Package: xserver-xorg-video-intel
Version: 2:2.3.1-1
Severity: grave
Justification: causes non-serious data loss
My screen flashes strangely all the time. The flashes happen about once
every 10 minutes or so. It is as if my entire screen jumps away for a
split-second, then returns. Or as if some other screen is shown for just
a frame. At first I thought it was my monitor but changing monitors made
no difference. Beside, I never had this problem under Etch and the
problem started as soon as I upgraded to Lenny, 4 weeks ago.
Occasionally, the screen simply jumps to black. It can happen at any
time. When the xscreensaver is running, when I start AbiWord or gedit,
or when I'm doing nothing at all. When this happens, I cannot get a
working desktop back.
My problem appears similar to two existing bug reports, but differs from
them in some way, so I thought I'd file this as a separate bug. The
similar bugs are:
1) #470249: The submitter of that bug mentions that he can't even get a
console up and running with Ctrl+Alt+F1 but that he can still type
commands blindly. I however am able to get a working console on
Ctrl+Alt+F1. I am submitting this bug from the console right now. The
logfiles that reportbug attaches are the logfiles from the blanked-out X
session.
2) #483206: This submitter's problems started with
xserver-xorg-video-intel version 2.3.1. My problems started when I
upgraded from Etch to Lenny four weeks ago. Back then, the video-intel
version was below 2.3.1 (IIRC it was 2.2.something).
Symptoms:
* After X blanks out, none of the logfiles show anything. Xorg.0.log
(attached) show nothing I can relate to the blanking. Other system logs
in /var/log don't show anything either. ~/.xsession-errors doesn't show
anything related either.
* When I run Compiz instead of Metacity I don't see the flashes as much,
but X can still blank out unexpectedly. This may have something to do
with the desktop v.s. workspace implementation between the two.
* The flashes and blank out happens in Metacity with the composite
extension enabled as well as disabled.
* The number of open applications or the type of applications does not
seem to matter. Sometimes I have nothing running. Sometimes I have 25+
open windows. Sometimes system load is heavy and at other times it's
next-to-nothing.
* When I go to the console, become root and execute /etc/init.d/gdm
restart then X is not restored. My screen switches to the display on
Ctrl+Alt+F7 but the same blank screen is show. I need to reboot in order
to get X back up and working. After this bug-report has been filed, I
will execute a gdm restart and use reportbug to attach another comment
to this bug, giving you the Xorg.0.log from the gdm restart.
* When I was using the 2.2.something version of xserver-xorg-video-intel
the blank screen happend daily, sometimes twice a day. With the current
version it happens less often. About once every 2-3 days. The annoying
screen flashes still occur as often as in the beginning though.
-- Package-specific info:
Contents of /var/lib/x11/X.roster:
xserver-xorg
/var/lib/x11/X.md5sum does not exist.
X server symlink status:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 2007-04-07 15:01 /etc/X11/X - /usr/bin/Xorg
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 1676828 2008-05-18 13:55 /usr/bin/Xorg
Contents of /var/lib/x11/xorg.conf.roster:
xserver-xorg
VGA-compatible devices on PCI bus:
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS,
943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
/etc/X11/xorg.conf does not match checksum in /var/lib/x11/xorg.conf.md5sum.
Xorg X server configuration file status:
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3263 2008-05-22 15:14 /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Contents of /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the /etc/X11/xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type man /etc/X11/xorg.conf at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
Section Files
FontPath/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc
FontPath/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc
FontPath/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic
FontPath/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic
FontPath/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled
FontPath/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled
FontPath/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled
FontPath/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled
FontPath/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1
FontPath/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1
