Kubuntu 15.04: plasmashell crashes

[Matthias Ehrhardt]

Today i updated to the new Kubuntu version 15.04 and the new KDE Plasma ('plasmashell')
crashes, while other window manager like lxde or unity still work on my ASUS P53 i5 Laptop.

I removed all directories in .kde that were about plasma and later i also removed the whole
.kde directory. This did not work.

The plasmashell start, one can see the "progress bar" moving and then close to the end it crashes
with an error report.

Any ideas? Is there a way to downgrade to a working KDE version?

[Matthias Ehrhardt (ehrhardt-3)]

Application: Plasma (plasmashell), signal: Aborted

Using host libthread_db library "/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libthread_db.so.1".

[Current thread is 1 (Thread 0x7f44cd05c7c0 (LWP 3570))]

Thread 6 (Thread 0x7f44b8c81700 (LWP 3572)):

#0 0x00007f44c7e288dd in poll () at ../sysdeps/unix/syscall-template.S:81

#1 0x00007f44ca395b72 in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

#2 0x00007f44ca39764f in xcb_wait_for_event () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

#3 0x00007f44bafc8099 in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt5/plugins/platforms/libqxcb.so

#4 0x00007f44c84a9b0e in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Core.so.5

#5 0x00007f44c76af6aa in start_thread (arg=0x7f44b8c81700) at pthread_create.c:333

#6 0x00007f44c7e33eed in clone () at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/x86_64/clone.S:109

Thread 5 (Thread 0x7f44ad2bc700 (LWP 3576)):

#0 0x00007f44c7e2449d in read () at ../sysdeps/unix/syscall-template.S:81

#1 0x00007f44c45782f0 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#2 0x00007f44c453496c in g_main_context_check () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#3 0x00007f44c4534e60 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#4 0x00007f44c4535242 in g_main_loop_run () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#5 0x00007f44b28f0ae6 in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgio-2.0.so.0

#6 0x00007f44c455b955 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#7 0x00007f44c76af6aa in start_thread (arg=0x7f44ad2bc700) at pthread_create.c:333

#8 0x00007f44c7e33eed in clone () at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/x86_64/clone.S:109

Thread 4 (Thread 0x7f44acabb700 (LWP 3577)):

#0 0x00007f44c45797a4 in g_mutex_unlock () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#1 0x00007f44c4534490 in g_main_context_prepare () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#2 0x00007f44c4534de8 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#3 0x00007f44c4534fcc in g_main_context_iteration () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#4 0x00007f44c4535009 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#5 0x00007f44c455b955 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#6 0x00007f44c76af6aa in start_thread (arg=0x7f44acabb700) at pthread_create.c:333

#7 0x00007f44c7e33eed in clone () at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/x86_64/clone.S:109

Thread 3 (Thread 0x7f44a6a4a700 (LWP 3588)):

#0 0x00007f44c45343e8 in g_main_context_prepare () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#1 0x00007f44c4534de8 in ?? () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#2 0x00007f44c4534fcc in g_main_context_iteration () from /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libglib-2.0.so.0

#3 0x00007f44c8740c6c in QEventDispatcherGlib::processEvents(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Core.so.5

#4 0x00007f44c86e53e2 in QEventLoop::exec(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Core.so.5

#5 0x00007f44c84a4b44 in QThread::exec() () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Core.so.5

#6 0x00007f44ca232f65 in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Qml.so.5

#7 0x00007f44c84a9b0e in ?? () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Core.so.5

#8 0x00007f44c76af6aa in star...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Matthias Ehrhardt (ehrhardt-3)]

I removed and installed again the 2 packages with the names starting "libqtcore4",
then i installed the package "kubuntu-desktop"

and afterwards "plasmashell" is running now (i do not understand why exactly)

[Andrey Barrientos M. (cpoliticas2005)]

I tried solution number #3 but didn't work for me unfortunately.

[Matthias Ehrhardt (ehrhardt-3)]

In my case it only works more or less properly when i select the kernel "3.19 (upstart)" in the extended booting options.
Even then, it appears not to be a robust version of plasma. I felt much better with the previous KDE version.

[Andrey Barrientos M. (cpoliticas2005)]

I used the upstart and the non-upstart kernel options for both kernels that I have installed (3.19.0-15-generic and 3.16.0-34-generic) and none of them work for me.

To have some sort of a GUI, I have to login in a terminal with ctrl+alt+F1 and startx, it opens a black screen with a mouse cursor in the middle of the screen. As soon as a program crashes, I can use the trace with gdb option from the debugging KDE window to open a konsole instance, open a new tab with ctrl+shift+T, and open programs manually like firefox or thunderbird.

It seems in this environment it only works the System Activity window shortcut with ctrl+ESC.

I'm thinking that a much better solution for me at the moment is to downgrade to KDE4.

[frmdstryr (frmdstryr)]

I got this to work by running:

1. mv .cache .cache.old
2. kbuildsycoca5
3. plasmashell

Then I had to right click on the desktop and add the default panel.

