[fglrx] screen goes black after logging in on ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850

[Lukáš Chmela]

I tried to install the fglrx package manually through apt-get as jockey failed during enabling it (see bug #819365).

After restart and logging in, the screen went completely black with only a small rectangle where I could recognize the original desktop wallpaper. Some rectangular areas appear for a while when the mouse moves over the top or left panel in Unity and whole desktop (although panels are not displayed properly or at all, only their shadow can be seen) can be seen when a window (like Taking a screenshot or Unlogin) is opened with some rectangular black areas over the window.

I also tried to run `sudo aticonfig --initial -f` after the reboot and additionally, I removed the xserver-xorg-video-ati and xserver-xorg-video-fglrx packages but neither one has any effect after reboot.

I attach screenshot taken with the Unlogin window opened as taking screenshot of the black desktop itself with some rectangular areas drawn always ended with whole black image.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: fglrx 2:8.861-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-7.9-generic 3.0.0
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-7-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unitydialog,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Mon Aug 1 17:50:37 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: fglrx, 8.861, 3.0.0-7-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc Broadway PRO [Mobility Radeon HD 5800 Series] [1002:68a1] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Device [1025:038c]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Alpha amd64 (20110731)
JockeyStatus: xorg:fglrx - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: Acer Aspire 8943G
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=cs_CZ.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-7-generic root=UUID=3ef3d61d-7499-43dc-8e3b-54103ef765ae ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: fglrx-installer
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/11/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix
dmi.bios.version: V1.06
dmi.board.name: SM83-CP
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: Not Applicable
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenix:bvrV1.06:bd08/11/2010:svnAcer:pnAspire8943G:pvrNotApplicable:rvnAcer:rnSM83-CP:rvrNotApplicable:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: Aspire 8943G
dmi.product.version: Not Applicable
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
peripherals:
 /desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse:
   cursor_theme = DMZ-White
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.5.0-0ubuntu1
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11~1-0ubuntu4
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11~1-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.0-3ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for your report.

Do you experience the same corruption with fglrx and unity-2d ?

[Lukáš Chmela (lukaschmela)]

No, with Unity 2D, I can only see the screen redrawing gradually with three colors right after the login (it draws whole screen from top to bottom in a color that I don't exactly remember, then in green and then in blue or aqua) and after that the desktop can be seen normally.

I am only experiencing many crash reports regarding aptd I think, unity and zockey indicator (sorry for the names, I do not remember them exactly as I am using Natty now, I could verify them next time I reboot the laptop and eventually take a video of what happens with both Unity 3D and 2D after login) and somehow bizarre look of the dash but I think, it is just Unity 2D's problem as it is probably not well-implemented yet.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for confirming. The other issues you're seeing are different, I'm marking this report as confirmed.

[Lucy Llewellyn (lucyllewy)]

is this a dupe of #818630 ?

[David Chen (david.chen)]

I am seeing the exact same issue as comment #3 describes with unity-2d+fglrx, and the original bug description with unity-3d.

[Lukáš Chmela (lukaschmela)]

Daniel Llewellyn: Yes, it looks like the same issue that I have filled this bug report against.

[Yannick Le Guen (leguen-yannick)]

This bug affects me too.
I have an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650 graphic card, not a 5850, but the symptoms are the same.
Logging in Unity 3D brings me to a black screen with some small rectangles where I can see a part of the wallpaper.
Logging in Unity 2D works perfectly.

[Andreas (andreas-rabus)]

+1

And i'm using an ATI 58xx (not mobile) chipset.

[juan (juanjo836)]

i have the same proble but on unity 3d, unity 2d works fine for me

[mantas (mrdepo81)]

I have the same problem. My card is ATI HD2600

[David Barth (dbarth)]

The problem should be fixed as of compiz-0.9.5.92 which contains the fglrx workaround patch again. Please test that version and reopen if the bug still occurs