Transparent terminal windows and black backgrounds in other windows after kernel update

[James Tait]

This has been happening for a while, but now I think I've narrowed this down to kernel updates. Whenever I apply the updates, after I reboot my terminal windows are all transparent and thus unusable. Also, other windows and menus, e.g. from the indicators, have a black background. Changing the theme settings, disabling transparency in gnome-terminal and logging out and back in do not have any effect on this behaviour. The only way I've found of getting back to normal is to open System Settings -> Hardware -> Additional Drivers and switch between "NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (version current)" and "NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (post-release updates) (version current-updates)", so maybe DKMS is involved here somewhere.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: compiz 1:0.9.7.0~bzr2995-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-18.29-generic 3.2.9
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-18-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 295.20 Mon Feb 6 21:07:30 PST 2012
 GCC version: gcc version 4.6.3 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.3-1ubuntu2)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.94.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CheckboxSubmission: dd3689fa6394f60ec14dbe98d0bab891
CheckboxSystem: b633b4f40868d491c2ae5b50030ce6f3
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,vpswitch,snap,mousepoll,resize,place,move,wall,grid,regex,imgpng,session,gnomecompat,animation,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,workarounds,scale,expo,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Mon Mar 12 10:59:03 2012
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-12-12 20:56:03.215224
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current, 295.20, 3.2.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-current-updates, 295.20, 3.2.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.8, 3.2.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox-guest, 4.1.8, 3.2.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation GT216 [GeForce GT 330M] [10de:0a29] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Sony Corporation Device [104d:9067]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
JockeyStatus:
 xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 xorg:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (post-release updates) (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: Sony Corporation VPCF11J0E
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic root=/dev/mapper/hostname-root ro acpi_sleep=nonvs splash quiet nomodeset
SourcePackage: compiz
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-01-13 (59 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 02/26/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R0260Y6
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR0260Y6:bd02/26/2010:svnSonyCorporation:pnVPCF11J0E:pvrC604LLNJ:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: VPCF11J0E
dmi.product.version: C604LLNJ
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.0~bzr2995-0ubuntu5
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.30-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.1-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.1-0ubuntu2
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.99.901+git20120126-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2

[James Tait (jamestait)]

OK, so this time it goes and makes a liar out of me. Switching from nvidia-current-updates to nvidia-current did *not* resolve the issue, but logging out and back in again after that, the display is back to normal.

[David Barth (dbarth)]

It looks like a graphics stack issue, not a compiz one per se.

[James Tait (jamestait)]

FWIW, this is still happening on a fairly regular basis. It seems to happen more if, having rebooted, I don't wait a little while before logging in, i.e. I restart the machine and enter my password as soon as the login screen appears. Maybe this points to something not being initialised in time.

[Andres Schwartz (anyeos-3)]

Hey, same problem Ubuntu 10.10. Before I didn't noted this because I use in my firefox flashblock but if you use firefox and open some youtube video for example (or anything with flash content) and then open another tab with a full black background, it becomes transparent and you can see all the flash elements in the background as if it is transparent.

It is related because it have to be with black backgrounds.

Try it:
Open youtube video in a tab
Open another tab and set the background to full black (#000000).

Now you can see the video in the background, lol.

My sister just claimed that from more than six months. I never noticed about that because I was using flashblock but just a few days ago disabled flashblock and now I see that. It is frustrating of course you see all flash elements in the background of a page that does not make sense.

The same flash content I saw in the background of a full black terminal. WTF!!

I don't know how to solve it. I tested different nvidia drivers and I'm using a custom kernel (compiled myself) version 2.6.39.4

It does not appears to be related with kernel, it appears to be related with NVIDIA and XOrg.

I don't know who of both (nvidia module or XOrg) are considering what a full black is transparent. And my sister and me are not using 3D. We both are in 2D mode. So it is not related to OpenGL or 3D. It is exclusively 2D problem (or surface/texture problem).

Please, test more trying to solve this because I don't like that behaviour.

My sistem is Ubuntu 10.10 and kernel 2.6.39.4 custom compiled by hand.
I have XOrg 1.7.5+6ubuntu3.1

[Jonathan Allard (joallard)]

This affects me.

Windows either become black or transparent. While "invisible", windows seem to work the same, and objects within it can be interacted with, just not seen. Acting with them does not affect symptoms.

* Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal)
* nvidia-current 304.51
* xserver-xorg-core 1.13.0
* compiz 0.9.8.4

[Fred T. Hamster (fred-gruntose)]

This also affects me.
I've found that sometimes clicking between desktop and windows makes them show up again.
Also switching between desktops sometimes wakes it up. But it's definitely a weird and frustrating bug to experience.

* Ubuntu 12.10
* nvidia-experimental-304 (304.48-0ubuntu1)
* xserver-xorg-core (2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6.1)
* compiz (1:0.9.8.6-0ubuntu1)

[Jonathan Allard (joallard)]

Still occuring and annoying in Raring