Some applications don't redraw their windows correctly when using xserver-xorg-video-intel

[Aaron A Aardvark]

After updating from 19.04 to 19.10 I noted that some apps don't redraw their window(s) correctly. Affected apps include (it seems) all Qt-based apps (including KDE and VirtualBox), as well as firefox/thunderbird.

Unaffected apps include emacs, chrome, xterm.

The symptom is that an affected app will only redraw its window when another X window redraws its window. If there is no other window, then the app's window is not redrawn at all.

This is best illustrated with a video, which shows the problem using konsole and kpat (both KDE apps) :-

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hd7UtTt2k6Pn9GBLA

I am using the intel graphics driver (no graphics card).

Other info as requested below :-

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 19.10
Release: 19.10

$ apt-cache policy xserver-xorg
xserver-xorg:
  Installed: 1:7.7+19ubuntu12
  Candidate: 1:7.7+19ubuntu12
  Version table:
 *** 1:7.7+19ubuntu12 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.10
Package: xorg (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-19.20-generic 5.3.1
Uname: Linux 5.3.0-19-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu8
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Wed Oct 30 11:50:09 2019
DistUpgraded: 2019-10-21 13:25:02,550 DEBUG Running PostInstallScript: './xorg_fix_proprietary.py'
DistroCodename: eoan
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: virtualbox, 6.0.14, 5.3.0-19-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation HD Graphics 530 [8086:1912] (rev 06) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd HD Graphics 530 [1458:d000]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-01-02 (1396 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151021)
MachineType: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. To be filled by O.E.M.
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.3.0-19-generic root=UUID=8af2cd02-0009-4ce5-9ec6-e6cdf44c9411 ro nopti
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to eoan on 2019-10-21 (8 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 07/23/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: F2
dmi.board.asset.tag: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: Z170X-Gaming 5
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrF2:bd07/23/2015:svnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:pnTobefilledbyO.E.M.:pvrTobefilledbyO.E.M.:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rnZ170X-Gaming5:rvrx.x:cvnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:ct3:cvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.:
dmi.product.family: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.product.name: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.product.sku: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.product.version: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.sys.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
modified.conffile..etc.default.apport:
 # set this to 0 to disable apport, or to 1 to enable it
 # you can temporarily override this with
 # sudo service apport start force_start=1
 #enabled=1
 enabled=0
mtime.conffile..etc.default.apport: 2016-01-06T17:10:43.876145
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.99-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 19.2.1-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 19.2.1-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.20.5+git20191008-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.6-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:19.0.1-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20190815-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.16-1

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

You seem to be using FVWM and the old Intel driver (not the current one). So I would try eliminating those as possible causes.

1. Does the bug also occur in Gnome Shell Xorg sessions? (log into 'Ubuntu')

2. Please edit or move or delete /etc/X11/xorg.conf so that Xorg does not load the 'intel' driver. We would prefer it to load the newer 'modeset' driver.

[Aaron A Aardvark (aardvark12345)]

Thank you for the reply.

Changing the driver in xorg.conf from "intel" to "modesetting" fixed the problem.

[Aaron A Aardvark (aardvark12345)]

Having tried the "modesetting" driver for a while, I find it suffers from severe screen tearing, which makes it practically unusable. I prefer the half-broken intel driver!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Yes, screen tearing in the modesetting driver is a known problem (bug 1846398) but is off topic for this bug.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Though the modesetting driver should only exhibit screen tearing if either:

  * using multiple monitors; or
  * using fractional scaling.

Both of those can be avoided by logging into "Ubuntu on Wayland".