Secondary X screen doesn't have app launcher

[Torsten Bronger]

Binary package hint: unity

With the nVidia driver and the "separate X screen" setting, the secondary X screen (screen1) is useless. I can see it, I see the wallpaper image, I can move the mouse cursor and right-click on the background. However, I see no way to place an application on it.

In other words, the second app launcher and system tray/menu bar for this screen is missing for screen1.

You can launch a program on screen1 with

    "$ xterm -display :0.1 &"

but it has no window decorations, and it cannot get keyboard focus.

[Christopher James Petrolino (cpetrolino)]

I can confirm that I am having the same issue. I'm using nVidia driver version 270.41.06.

[kevin heirman (kevin-heirman)]

Similar situation with the same driver after doing a dist-upgrade.

[Michael Nyberg (michael-nyberg)]

I have the exact same problem.
have tried to open programs with "$ xterm -display :0.1 &" as well with the same result, no window decorations or keyboard focus.

[riddings (riddings-iounlimited)]

Exact same problem.

Using Nvidia Driver 270.41.19

I have two video cards. One video card drives two monitors in TwinView. The second video card drives a single monitor using a Separate X Screen.

[Daniel Steinberg (dstein64)]

I am having the same problem. A temporary solution is to log in to Ubuntu Classic, which doesn't have the new Unity interface. To log in to Ubuntu Classic, select your username from the login menu, then before entering your password, select Ubuntu Classic from the menu at the bottom of the screen.

[Hendrix Tavarez (htavarez)]

I had the same issue and temporarily fixed it by executing the following command

$DISPLAY=:0.1 compiz

[Deejay_TNT (idaho)]

Same issue, no unity panel on the second monitor after dist-upgrade.

[Steven Haber (sthaber)]

This is even more of a problem in 11.10. There is now no background on the second monitor.

[Harald Skoglund (harald-skoglund)]

Same issue in 11.10 release. The compiz workaround, works sort of. But it's pretty ugly.

[amay82 (andimayer82-deactivatedaccount)]

Have the same problem.

[David Barri (japgolly)]

Same here.

If you have an Nvidia GTX 560 here are the only options you (don't) have to rotate a single monitor.
1) Nvidia drivers, separate X screens, rotate one with randr <-- doesn't work because of this bug
2) Nvidia drivers, xinerama <-- composite disabled, can only run Unity 2d
3) Nvidia drivers, twinview <-- can't rotate one
4) Nouveau drivers, xinerama <-- driver doesn't support 5xx series.

Wow.

I left linux around a decade ago and just stuck with windows cos hardware support was poor and you always ended up spending weeks just trying to get low-level fundamental requirements working (before you even began to use the OS in earnest)..... and oh look, 10 years later i'm faced with the same experience, someone just put some Unity lens on it. So sad.

[Alberto Salvia Novella (es20490446e)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please execute the following command, as it will automatically gather debugging information, in a terminal:
apport-collect 779867
When reporting bugs in the future please use apport by using 'ubuntu-bug' and the name of the package affected. You can learn more about this functionality at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs.

[Alberto Salvia Novella (es20490446e)]

Priority set to 'high' because the bug is a problem with an essential hardware component (the screen).

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Unity because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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