System unusable after update

[Ken Sharp]

I have JUST ran an update. Now, once the system has booted I am presented with nothing but a blank screen. I cannot change consoles or do ANYTHING with the machine unless running X in failsafe mode (which I am doing now).

There were three xserver updates, so I have no idea which one has broken my system, but one of them has! (apt history should be attached showing which were updated)

If I can figure out how to roll back an update I will be able to report which package, so any help appreciated.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.10.1-1ubuntu1.3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-11.50-generic 2.6.38.8
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-11-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx wl
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,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Wed Oct 19 15:18:15 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 fglrx, 8.881, 2.6.38-11-generic, x86_64: installed
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.38+bdcom, 2.6.38-11-generic, x86_64: installed
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.38+bdcom, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.1.4, 2.6.38-11-generic, x86_64: installed
GlConf:
 gl_conf - auto mode
   link currently points to /usr/lib/mesa/ld.so.conf
 /usr/lib/mesa/ld.so.conf - priority 500
   slave xorg_extra_modules: /usr/lib/xorg/x11-extra-modules
 Current 'best' version is '/usr/lib/mesa/ld.so.conf'.
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc M880G [Mobility Radeon HD 4200] [1002:9712] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Device [1025:036e]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
JockeyStatus:
 kmod:wl - Broadcom STA proprietary wireless driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use) [auto-install]
 xorg:fglrx - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
MachineType: Acer Aspire 5551
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-11-generic root=UUID=bcf30c65-9b6f-492c-896c-332ab1682c02 ro single
ProcKernelCmdLine_: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-11-generic root=UUID=bcf30c65-9b6f-492c-896c-332ab1682c02 ro single
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: xorg-server
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/11/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V1.05
dmi.board.name: Aspire 5551
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: V1.05
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: V1.05
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV1.05:bd05/11/2010:svnAcer:pnAspire5551:pvrV1.05:rvnAcer:rnAspire5551:rvrV1.05:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrV1.05:
dmi.product.name: Aspire 5551
dmi.product.version: V1.05
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110606-0ubuntu1~natty2
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+4ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7.2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

Apparently not:

Start-Date: 2011-10-19 14:35:26
Upgrade: libkrb5-3:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libk5crypto3:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), wine1.3:amd64 (1.3.29-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1, 1.3.30-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1), libimobiledevice2:amd64 (1.1.0-3, 1.1.0-3ubuntu1), xserver-xorg-core:amd64 (1.10.1-1ubuntu1.2, 1.10.1-1ubuntu1.3), xserver-common:amd64 (1.10.1-1ubuntu1.2, 1.10.1-1ubuntu1.3), wine1.3-dbg:amd64 (1.3.29-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1, 1.3.30-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1), wine1.3-dev:amd64 (1.3.29-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1, 1.3.30-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1), libkrb5-dev:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libgssrpc4:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), xserver-xorg-video-intel:amd64 (2.14.0-4ubuntu7.1, 2.14.0-4ubuntu7.2), libkrb5support0:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libdvdread4:amd64 (4.1.3-10ubuntu3, 4.1.3-10ubuntu3.1), libkadm5clnt-mit7:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libkadm5srv-mit7:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libkdb5-4:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), krb5-multidev:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), libgssapi-krb5-2:amd64 (1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.1, 1.8.3+dfsg-5ubuntu2.2), ttf-symbol-replacement-wine1.3:amd64 (1.3.29-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1, 1.3.30-0ubuntu1~ppa1~natty1)
End-Date: 2011-10-19 14:36:40

[Rick @ rickandpatty.com (rick-rickandpatty)]

Try rolling back server-xorg-core and xserver-common - if this is the same issue that's currently plaguing lucid, then that should get you back up and running.

[Rick @ rickandpatty.com (rick-rickandpatty)]

Use synaptic - select the package, and use the menu option "force version" to downgrade the packages I mentioned.

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

@Rick
What issue are you referring to specifically? Is there a bug reported for this? If there is, and the downgrade fixes the problem, then this bug can be marked as a duplicate of it. Otherwise, a bug describing the problem specifically should probably be reported, and this could be marked as a duplicate of this bug.

@Ken Sharp
Since this bug requires more information in order to be worked on by a developer, including the information that Rick has requested (whether or not downgrading xserver-xorg-core and xserver-common works around the problem), I am marking this bug Incomplete. When providing this information, please feel free to change this bug's status back to New.

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

I have downgraded xserver-xorg-core and xserver-common but the problem persists. I have also managed to downgrade libimobiledevice2 and libdvdread4 but all the kerberos stuff is blocked for downgrade by Bug 878263.

The logs mean nothing to me. Isn't there anything in the Xorg logs?

Whatever is the cause it has permanently broken my system!

