xfce4-display-settings fails to configure 2 and 3 display setups

[Michael Neuffer]

Unfortunately display settings doesn't switch on display 3 voluntary and even switches off display 1. Getting all three switched on is quite often a longish juggeling act restarting the whole x-server and clicking on "Use this display" over and over. Sometimes the screen then gets switched on for 2-3 seconds and then immediately off again just to repeat the whole mess.

Interestingly enough though, the Display-Lockmanager lightdm never has any problems and starts on all three displays. Only once the xfce desktop itself starts after the login, the display or displays get switched off again and must painstakingly switched on again by the above process.

Sometimes it is enough (luckly most often in the 2 display setup where display 1 is missing) just to lock the screens and to log in again (a few times) to get all displays working properly.

Once all three displays are switched on successfully I run the xrandr command below which then in turn messes up the display-settings display since it can't handle scaled displays, as visible from the attached screenshot (but that is only a trivial issue compared to the main problem)

xrandr --output VGA-0 --off --output DP-5 --off --output DP-6 --mode 3840x2160 --pos 6080x0 --rotate normal --output DP-4 --mode 3200x1800 --pos 0x0 --rotate normal --output DP-3 --scale 1.5x1.5 --mode 1920x1200 --pos 3200x0 --rotate normal --output DP-2 --off --output DP-1 --off --output DP-0 --off

The three displays are -left to right-
a 15,6" laptop display,
a 24" FullHD display (scaled 1.5x1.5) <- This is missing in the 2 display setup
and a 28" UHD display

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: xfce4-settings 4.12.0-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.3.0-6.17-generic 4.3.3
Uname: Linux 4.3.0-6-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.19.3-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Sun Jan 17 14:48:43 2016
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-05-30 (597 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140416.2)
SourcePackage: xfce4-settings
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Sean Davis (bluesabre)]

Are you still experiencing this issue with a currently supported release (focal, impish, or jammy)?

[Michael Neuffer (neuffer)]

On 3/11/22 00:40, Sean Davis wrote:
> Are you still experiencing this issue with a currently supported release
> (focal, impish, or jammy)?
Yes.
> ** Changed in: xfce4-settings (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
This computer is currently on hirsute, but picking up focal updates as well.

####### focal LTS
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal main restricted universe
multiverse
# deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal main restricted
universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-updates main restricted
universe multiverse
# deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-updates main
restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-backports main restricted
universe multiverse
# deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-backports main
restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security main restricted
universe multiverse
# deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security main
restricted universe multiverse

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu focal partner
deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu focal partner

####### hirsute
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute main restricted universe
multiverse
## deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute main restricted
universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute-updates main restricted
universe multiverse
## deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute-updates main
restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute-backports main restricted
universe multiverse
## deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hirsute-backports main
restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hirsute-security main restricted
universe multiverse
## deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hirsute-security main
restricted universe multiverse

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hirsute partner
deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hirsute partner

In a bit over three weeks from now I will upgrade it --> impish --> jammy

but until then this computer must remain stable.

Cheers

   Mike

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xfce4-settings (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]