[Asus EeePC 1001PXD/1011PX/1015PX/1215p] External monitor scrambles desktop

[Marc Legris]

Using an external monitor attached to the VGA port causes the desktops of both the laptop and external monitor to have horizontal lines. This makes the desktop unusable.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: linux-image-2.6.38-8-generic 2.6.38-8.42
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
AplayDevices:
 **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC269VB Analog [ALC269VB Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
Architecture: i386
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC269VB Analog [ALC269VB Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: u 1164 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf7cf8000 irq 46'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC269VB'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0269,10438437,00100100'
   Controls : 10
   Simple ctrls : 6
Date: Tue May 31 14:08:31 2011
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=35f0f71a-9303-4eeb-a6d7-41c1cf4f8824
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer INC. 1001PXD
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.38-8-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-2.6.38-8-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.52
SourcePackage: linux
StagingDrivers: keucr
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/12/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0105
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: 1001PXD
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: x.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 0x00000000
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.chassis.version: x.x
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0105:bd08/12/2010:svnASUSTeKComputerINC.:pn1001PXD:pvrx.x:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rn1001PXD:rvrx.xx:cvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:ct10:cvrx.x:
dmi.product.name: 1001PXD
dmi.product.version: x.x
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.

[Ara Pulido (ara)]

Chris, can you have a look to this one, please?

[Marc Legris (maaarc-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Seeing this same behavior on the 1011PX as well.

[Xavier Dubois (xdubois)]

For info, I have exactly the same issue on Asus EEEpc 1215n.

[Victor Tuson Palau (vtuson)]

keng-yu could you give me an update on progress?

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

The bug only happens when compiz is used, when selecting "Ubuntu" (unity) or "Ubuntu Classic". When logging in "Ubuntu Classic (no effects) and using metacity, the video switch works well.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

This is much like bug 792022.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

When the VGA cable is attached, the CPU usage of compiz is really high, initially more than 90%, after a while (~1min), it becomes constantly more than 65% in `top`.

Without the VGA cable plugged, the CPU usage of compiz is rather low (1% to 3% in the observation).

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

I think we need more information or advice from a graphic/compiz expert before confirming this as a kernel bug.
I will assign the compiz task to Anthony for the assignment.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
can you please run an usb live session with persistence of Oneiric:
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/
reproduce the bug and attach here the files:
/var/log/kern.log
/var/log/Xorg.0.log
and if the bug cause you to restart the system
/var/log/Xorg.0.log.old
too.
Also please follow this debugging procedure:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingCompiz
Thanks in advance
Fabio.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

log of `compiz --replace --debug`

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

photo of the garbled screen.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

comment #11, #12, #13, #14, #15 are tested on Oneiric daily (20110728).

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

From the collected log, this seems to be more likely a bug in mesa or compiz since there is no any obvious error message in the kernel or X log.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

This bug looks much the same as bug 812135.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello keng-Yu Lin
I've experienced something similar with the same hardware, can you take a look at bug 756624 where I can reproduce this only in one monitor and only if I hotplug it in a running system,
Thanks
Fabio

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

This bug seems to happen on Atom only.

[Anthony Wong (anthonywong)]

From the results of our tests it is probably a bug in compiz, thus assigning to Sam.

Sam, if you think this is not a compiz issue, feel free to assign it back to me. Thanks.

[Anthony Wong (anthonywong)]

Just for the record, the "high CPU usage" issue mentioned in comment #8 has been reported in bug 766941.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

In https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+bug/769650/comments/8, it is mentioned this can be due to bug 555641.

I limited the external monitor resolution to 800x600 in gnome-display-properties, there is no corruption.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

I set both LVDS and VGA to 1024x768, looks fine, no corruption.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

For the reference, bug 808677 is another similar bug.

[Keng-Yu Lin (lexical)]

From the test result in comment #25, #26, this is the same bug as bug 555641 and is a hardware limit.

It is more obvious and easy to observe in Natty because Unity/Compiz is now the default.

Also gnome-settings-daemon chooses the extended mode when the VGA cord is attached. Unless with a really low resolution external monitor, for most of the common LCD monitor available, it is really easy to exceed the resolution of 2048x2048.

I am afraid there is not much we do to with this bug, at least for Natty.

[David Barth (dbarth)]

If this is a HW limitation, then can we have that set of pci ids be blacklisted? We can't tell HW to do what it is not designed to do...

[Anthony Wong (anthonywong)]

David, there are a bunch of graphics chips that have the problem (see bug 555641). Are you suggesting we force the user to use Ubuntu Classic desktop if he's using one of those graphics chips?