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

"I have downgraded xserver-xorg-core and xserver-common but the problem persists."

xserver-xorg-video-intel is the most likely package, of those that have been upgraded, to have caused this problem. Did you try downgrading that?

"I have also managed to downgrade libimobiledevice2 and libdvdread4 but all the kerberos stuff is blocked for downgrade by Bug 878263."

That is unlikely to pertain to the video problem that this bug is about.

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

I have purged xserver-xorg-video-intel as it is useless on my system.

I know the packages *should* be unrelated, but downgrading the suspected packages didn't work either.

[Sam_ (and-sam)]

According to description it seems fglrx is broken, output says it's installed but not in use.
< DkmsStatus:
 fglrx, 8.881, 2.6.38-11-generic, x86_64: installed >
< xorg:fglrx - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use) >

Try troubleshooting via recovery mode, in case purge fglrx to get back a working desktop.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Troubleshooting/FglrxInteferesWithRadeonDriver

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

Are we sure this is a duplicate of bug 877905?

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

Sorry, this wasn't a dupe.

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

Well I had an updated version of fglrx installed (not from the repos) which worked fine before this update.

I tried to install from the repos but there were all kinds of errors, it also would not reinstall. I have finally managed to force uninstall the latest driver and reinstall the driver from the repos. I am now back in my system, working correctly.

I will avoid the latest fglrx until I can be certain that something in Ubuntu won't break it during the next update.

It therefore appears that something in xorg-server is incompatible with fglrx 8.881, in this version of Ubuntu at least.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hey kennybobs,

You filed this bug report against natty, but I see it's still open and
doesn't appear to have much activity recently. So, now that oneiric
is released and stable, this may be a good point for you to upgrade
and re-test if this issue is still present there.

If it's solved in the new release and you think it's worth backporting
the fix, please indicate that. Or if having the fix in the new release
is good enough, feel free to close out the bug (or let us know and we'll
close it.)

If it's not solved, leave the bug report open. I can't promise we'll
get to it (we get way more bugs filed than we can usually get to), but
your testing and feedback can help out if and when we do.

[Ken Sharp (kennybobs)]

Possibly the most ignorant comment I have ever seen added.

[Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure)]

@Ken Sharp
Annotating bug status changes with insults instead of explanations is not constructive; plus, the message from Bryce Harrington was likely automated (i.e., posted by a bot acting on his behalf). This is necessary because of the high volume of bug reports, many of which are duplicates or which document conditions that are ultimately revealed not really to be bugs (or to be bugs, but in different software from the software against which they are reported).

One of the reasons not explaining your status changes is bad is because others might think they are incorrect and revert them...which is what I am doing right now. When a bug appears after an update, it is usually caused by changes to the software, which would also have made it into the subsequent release. If the bug is not in the subsequent release, then additional changes have likely eliminated it, and then those changes can be used as a basis for fixing it in the earlier release (i.e., the changes in the later release can be *backported* to the earlier release). If the bug *is* in the subsequent release, then efforts to fix it must focus on multiple releases, including (probably) the development release, so as to avoid future releases shipping with the bug.

You are the only person who has indicated that you are affected by this bug. Therefore, any troubleshooting or testing has to be done by you. If you are unable or unwilling to try Oneiric, that's OK, but it does mean that unless someone else comes along who is affected by the bug, that the bug cannot very efficiently be worked on (if it can be worked on at all). So if you're unable to do the necessary testing, then you can simply leave this bug's status as Incomplete. After a while it will expire (or be manually marked Invalid), but you can hope that someone else who experiences it will come along and be able to provide the information that you are unable or unwilling to provide. Sometimes that happens.

Rather than upgrading to Oneiric (which very well might solve your problem!), you might consider testing Oneiric from a live CD. This might or might not provide the necessary information, but if you test from a live CD and report your results and more information *is* required, then a developer can always post again asking for additional information. Therefore, if you test Oneiric from a live CD and report the results here, please feel free to change the bug's status back from Incomplete to New.

If you are looking for *help* with this problem specific to your situation, then you should post a question about the problem. Working with triagers and developers in this bug is still probably the most effective way for you to get the problem solved, but if you are unable or unwilling to perform the steps indicated by Bryce Harrington (or his bot) and also unable or unwilling to test Oneiric from a live CD on the affected machine, then you may still be able to receive meaningful assistance in a question. (See https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu.) In contrast, work done in bugs has the goal of fixing the problem for everybody who might experience it (by figuring out what has to be changed in the software, and then changin...

[bugbot (bugbot)]

We're closing this bug since it is has been some time with no response from the original reporter. However, if the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. Also, if you could, please test against the latest development version of Ubuntu, since this confirms the bug is one we may be able to pass upstream for help.