Login into unity shows nothing

[Nicolas Valcarcel]

After logging in into the system i get nothing, just my desktop background (if i'm lucky or black screen if i'm not) and i can't do anything at all.
Also for some reason the icons in lightdm are shown as white rectangles with a red X, not sure if related, but both started after the same upgrade.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: unity 5.6.0-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-20.32-generic 3.2.12
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-20-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 1.95-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
Date: Thu Mar 22 16:51:27 2012
DistUpgraded: 2012-02-25 12:26:23,507 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Studio 1458
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-20-generic root=UUID=7589fa4d-307c-44de-81cb-0a01e2723e4b ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-02-25 (26 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 07/27/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A06
dmi.board.name: 0133D9
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A06
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: A06
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA06:bd07/27/2010:svnDellInc.:pnStudio1458:pvrA06:rvnDellInc.:rn0133D9:rvrA06:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrA06:
dmi.product.name: Studio 1458
dmi.product.version: A06
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.0+bzr3035-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.32-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.2-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.2-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.0-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
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

[Bilal Akhtar (bilalakhtar)]

Does logging into Unity 2D work?

[Bilal Akhtar (bilalakhtar)]

It seems like an FGLRX issue to me, your LightdmDisplayLog.txt includes these line:
(EE) Failed to load module "fglrx" (module does not exist, 0)
(II) [KMS] Kernel modesetting enabled.
 ddxSigGiveUp: Closing log

Does going to a terminal and re-installing fglrx help?

[Nicolas Valcarcel (nvalcarcel)]

After trying got Bug #962739, Bug #962737 and tried to report a duplicate of Bug #961499

[Nicolas Valcarcel (nvalcarcel)]

Oh and nothing appeared i can log in to Unity2D but don't see the side panel, classic gnome kinda works.

[André Lopes (zipatei)]

Here the same problem...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

No; this is not a bug in fglrx.

The lightdm logs are sometimes good at highlighting errors in running X, but really you need to look to the Xorg.0.log* to see what really happened.

  (EE) Failed to load module "fglrx" (module does not exist, 0)

This error message is actually innocuous, it just means that fglrx wasn't installed.

  (II) [KMS] Kernel modesetting enabled.

This is good; it means the FOSS -radeon driver found its kernel partner and set up the resolutions to their proper values.

   ddxSigGiveUp: Closing log

This is also totally 100% normal. It just means the session ended normally and the log file was closed. Don't be misled by the "Give Up" bit, that's just an internal function name not an indication anything went wrong.

So... it's definitely not an fglrx problem. If it's a driver issue it'd be -ati. However, there are no errors in any of the files to prove it one way or the other. But I'll leave it open against -ati until we know more.

Meanwhile, please attach a screenshot or photo of the screen that shows the corruptions.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

A few more questions while we're at it:

1. When did you first start noticing this behavior? Just on 3/23 exactly?

2. Does it behave this way every login in, or just the once, or intermittently?

3. You say Gnome Classic kinda works. Is that with or without effects? By 'kinda' what do you mean?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

If you've just updated to Unity 5.8 then this might be bug 963633 too.