Applications display on blank white screen when maximized in Unity

[Ed Gallant]

In Unity, (11.10, nVidia graphics card), when using multiple applications simultaneously, for example: Chrome, LibreOffice Calc, and Shutter, maximized windows often show nothing but blank white screen.

This doesn't happen on my set-up in Unity 2D or LXDE. This also does not happen in Unity on my ATI based laptop.

Firefox survives these issues only slightly better than Chrome, but does generally survive longer into a routine session than Chrome, which will go to complete white screen even when not maximized.

For most apps, working with them in any size but maximized, or minimizing them and completely restoring them seems to help.

Also, I have another machine (a laptop) with an ATI video card and the same exact actions in Unity, on 11.10, do NOT produce these same white screen failures.

I apologize if package misreported, a bit of a newbie, but this is clearly a problem specific to Unity (compiz?) on my nVidia based machine, as same works perfectly on my ATI based machine.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 280.13 Wed Jul 27 16:53:56 PDT 2011
 GCC version: gcc version 4.6.1 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.1-9ubuntu3)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,imgpng,regex,grid,mousepoll,resize,snap,unitymtgrabhandles,gnomecompat,wall,place,vpswitch,move,animation,session,workarounds,expo,fade,scale,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sat Dec 17 09:19:15 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, whatever it takes to get this fixed in Ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation C51 [GeForce 6150 LE] [10de:0241] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:01ed]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
MachineType: Dell Inc Dimension E521
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-14-generic root=UUID=f8caaaa4-8d11-4bba-b13f-9ec1de8993d5 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
XorgConf:
 Section "Device"
  Identifier "Default Device"
  Option "NoLogo" "True"
 EndSection
dmi.bios.date: 08/02/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc
dmi.bios.version: 1.1.11
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc:bvr1.1.11:bd08/02/2007:svnDellInc:pnDimensionE521:pvr:rvnDellInc:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Dimension E521
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu6
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu26
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20110811.g93fc084-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

[Ed Gallant (edward-j-gallant)]

This bug appears to have been "fixed" by the installation of nvidia 290.10 driver, in my case by adding ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates to 11.10 sources. Note that this unsupported PPA may need to be reloaded in Precise if Precise doesn't include 290.10 (or greater) as nvidia-current.