[i965] LVDS is enabled even when the lid is closed.

[Fred]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-intel

Here is my setup :
My laptop is an Acer TravelMate 6292 with an integrated graphics chipset INTEL 965GM.
It is docked in an ACER docking station
An external LCD monitor is plugged on the docking station (using the VGA connector).
The laptop's lid is generally closed.

With this setup, the external monitor is set up by X with a 1024x768 resolution whereas the preferred one is 1280x1024.
The laptop panel (LVDS) is enabled (even when the lid is closed) and is also set up ith a 1024x768 resolution whereas the preferred one is 1280x800.
Both monitor display the same things (clone mode).
After logging into GNOME I can do a sane setup using either the resolution applet or the xrandr tool.
This behavior gives a really bad first impression of INTREPID (it was no better on Gutsy or Hardy of the record)

Expected behaviour :
When the lid is closed, the LVDS panel should be disabled and the external monitor should be set up with its preferred resolution.
When the lid is opened, 2 possibilities :
 -1- the LVDS panel should be disabled and the external monitor should be set up with its preferred resolution.
 -2- both monitor are enabled, set up with their preferred resolution and configured as "extended desktop" (one desktop on two monitors).

If I use the DVI connector of the docking station the behaviour is exactly the same.

[lspci]
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

[Yfff (yfff)]

Hi,

Same here on a Fujitsu-Siemens C1110D laptop with Intel 82852/855GM. I'm also using a docking station, but it's the same whereas the external monitor is connected to it or directly to the laptop.

attached : xorg.log for Intrepid Ibex

[Yfff (yfff)]

and the one for Hardy Heron :

Yfff

[Yfff (yfff)]

Dear Fred,

As my laptop is not the same brand, maybe we should rename this bug to

[INTREPRID] INTEL 852/855GM or 965GM gives a wrong screen resolution with an external display

to get more hits when people search this error and try to get importance raised to "critical".

Sincerely,

Yfff

[Dennis Hefft (d-hefft-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi!

I have the same problem that keeps me from using Kubuntu Intrepid.

Here is my setup :
My laptop is a Thinkpad X60 with an integrated graphics chipset INTEL 945GM.
It is docked in an X6-docking station.
An external LCD monitor is plugged on the docking station (using the VGA connector).
The laptop's lid is generally closed (resolution 1024x768).

With this setup, the external monitor is set up by X with a 1024x768 resolution whereas the preferred one is 1280x1024.
It is not possible to choose this resolution in the drop-down-list for the external VGA in the display-settings.
When the lid is closed, the LVDS panel should be disabled and the external monitor should be set up with its preferred resolution. But that is not possible.

[Andrew (andrew-rw-robinson)]

I am seeing this problem as well on a Intel 965. Hardy was fine, but the multiple display support in Intrepid for XFCE and KDE is horrid. Here are my findings:

1) XFCE:
a) xrandr can re-position screens to above/below, but not absolute
b) xrandr not change the resolution of the external monitor, it is always the same as the laptop monitor's resolution

2) KDE:
a) KDE session crashes/exits every time I connect the external monitor
b) KDE session crashes/exits sometimes when I attempt to change the resolution
c) When KDE does not crash, it has the same symptoms as XFCE w/ xrandr

3) Gnome is working fine, correct resolution & positioning

Too bad Gnome is the one I like the least

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Yff, 965 and 855 are very different chipsets, and it's most likely you are suffering some bug different from the original reporter's. Please report it as a separate bug (if it's not already reported - we already have a number of bugs about 855 chips so it might already be covered).

[Christian Siefkes (christian-siefkes)]

I have the same problem after updating to Xubuntu Intrepid.

My laptop is a Thinkpad 61s with an Intel 965GM chipset. Older versions of Xubuntu had no problem handling the external display correctly, but after updating to Intrepid, X always starts using the resolution of the internal display (1024x768), even if the laptop lid is closed.

Thanks to the workaround proposed above, I'm at least able to switch to the correct resolution after login:

    xrandr --output VGA --mode 1680x1050

Bug this bug is still very annoying, an it's a real killer for innocent people updating their Ubuntu that aren't experienced enough to find this bug report and apply the workaround.

Please raise the importance of this bug to "critial". It's a real showstopper for laptops using a 965GM chipset!

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

Where is coded the logic for choosing the resolution ?
Is it hardcoded in the intel driver or coded into a script (which one ?) ?

[Harald Albrecht (harald-albrecht)]

Same problem with Intel 945 (on an Asus EeePC 901Go): either wrong screen resolution or X server crashes and restarts.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[This is an automatic notice.]

We'd like to forward your bug upstream, however upstream requires
that you first test it against their newer driver code.

To save you the effort of building the driver from source, we've built
packages for the driver and its new dependencies.

So you have a couple options:

 1. Download and test .debs for intrepid, from:
     https://edge.launchpad.net/~intel-gfx-testing/+archive

 -or-

 2. Download and test the Jaunty alpha-2 (or newer) Live CD,
     (which includes a beta of the new xserver 1.6 as well).
     See http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/9.04/ for ISOs

Thanks ahead of time! You can simply reply to this email to report your
findings.

