Screen flashes as if the display mode is using garbage values for the top/left and wraps around

[Brandon Schaefer]

When typing/moving workspace or anything it will randomly happen where the display will flash around. Sometimes it'll get stuck like this:

http://i.imgur.com/VSCQZq3.jpg

Ive no way to reproduce sadly, but at the worst point the screen will start flashing black and I have to reboot.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.10
Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-9136.55-generic 4.4.16
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-9136-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.3-0ubuntu7
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: Tue Aug 30 19:34:28 2016
DistUpgraded: 2016-01-04 12:05:30,294 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: yakkety
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, including running git bisection searches
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation HD Graphics 5500 [8086:1616] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Lenovo HD Graphics 5500 [17aa:5036]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-12-21 (253 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151021)
MachineType: LENOVO 20BXCTO1WW
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-9136-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=21d99ce3-7e95-44e2-a708-10cf194e0be5 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to yakkety on 2016-01-04 (239 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 11/06/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: JBET54WW (1.19 )
dmi.board.asset.tag: Not Available
dmi.board.name: 20BXCTO1WW
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: SDK0J40709 WIN
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: None
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvrJBET54WW(1.19):bd11/06/2015:svnLENOVO:pn20BXCTO1WW:pvrThinkPadT450s:rvnLENOVO:rn20BXCTO1WW:rvrSDK0J40709WIN:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNone:
dmi.product.name: 20BXCTO1WW
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T450s
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.13.0+16.10.20160818.2-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.70-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 12.0.1-3ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 12.0.1-3ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.18.4-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.2-1ubuntu1
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+git20160706-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.12-2
xserver.bootTime: Tue Aug 30 19:24:57 2016
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:

xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.18.4-1ubuntu4
xserver.video_driver: modeset

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Brandon Schaefer, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

As per http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/Laptops-and-netbooks/ThinkPad-T-Series-laptops/ThinkPad-T450s?tabName=Downloads&linkTrack=Mast:SubNav:Support:Drivers%20and%20Software|Drivers%20and%20Software&beta=false an update to your computer's buggy, insecure, and outdated BIOS is available (1.24). When you update to this following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate how does this improve the situation?

For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette .

Once the BIOS is updated, if the problem is still reproducible:
1) Please provide the output of the following terminal command (not perform an apport-collect):
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
2) Please make a comment specifically advising on how this improves the situation.
3) Please mark this report Status New.

If it's not reproducible, please mark this as Invalid.

Thank you for your help.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Hmm, I'm not sure making this a discussion about BIOS is helpful. penalvch seems to do this for a lot of bugs.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Daniel van Vugt, thanks for the comment.

Given you have found this to be xorg-server, would the original reporter be able to expect a patch provided by you soon?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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