert Hooker (sarvatt)]

If it is 2.6.33.3 that you tried then indeed it is a duplicate of the other bug, can you please try that kernel to see if it is fixed? the drm code from 2.6.33.3 will be included in the next update.

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v2.6.33.3-lucid/

[Christian Bitschnau (christian-bitschnau)]

I tried the 2.6.33.3 but the problem's still the same for me.

With " 2.6.34-020634rc4-generic #020634rc4 SMP Mon Apr 19 08:39:49 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux" the problem is solved for me as mentioned in #11. I hope people understand, what i meen by "the latest kernel" - i meant the latest rc for v2.6.34.

[hanfkeks (c-weber23)]

I also installed 2.6.33.3 from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v2.6.33.3-lucid/ and it didn't change anything,
i will try the kernel Christian proposed during the weekend to see if this works for me too.

[Bob Swarner (bob-swarner)]

I was having the same problem on a Dell Inspiron E1705. I followed Christian's advice and installed 2.6.34-020634rc6-generic. This seems to have resolved the problem for me.

[flashydave (dave-opensourcesolutions)]

I have the same flickering problem on external monitor at 1280x1024 on an HP 6400 with an X1300 chipset running kernel 2.6.35-14-generic from Maverick (Alpha 2). It only shows when you move the mouse.

It is OK at lower resolutions.

[Henrique Sant'Anna (hsantanna)]

Still present in Maverick RC.

Only the external VGA flickers, can be LCD monitor or a projector.

So I can't do my teaching presentations using Linux, have to boot windows7. That is a shame to me, because I frequently advocates about free software to the students, so they ask me "why do you tell us about linux and use windows?". I have to say that hp doesn't support me to resolve this issue, but they fills like Linux isn't good enough to get a projector working. =/

I have a HP DV4 2080BR, with switchable ATI/Intel graphics. Firstly I suspected that as Linux doesn't support the switchable thing, with the both GPUs enabled, the external VGA flickers.

Yesterday I got to disable the ATI GPU with:
echo OFF > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch

That way only Intel integrated GPU is enabled, while ATI is powered off.

So I connected a external VGA monitor and to my deception the flickering (or "shivering") doesn't disappeared.

Will not be today that I will show my beautiful Kubuntu Desktop on my class.

[Crackh34d (bartmacco)]

I can confirm there are still problems with external monitor. I have a thinkpad T60p with FireGL V5250 (=x1650 Pro).

On Lucid, I would get the shivering on screen. When I upgraded the kernel on Lucid using the kernel PPA, the shivering went away. However, if I used an external monitor the system would start to flicker and then freeze completely after a random amount of time. If I don't use an external screen, my system is 100% stable.

This week I installed Maverick, hoping the problem would disappear. However, I got exactly the same behaviour.

The workaround is to put radeon.modeset=0 in GRUB. However, this has its obvious disadvantages.

Also, a fellow student of mine with a Thinkpad T60 and X1400 has exactly the same problems in Lucid and Maverick.

[hanfkeks (c-weber23)]

Using the Beta of Maverick, I also still had the same problem.
But now after reinstalling Maverick (the final) from scratch for me everything is working perfectly now.
Maybe worth a try for Crackh34d and Henrique Sant'Anna.
Then this would be closed, at least for Maverick.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

hanfkeks, this bug report is being closed due to your last comment https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/559482/comments/19 regarding this being fixed with an update. For future reference you can manage the status of your own bugs by clicking on the current status in the yellow line and then choosing a new status in the revealed drop down box. You can learn more about bug statuses at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Status. Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please submit any future bugs you may find.