[Andrey Barrientos M. (cpoliticas2005)]

I tried your solution, but it still doesn't work. However, I found out this message in the konsole terminal when I executed the plasmashell command: "This program requires an X86 processor that supports SSE2 extension, at least a Pentium 4 or newer."

I'm using an AMD Athlon XP 3000+ CPU. Could it be a problem between my CPU and the new KDE?

[Alexia Death (alexiade)]

I discovered that the upgrade process from 14.10->15.4 for some reason held back plasma-desktop and simply did not install plasma-desktop-data and several other packages. running sudo apt-get dist-upgrade fixed the package issues and plasma desktop stopped crashing, witch it was doing because it did not have some of the data(shell handlers) it needed to function.

[A. Mani (a-mani-cms)]

Yes, it got fixed through an upgrade and I always dist-upgrade.

Best

A. Mani

Prof(Miss) A. Mani
CU, ASL, AMS, ISRS, CLC, CMS
HomePage: http://www.logicamani.in
Blog: http://logicamani.blogspot.in/
http://about.me/logicamani
sip:<email address hidden>

On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 11:54 PM, Alexia Death
<email address hidden> wrote:
> I discovered that the upgrade process from 14.10->15.4 for some reason
> held back plasma-desktop and simply did not install plasma-desktop-
> data and several other packages. running sudo apt-get dist-upgrade fixed
> the package issues and plasma desktop stopped crashing, witch it was
> doing because it did not have some of the data(shell handlers) it needed
> to function.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (1450271).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1448102
>
> Title:
> Kubuntu 15.04: plasmashell crashes
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/plasma-workspace/+bug/1448102/+subscriptions

[Andrey Barrientos M. (cpoliticas2005)]

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I'm gonna try downloading the live-dvd and reinstalling it from it.

[RichardNeill (ubuntu-richardneill)]

I also can't get this to work - KDE in Ubuntu 15.04 is completely unusable.
I tried creating a new user, and that doesn't help.
However, I have no problem with XFCE or MATE (or the previous KDE in 14.10).
There doesn't appear to be anything useful in the logs either.

[Matthias Ehrhardt (ehrhardt-3)]

I also realised that the plasmashell, even in the most recent version 5.3, runs very unstable.

The best solution so far was to remove ".cache/ksycoca5"

and run "kbuildsycoca5" and then add by right mouse click the panel again.

I would like to see an opportunity to downgrade to the previous stable KDE from Kubuntu 14.10

[Andrey Barrientos M. (cpoliticas2005)]

I tried the live distro in my computer, and the plasma desktop crashed too. When I tried it in my laptop it runs normally. It seems like plasma workspace is conflicting with something in my computer, but I am unable to troubleshoot where the problem could be.

[RichardNeill (ubuntu-richardneill)]

Can anyone explain where KDE logs its errors to, or how this might be debugged?

(On the positive side, this encouraged me to try out the Trinity Desktop (KDE3-fork) and it works surprisingly well.
Packages are available at trinitydesktop.org )

[Henrik (henrik-skibbe)]

Same problem here. I've just installed kubuntu on a new laptop. After removing the .cache folder it works - but not for long. After the next reboot I very likely end up with a black , useless :-( desktop again.
I also tried to add the kubuntu-backport repo but same problem.

Best regards

[Matthias Ehrhardt (ehrhardt-3)]

i have the same black window if i use the standard linux boot option.
when i change to extended boot setting and select the 2nd choice
kernel "3.19 (upstart)" then it works more or less.

[Blue Duck (blueduck)]

Same problem here: Plasma freezes after few minutes, no choice but reboot... and freeze again. I went through dist-upgrade, fresh install, but same issue.

I've installed ubuntu-desktop on my Kubuntu 15.04: Unity freezes in the same way!

I've apt-get purged the nouveau driver and installed the nVidia proprietary driver: Unity now works just fine, and Plasma doesn't freeze anymore but remains absolutely useless because incredibly slow.

Staying temporarily with Unity while waiting for the next Plasma update.

Blue Duck

[uvi (vladimir-umnov)]

I have more strange problem with freeze plasmashell.
After upgrading to 15.04 it doesn't freeze until now.
Driver nvidia proprietary (tried 346, 352, 355)
After upgrading to 5.3.2 (ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports )it start frezees after a few minutes, clock not updated.
If i start video, it plays fine, but all other freezes.
At first panel and menu doesn't respond, after a few seconds or 2-3 minutes max windows and all other elements start not responding too. Disable compositing not work, I even can't shutdown from console sddm. If i kill plasmashell after first freezing panel and start again, it works about 10-30 seconds, after that it freezes again and after that all windows freezes too.
And the main strange thing - I downgraded all to main vivid mirror by ppa-purge, and freezing still here. Though it worked from april till now.

It's too bad that ubuntu maintainers decided use only plasma5, it so buggy and functionless (compare to kde 4.x).

