fglrx hangs/crashes

Unfortunately, as this is an upstream problem in a binary-only driver, there's
nothing we can do except send this one up to ATI. If you don't use 3D
acceleration often, I strongly recommend using the 'radeon' driver.

(In reply to comment #1)
> Unfortunately, as this is an upstream problem in a binary-only driver, there's
> nothing we can do except send this one up to ATI. If you don't use 3D
> acceleration often, I strongly recommend using the 'radeon' driver.

i originaly posted this bug on the ubuntu application support thread.

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=123875#post123875

i've got the following response (from rosslaird):
----------
I can't shed any light, but I can confirm that this problem has happened to me
twice (both times with Firefox running). I have an nvidia card and the latest xorg.

This is tough to crack (i.e. with log files) because the whole system hangs --
no ctl-alt-f1, no ctl-alt-bksp, nothing but the big 'ol power button.
---------

both of us use different hardware, (mine an ati card, and his an nvidia card, ergo,
no fglrx installed on his machine..) and experience the same sympthoms.

i hope this will help in solving the problem. (or at least provide some clue)

thanks in advance,

mangar

I would try to uninstall fglrx as r250 chips should be already accelerated by
X/dri - see
http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/ATIRadeon?action=highlight&value=CategoryHardwareChipset
If that still hapens it is not that driver.

Hi guys,
sorry if some of you will receive this message twice:

A new version of fglrx has been uploaded to breezy and it is supposed to fix the
problem reported in the bug.

The update will be available shortly in the archive. Please test the driver and
let me know if it works or not.

Fabio

(In reply to comment #4)
> Hi guys,
> sorry if some of you will receive this message twice:
>
> A new version of fglrx has been uploaded to breezy and it is supposed to fix the
> problem reported in the bug.
>
> The update will be available shortly in the archive. Please test the driver and
> let me know if it works or not.
>
> Fabio

My system:
Pentium 4
Mobility Radeon 9600

I experience the same freezes with firefox.

I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
website and I still have this freezes...

These drivers work fine with games (enemy territory) and all other software.
The problem is just with firefox on some websites.

For example, if I try to see the comments of this webblog:
http://placelibre.ath.cx/keyes/ I freeze...

I cant' Ctrl+Alt+F2, I have to Alt+Syst+b...

Created an attachment (id=4684)
some pictures of my freezes

even on this website!

it appeared when I tried to choose the product on the second picture
(DSC00892)...

Created an attachment (id=4685)
some pictures of my freezes 2

Created an attachment (id=4686)
some pictures of my freezes 3

(In reply to comment #5)
>
> I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
> website and I still have this freezes...

Are you positive your firefox/X freezes are the result of fglrx? Can you try
changing your driver in Xorg.conf to "ati" (making no other changes) and using
that for a bit, see if the freezes are definitely gone?

(In reply to comment #9)
> (In reply to comment #5)
> >
> > I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
> > website and I still have this freezes...
>
> Are you positive your firefox/X freezes are the result of fglrx? Can you try
> changing your driver in Xorg.conf to "ati" (making no other changes) and using
> that for a bit, see if the freezes are definitely gone?
>

I'll try again but when I tried "ati" I had no freeze...

(In reply to comment #9)
> (In reply to comment #5)
> >
> > I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
> > website and I still have this freezes...
>
> Are you positive your firefox/X freezes are the result of fglrx? Can you try
> changing your driver in Xorg.conf to "ati" (making no other changes) and using
> that for a bit, see if the freezes are definitely gone?
>

I can confirm I have had no freezes since I put the "ati" driver.

The fact is I'd like to have 3D acceleration...

I can confirm that I have no freeze with the "ati" driver on the websites I
always have freezes.

By the way I will try the "radeon" driver to see the results...
(In reply to comment #9)
> (In reply to comment #5)
> >
> > I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
> > website and I still have this freezes...
>
> Are you positive your firefox/X freezes are the result of fglrx? Can you try
> changing your driver in Xorg.conf to "ati" (making no other changes) and using
> that for a bit, see if the freezes are definitely gone?
>

I add I have these freezes with firefox, epiphany and even opera when using fglrx.

No freezes with "ati" so it should be a "fglrx" bug.

I updated to the 8.18.8 fglrx driver and no change...

I'll become completly mad...

golgoth@laptop:~$ fglrxinfo
display: :0.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Generic
OpenGL version string: 1.3.5395 (X4.3.0-8.18.8)

(In reply to comment #9)
> (In reply to comment #5)
> >
> > I tested the latest fglrx driver from ubuntu and the latest one on the ATI
> > website and I still have this freezes...
>
> Are you positive your firefox/X freezes are the result of fglrx? Can you try
> changing your driver in Xorg.conf to "ati" (making no other changes) and using
> that for a bit, see if the freezes are definitely gone?
>

I'm defitively sure my firefox/X freezes are the result of FGLRX.
I tried for a bit the "ati" driver and experienced no freeze.

