Title bar disapeared

[Yousry Abdallah]

Binary package hint: unity

All title bars disappear after working for some time.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.10-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,snap,commands,compiztoolbox,resize,regex,animation,water,place,vpswitch,workarounds,mousepoll,gnomecompat,move,grid,imgpng,session,expo,wall,ezoom,unitymtgrabhandles,staticswitcher,fade,scale,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Thu Apr 28 08:54:44 2011
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-04-27 07:06:28.809714
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: fglrx, 8.840, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc M96 [Mobility Radeon HD 4650] [1002:9480] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Sony Corporation Device [104d:9035]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
JockeyStatus: xorg:fglrx - Proprietärer FGLRX-Grafiktreiber von ATI/AMD (Proprietär, Aktiviert, In Benutzung)
MachineType: Sony Corporation VGN-FW41J_H
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=de:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=de_DE.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=089c865c-e4c9-481b-8704-81ed7787d8f0 ro acpi_sleep=nonvs quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-27 (1 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 08/27/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R3110Y0
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR3110Y0:bd08/27/2009:svnSonyCorporation:pnVGN-FW41J_H:pvrC601TTZU:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: VGN-FW41J_H
dmi.product.version: C601TTZU
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu2
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu13
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

[Sly (netrefuge)]

What program(s) were you running when the titlebars disappeared?

Need a little more detail.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please try to obtain a backtrace following the instructions at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash and upload the backtrace (as an attachment) to the bug report. This will greatly help us in tracking down your problem.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

it seems that the unity-window-decorator is exiting, could you enable apport or get a stacktrace using gdb?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

seems similar to bug #771929, did you customize your decorator layout?

[Whinis (john-p-turner)]

Messing with plugins it appears that window switcher plugins are causing this. I disabled Static window switcher and my title bar came back and then when I enabled shift switcher it disappeared again. Disabling Shift Switcher did not however make the bar appear again

[vatbier (vatbier)]

I found the workaround here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/40355/the-chrome-around-my-windows-appears-to-have-disappeared-any-ideas-why:
Hit Ctrl + Alt + T to open a new terminal
Then type "compiz-decorator &" and hit enter
You can now close the terminal

[vatbier (vatbier)]

oops sorry. Typing "compiz-decorator &" in a terminal and closing that terminal is not the way to do it because the command exits also when you close the terminal.
The correct way is running Alt+F2 and typing compiz-decorator.
Or in a terminal typing "nohup compiz-decorator". With "nohup" the command is detached from the tty of the terminal and becomes its own session or something like that.