P.S., if you wish to forward your bug upstream yourself, please follow
these directions to do so:
  http://intellinuxgraphics.org/how_to_report_bug.html

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

Hi Bryce,

I tested in Intrepid the xserver-xorg-video-intel - 2:2.5.1-1ubuntu5~intrepid deb and I am still seeing this bug. The behavior is exactly the same, there is no improvement.

If you need more info, do not hesitate to ask.

[indigo42 (johnwkennan)]

Hello Bryce,
Thanks for working on this problem.
I tried opt 1 as well with no change in behaviour.
Dell D620
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

I am working around the issue using.

xrandr --output VGA --mode 1680x105

After I boot up.

I'll try the liveCD next and let you know what happens.
Thanks!

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

Hi Bryce,

I made a test under Jaunty alpha 3 with all available updates.
I don't known if it matters but I use a 64bit version of Jaunty.

The behavior under Jaunty has improved a little :
Resolutions on both monitor (external one and laptop panel) are correct (ie. preferred resolution of each monitor) !!

But :
1/ The laptop panel (LVDS) is still enabled (even when the lid is closed).
2/ Both monitor display the same things (clone mode). But as the resolution on both display are different, it creates some artifacts :
 - The laptop panel shows up only a part of the image
 - If you launch for example synaptic by the administration, gksu only darkens a 1280x800 rectangle (1280x800 being the resolution of the laptop panel) on the external monitor (the one with the biggest resolution). See screenshot attached.

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

Yesterday upgrade to xserver-xorg-video-intel 2.6.1 induced another behavior.

Both monitor are still in clone mode, but now it works as expected since the resolution on both monitor is the same.
The problem is that the resolution used (1024x768) is not preferred one of any monitor (one is 1280x800, this other 1920x1200).

I think that these incorrect behaviors are mostly due to the fact that the clone mode is the default. If we could change this default, so that only one monitor (the external one) is set up, it will be much better. Correctly setting up (automatically) both monitors seems really too difficult for now.

[laksdjfaasdf (laksdjfaasdf)]

I have the same problem with my Thinkpad T61 with Intel GMA965 and an external Belinea display. My notebook has 1280x800 and my external display has a resolution of 1680x1050.

The display setting application in systemsettings doesn't detect my external display correctly. Instead the maximum resolution which it shows is 1360x768.

Another problem is that the systemsettings "Display" application always clones my TFT display. I am not able to extend my desktop to my external display.

[laksdjfaasdf (laksdjfaasdf)]

Jaunty + Current updates 20090203

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[This is an automatic notification.]

A new major version of the -intel driver is now available in Karmic.

This version includes a major reworking of the acceleration
architecture, which resolves a huge number of issues. We do not know
whether it resolves the issue you reported.

Would you mind testing Karmic Alpha-2 and seeing if it is still a
problem? CD ISO images are available here:

  http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/releases/karmic/

If the issue can still be reproduced on karmic, please report here with
your findings, and attach a fresh Xorg.0.log from your test, and we will
be able to forward the bug upstream.

Otherwise, if the bug no longer exists in Karmic, let us know that as
well.

In the off chance you encounter different bugs while attempting to test
Karmic, please report those as new bug reports.

[Tom Haddon (mthaddon)]

I can confirm karmic i386 alpha 2 works correctly with a Samsung 225BW. I detects the external resolution of the monitor correctly and allows me to switch to it whether I have that monitor plugged in when X starts or not.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Thanks for letting us know the issue is resolved. Fred, feel free to reopen if you still experience the issue on Karmic.

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

Sorry but this bug is not fixed.

Today, kernel 2.6.31 break everything : My external monitor is no longer recognized.
I follow Karmic evolution and I will watch if things get back into shape.

With Kernel 2.6.30, things have improved and everything was almost fine :
 - External display is set up with the correct resolution.
 - The laptop panel (LVDS) is enabled (even when the lid is closed) and is also set up with the correct resolution.
But :
 - the laptop panel (LVDS) is enabled even when the lid is closed.
 - both monitor display the same things (clone mode).

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

The .31 kernel regression is some unrelated bug (and probably already reported, but feel free to report a new bug against the kernel).

With the .30 kernel, sounds like the only remaining issue is that the LVDS is on when the lid is closed, so narrowing the focus of this bug report to just that issue.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Fred, I've forwarded your bug upstream to https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=22751 - please subscribe to this bug in case upstream needs further info or wishes you to test something. Thanks ahead of time.

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

There is a regression in Karmic Alpha 3.
We are now back to Intrepid's behavior :
Both monitor are in clone mode, the resolution on both monitor is the same. But the problem is that the resolution used (1024x768) is not preferred one of any monitor (one is 1280x800, this other 1920x1200).

LVDS is still enabled even when the lid is closed.