Dual monitor not working in 18.04(.1) on a dual-radeon-GPU system

[Floris]

Dual monitor setup works fine in 16.04 LTS. Not anymore in 18.04(.1). This renders 18.04 useless. Till this is solved will have to stick with 16.04. i.e. this is a pretty critical bug!

After a fresh install from DVD first got a freeze on login screen (live CD will run ubuntu though!). This could be solved by switching to lightdm display manager. (Boo! for GDM that cannot even show a login screen without freezing the system)

But one issue remains: the dual monitor setup will not work in 18.04.

I can see the mouse move to the second monitor. I can drag windows there (and lose sight of them). I can see the mouse cursor change to click a link. But otherwise there is a completely black screen, or dots / colored fields, but nothing even resembling a program.

MB: Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H
Monitor that works fine: ASUS on Radeon HD 6550D
monitor that only shows mouse cursor: benq on Radeon HD 4870 (onboard on the gigabyte motherboard)

Note: dual monitor setup did not work with other upgrades after 16.04. I hoped this would be solved with the next LTS update. Not so, to great disappointment!
Ubuntu really fails if with new major updates it makes systems fall down. This kind of thing should work FLAWLESS out of the box! How would anyone move to Ubuntu when this kind of thing does not work? Windows is a drama, but at least it has the mere basics working!

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-135.161-generic 4.4.140
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-135-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.18
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sun Sep 16 23:09:31 2018
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: xenial
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 virtualbox, 5.0.40, 4.4.0-133-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 5.0.40, 4.4.0-134-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 5.0.40, 4.4.0-135-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] BeaverCreek [Radeon HD 6550D] [1002:9640] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd BeaverCreek [Radeon HD 6550D] [1458:d000]
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RV770 [Radeon HD 4870] [1002:9440] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: PC Partner Limited / Sapphire Technology RV770 [Radeon HD 4870] [174b:0851]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-10-02 (714 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160719)
MachineType: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-A75M-UD2H
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=nl_NL
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=nl_NL.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-135-generic root=UUID=a5b3b47d-aa17-4b49-ba9a-eeaefc2556d6 ro quiet splash
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 11/17/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
dmi.bios.version: F6c
dmi.board.name: GA-A75M-UD2H
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAwardSoftwareInternational,Inc.:bvrF6c:bd11/17/2011:svnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:pnGA-A75M-UD2H:pvr:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rnGA-A75M-UD2H:rvrx.x:cvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: GA-A75M-UD2H
dmi.sys.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.12.3+16.04.20180221-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.91-2~16.04.1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 18.0.5-0ubuntu0~16.04.1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 18.0.5-0ubuntu0~16.04.1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.18.4-0ubuntu0.8
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.1-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.7.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20160325-1ubuntu1.2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.12-1build2
xserver.bootTime: Sun Sep 16 19:34:47 2018
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors: RADEON(G0): [XvMC] Failed to initialize extension.
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.18.4-0ubuntu0.8
xserver.video_driver: radeon

[Floris (fgjzoet)]

Note THIS REPORT WRITTEN FROM A WORKING SYSTEM (16.04) ABOUT THE NON WORKING UPGRADE (18.04).

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

It sounds like this problem may be limited to Wayland sessions (which includes the login screen). Please try this workaround next time you install 18.04:

Ctrl+Alt+F4, log in, edit /etc/gdm3/custom.conf and uncomment the line:
#WaylandEnable=false

Then reboot.

[Floris (fgjzoet)]

Hi Daniel,
I tried with uncommenting WaylandEnabled=false earlier. Then the login
screen remains totally Black on both monitors.

Had to restore by disabling gdm and using lightdm again.

I'm happy to try other suggestions!

Kind regards, Floris

Op ma 17 sep. 2018 09:55 schreef Daniel van Vugt <
<email address hidden>>:

> It sounds like this problem may be limited to Wayland sessions (which
> includes the login screen). Please try this workaround next time you
> install 18.04:
>
> Ctrl+Alt+F4, log in, edit /etc/gdm3/custom.conf and uncomment the line:
> #WaylandEnable=false
>
> Then reboot.
>
> ** Tags added: multi-monit radeon
>
> ** Tags removed: multi-monit
> ** Tags added: multi-monitor
>
> ** Summary changed:
>
> - dual monitor not working in 18.04(.1)
> + Dual monitor not working in 18.04(.1) on a dual-radeon-GPU system
>
> ** Package changed: xorg (Ubuntu) => mutter (Ubuntu)
>
> ** Changed in: mutter (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1792822
>
> Title:
> Dual monitor not working in 18.04(.1) on a dual-radeon-GPU system
>
> Status in mutter package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Dual monitor setup works fine in 16.04 LTS. Not anymore in 18.04(.1).
> This renders 18.04 useless. Till this is solved will have to stick
> with 16.04. i.e. this is a pretty critical bug!
>
>
> After a fresh install from DVD first got a freeze on login screen (live
> CD will run ubuntu though!). This could be solved by switching to lightdm
> display manager. (Boo! for GDM that cannot even show a login screen without
> freezing the system)
>
> But one issue remains: the dual monitor setup will not work in 18.04.
>
> I can see the mouse move to the second monitor. I can drag windows
> there (and lose sight of them). I can see the mouse cursor change to
> click a link. But otherwise there is a completely black screen, or
> dots / colored fields, but nothing even resembling a program.
>
> MB: Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H
> Monitor that works fine: ASUS on Radeon HD 6550D
> monitor that only shows mouse cursor: benq on Radeon HD 4870 (onboard on
> the gigabyte motherboard)
>
> Note: dual monitor setup did not work with other upgrades after 16.04. I
> hoped this would be solved with the next LTS update. Not so, to great
> disappointment!
> Ubuntu really fails if with new major updates it makes systems fall
> down. This kind of thing should work FLAWLESS out of the box! How would
> anyone move to Ubuntu when this kind of thing does not work? Windows is a
> drama, but at least it has the mere basics working!
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
> Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3.1
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-135.161-generic 4.4.140
> Uname: Linux 4.4.0-135-generic x86_64
> .tmp.unity_support_test.0:
>
> ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.18
> Architecture: amd64
> CompizPlugins: No value set for
> `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
> CompositorRunning: compiz
> CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
> ...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for mutter (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Jeppe Rask (jepperask)]

Hi, I'm seeing this error as well.

The last frame shown while logging in freezes on the second monitor and only the cursor updates.

I have enabled iGPU Multi-Monitor for my ASUS motherboard, which enabled me to connect one monitor through the motherboard and one through my GPU - the one connected to the GPU is the one that freezes. This has previously worked with Ubuntu 18.04.

[Jeppe Rask (jepperask)]

I was able to solve the problem, by switching GPU-driver.
"Software & Updates" -> "Additional Drivers" - I switched from:
"Using X.Org X server - Nouveau display driver" to the NVIDIA-435.

Perhaps this is only specific to my setup, by powering monitors from GPU as well as motherboard. Hope it helps someone.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Neptilo (neptilo)]

In my case, switching to the Nvidia proprietary driver only made things worse: second screen was not even detected.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

This bug is about radeon and Ubuntu 18.04. Please don't discuss Nvidia here.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 18.04 (bionic) reached end-of-standard-support on May 31, 2023.

See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested in discussing it anymore. But if you are then please upgrade to the latest Ubuntu version and re-test. If you then find the bug is still present in the newer Ubuntu version, please add a comment here telling us which new version it is in.