[izzyb (izzyb)]

I'm having the same problems after a FRESH install of kubuntu 15.04. Some system specs here:

AMD FX(tm)-8120 Eight-Core Processor
VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Cape Verde XT [Radeon HD 7770/8760 / R7 250X]
16g ram
KVM host running 5 virtual machines. All appear to function as expected during the desktop crash

The system worked fine in kubuntu 14.10. I first noticed if I stop using the system for even a short period of time (less then 5 min), it stops responding. Originally I thought it was related to the screen blanker so I disabled it. The mouse pointer moves, and I can ctrl-alt-f1 to login at the console to restart the desktop like this:

service sddm restart

Hope that's useful for others stuck in this situation. I also find it crashes, but usually reloads without issues if I'm playing with the widget system. I've tried to send bug reports via the Crash Reporting Assistant, but it complains its missing debug information. I tried to install what was needed using the interface but it complains it can't find them. Here are the files it complains are missing debug files:

/usr/bin/plasmashell
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt5Qml.so.5

I've tried to manually locate and install debug files for them, but couldn't find anything via apt-cache. Anyone know what package I'm looking for?

[magor (root-sweetismarvelous)]

I got it working (minus the menu) by using option 7

rm -r ~/.cache
kbuildsycoca5
plasmashell

[magor (root-sweetismarvelous)]

Correction..
I got plasma to work by deleting the cache. But when I went to add the default panel, I was back in crashville.

[magor (root-sweetismarvelous)]

Sorry, it's stranger than that..

plasmashell crashes on boot.
1) rm .cache
2) kbuildsycoca5
3) plasmashell
crash just like on boot
4) rm .cache
5) plasmashell (from console)

* Black screen, but no crash

6) ctrl+c in console to stop plasma
7) kbuildsyoca5
8) plsamashell

* At this point I have a desktop background but no menu bar. (repeatable)

9) rightclick > add panel > default panel

* crash

10) rm .cache
11) plsamashell
12) ctrl + c
13) kbuildsyoca5
14) plasmashell
15) right click add empty panel.

* Yeah, no crash!!!
* Boo, no items in panel..

16) add clock to panel (no crash)
17) add volume control to panel (no crash)
18) add application launcher (no crash)
19) add Icon only task manager (no crash)

.. Okay, I have enough in my task bar to start working again.. If I ever figure out what item in the plasmashell -> default panel was crashing I'll let you know.

(I was getting it to crash in 15.04 after the computer lost power, I upgraded to 15.10 and it still crashed.. Lots of variables, but it appears this issue might span releases)

[A. Mani (a-mani-cms)]

It is about permissions and the theme.
If you are sticking to breeze and
change permissions recursively in ~/.config and ~/.cache
then

kbuildsycoca5 && kquitapp plasmashell && kstart plasmashell

should fix everything

But you would not get the panel if you are using oxygen.

Best

A. Mani

Prof(Miss) A. Mani
CU, ASL, AMS, ISRS, CLC, CMS
HomePage: http://www.logicamani.in
Blog: http://logicamani.blogspot.in/
http://about.me/logicamani
sip:<email address hidden>

On Fri, Sep 11, 2015 at 5:21 AM, magor <email address hidden> wrote:
> Sorry, it's stranger than that..
>
> plasmashell crashes on boot.
> 1) rm .cache
> 2) kbuildsycoca5
> 3) plasmashell
> crash just like on boot
> 4) rm .cache
> 5) plasmashell (from console)
>
> * Black screen, but no crash
>
> 6) ctrl+c in console to stop plasma
> 7) kbuildsyoca5
> 8) plsamashell
>
> * At this point I have a desktop background but no menu bar.
> (repeatable)
>
> 9) rightclick > add panel > default panel
>
> * crash
>
> 10) rm .cache
> 11) plsamashell
> 12) ctrl + c
> 13) kbuildsyoca5
> 14) plasmashell
> 15) right click add empty panel.
>
> * Yeah, no crash!!!
> * Boo, no items in panel..
>
> 16) add clock to panel (no crash)
> 17) add volume control to panel (no crash)
> 18) add application launcher (no crash)
> 19) add Icon only task manager (no crash)
>
> .. Okay, I have enough in my task bar to start working again.. If I ever
> figure out what item in the plasmashell -> default panel was crashing
> I'll let you know.
>
> (I was getting it to crash in 15.04 after the computer lost power, I
> upgraded to 15.10 and it still crashed.. Lots of variables, but it
> appears this issue might span releases)
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (1450271).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1448102
>
> Title:
> Kubuntu 15.04: plasmashell crashes
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/plasma-workspace/+bug/1448102/+subscriptions

[Elias Kouskoumvekakis (eliaskousk)]

This keeps happening for me on 15.04 (upgrade from 14.10) and on 15.10 (clean install).

When it happened while searching for an answer (firefox still works even though plasma is crashed and black) I run the above (#24) three commands and plasma was restored and worked fine. I only had to close the terminal I run them since plasma will keep printing them.

I now have put those 3 commands inside a shell script in order to easily restore plasma when it crashes, until we have a bug fix for this.

[pst007x (turone)]

This is a problem with Kubuntu 16.04. KDE Neon is far more stable for some reason.

[Scarlett Gately Moore (scarlettmoore)]

This bug is very old, if it remains an issue please update the bug with info from a supported release.