More I discovered something interesting:
I changed recently the theme of my webblog (http://debuntu.free.fr) and add a
theme with some texture to load (background and menu).
The previous theme was very simple and had just some colors and I had never
frozen on my webblog with the fglrx.

Since I have changed to a more sophiticated theme, I freeze on my blog!

So it might be a problem with the loading of textures in the rendering of website...

Any idea?!

I can't reproduce these freezes with the latest fglrx (uploaded today, should be
on all the mirrors by now) and firefox 1.5 in dapper. If any of the submitters
of this bug are running dapper, can you please upgrade to the latest and
greatest and let me know if things are finally a bit better for you?

Created an attachment (id=5611)
/var/log contents with failed fglrx data

after the 9.1.2006 (local time) update, the problem still persists for me.
hardware:
compaq presarion x1400, centrino platform, mobility radeon 9200 (X recognized
it as a
9000, and that what it's actually is (compaq did some evil marketing) )

description:
after initial boot graphics, when X should load, the hdd lights and sound
indicates some work
is being done, but the screen stays blank.
X cannot be exited from that point on (control-alt-backspace,
control-alt-F1..F4 seems to
have no effect), and a hard boot to safe mode, and editing the xorg.conf is
required

attached:
the contents of /var/log (the files with the relevant time stamp),
+ the working xorg.conf file, + the xorg.conf with fglrx i've tried to use
currently i'm using the oss "ati" driver, and it seems to be working (although
it's
slow, even with exa enabled - this is not a complaint, but an observation)

thanks for your hard work!

Your log shows that you have composite enabled, which isn't terribly well
supported by fglrx... Can you try disabling composite, re-enabling fglrx, and
also rebooting to make sure the system is in a "sane" state?

(As for making the free "ati" driver faster, it should speed up a bit with
proper direct rendering and OpenGL acceleration if you completely remove the
xorg-driver-fglrx package... Because the package diverts some other system
files, it somewhat wreaks havoc with switching back if you don't remove/purge it)

Created an attachment (id=5619)
autogenerated xorg.conf (for fglrx driver), not working

created using dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, and choosing fglrx as the driver

(In reply to comment #18)
> Created an attachment (id=5619) [edit]
> autogenerated xorg.conf (for fglrx driver), not working
>
> created using dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, and choosing fglrx as the driver

I've tried using the autogenerated xorg.conf, and the result remained the same
(blank screen, no visible response to the keyboard)

This bug is solved for me:
William Anderson showed me the way here:

http://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/show_bug.cgi?id=8861#c20

I can't find AGPFastWrite in the BIOS so I put:
Option "AGPFastWrite" "0"
in my xorg.conf

And it works now: no lockup on the websites where I freezed every time!!

Many many thanks because I spent many hours to solve my freezes...

:-D

Anyone still having this problem: please test the latest packages.

my firefox also freezes the system in irregular intervals.

i have dapper drake with latest updates and kernel 2.6.15-23-686.
i have a nvidia geforce using the "nv" driver.

Hi!

It's not only fglrx/ati users problem.

I suppose there is a bug in kernel. Me and my Brother have these observations at all:

We both use open source radeon driver for our video cards (radeon 9200).

On my Brother's computer, when he back to the first dapper kernel (i386) - problems with hangs up was sloved, but i see that probably will not work for other people. (see the previous comment).

on my computer:
I try to use the newest kernel: 2.6.17.7. System doesn't freeze when... /dev/agpgart module is disabled! Window manager and gdm works slower than normal but dapper works stable.

I hope that will be good sugesstions.

When i back to home i can attach kernel .config file or sth. else if You want.

When i use official kernel form dapper - the easiest way to make hang up is:
- open firefox and
- go to: www.avast.com and
- then try to nawigate some menus, maybe click once or twice and here we go nice freeze like:
-> totally no respond or,
-> switch to abnormal resolution on refresh rate 78 Hz (but all works) or,
-> make all screen black, without the cursor - cursor is show properly, but not desktop
-> or other strange behaviour.
-------------
Sometimes when i switch to console(eg. ctrl+alt+f2) and back again to Desktop - everything is OK.
Sometimes - when screen gets totally black with showed cursor - swithing to console and back to Desktop:
Desktop is showing for 1-2 seconds and then gets blank again (cursor is showin with all the time on Desktop)

Best regards
and sorry for my english ;-)
Pawel

I solved the problem with disabling the Hyperthreading (HT) on my P4 at the bios.
since disabling no more freezes.

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue for you? Can you try with latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

The problem has been solved trivially - ATI doesn't longer supports r200 with official drivers, and therefore, the bug is not fixable.

Right, closing the bug as wontfix.