bugs in fglrx - blank screen - artifacts

Bug #180409 reported by Nemes Ioan Sorin
8
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Restricted Manager
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned
linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24 (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: fglrx-driver

Fresh install of Hardy Heron alpha2

at first look Compiz was enabled and working OK but the resolution was not detected correct.
first step was to dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg but I observed the autodetect module for the resolution was cut out.

so back again where I saw the Screen and Graphics don't work at all - both panels was empty.

OK - I need 1152x864 so I manually put my resolution in xorg.conf - no succes - then I try to change resolution from gconf. - no way.

Enfin, ...anyway who's need on our time only a 2D driver - Google Earth dont like Open Driver also True Combat elite which work well will open source driver on the past - now won't work. So I decided to install FGLRX driver.

there other confusing choice -> to use Restricted Driver manager OR to install from Synaptic -- no one explain this step ( AND HERE IS A BIG LOSS THAT NEED AN URGENT WORKAROUND )

1. I installed FGLRX from repo. After that I choose to use Restricted Driver manager. Then notification area told me to restart.
Restart. Blank Screen.
2. Restart in recovery mode. dpkg-reconfigure again -> choosing ATI this time - then boot again with OSDriver again into 1024x768.
3. Thinking. Ah maybe because I don't do aticonfig --initial (what a miss). Again dpkg-reconfigure...choosing FGLRX, and aticonfig --initial => the parser could not parse some things there so I choose to do aticonfig --initial -f. Finally unitialised xorg.conf found ...etc etc.. Reboot.

After reboot fglrx work - but ...a nice AMD logo on the right bottom corner of the screen. OK - search on the net - found a solution in 5-7 minutes - I download ATI proprietary driver I created necessary folder (/etc/ati) I put files there and ..everything OK. After today upgrade I observed the AMD logo solution was included in new fglrx. That sound good, now back to the problems.

With the new fglrx drivers - sometime mouse movement on menus cause ugly artifacts around mouse AND more important on the right bottom corner I have ARTIFACTS which won't go. Exact in AMD logo position 2 ugly lines force me to restart at every 2 - 4 hours.

I forget to say - Compiz is compromised forever - pretty bad - but games work pretty nice. I just tested Enemy Territory - Quake Wars and I have no lags also in Quake 4 - all OK here.

Output for compiz --replace :

Checking for Xgl: not present.
Detected PCI ID for VGA: 01:00.0 0300: 1002:4152 (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: not present.
Trying again with indirect rendering:
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: not present.
SKIP_CHECKS is yes, so continuing despite problems.
Checking for nVidia: not present.
Checking for FBConfig: present.
Checking for Xgl: not present.
Starting emerald
/usr/bin/compiz.real (core) - Fatal: GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap is missing
/usr/bin/compiz.real (core) - Error: Failed to manage screen: 0
/usr/bin/compiz.real (core) - Fatal: No manageable screens found on display :0.0

I have to mention the Compiz could not be started from Appearance panel too.

Resolution:
this report point in 2 bugs and put a question.

 - Aticonfig --initial -f is not executed after the fglrx installation (without -f will not work anyway) - so a normal user got a blank screen after restart.And Cry.
 - Compiz don't work after fglrx install from repo. Using the original Driver from ATI website and doing steps from http://www.ubuntu-es.org/index.php?q=node/67826 OR from other tutorials I can get Compiz working, I forget artifacts and I can have good 3D acceleration. Also no restricted modules loaded.

- The question is why the procedure for ATI original drivers work better than fglrx installation from repositories and why we need to learn steps from other peoples / experiments not from official Ubuntu channels.

Can someone made an install script which can mimic procedures from http://www.ubuntu-es.org/index.php?q=node/67826 - for fglrx from repositories ( including volatile folder and corresponding symlinks ) ?. I mean if is possible that the .deb's resulted from original ATI driver can stay prepared on repositories then - at request for install - just to be downloaded and an installation script can do the rest. This way we can have AIGLX working with FGLRX also a good 3D accel.

description: updated
Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :

one problem described here is solved ( regarding AMD logo )
In attachment some pictures about right bottom corner artifacts ( they appear in a non programatic way ;) - when they like )

Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :

AN other important miss - As I said the AMD logo problem seems to be OK with the current FGLRX but also this new FGLRX does an rewrite of my xorg.conf ( I don't know why all was rewritten - because there was settings from Screen and Graphics - where I put my Monitor - detected initially as Plug and Play ) AND forget to do aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv, so imagine how I can see first videos after new FGLRX -> so please tell to the install script to do all necessary stuff after install.

Some peoples claim their buggy videos on other forums after FGLRX install because they don't know about aticonfig and .."Xv".

Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :

OTHER QUESTION -> Compiz OR not ? - Bug or deliberate, user choice option ?

Opensource ATI driver = Compiz but no 3D acceleration
fglrx from Ubuntu repositories = No Compiz but 3D acceleration
fglrx form AMD website + workarounds ( some symlinks ) = Compiz + 3D acceleration

Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :

A new Day - A new Experience -> I manually installed ATI fglrx driver from AMD website - I mean ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64 because I don't need the artifacts on my screen from fglrx coming from Hardy repositories (this is a known problem - no fglrx from repo' - no artifacts - and I still wondering on that). Please see my attachments with screenshoots.

The problem is when Ubuntu must do an upgrade. Update-manager see 8.443.1-1 lower than 1:7.1.0-7-11+2.6.24.4(from repo).

So my Ubuntu want to "upgrade" to a lower version.
Is pretty unbelievable why Synaptic could not see the difference - because of the numbering system. Please do a numbering conversion patch - because now this problem hold on place a lot of other upgrades such as Compiz upgrades or other upgrades related to fglrx packages.

Thank you.

Revision history for this message
Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton) wrote :

This report has too many things in it, making it very hard to follow. Please file bugs with exactly ONE issue per bug. Thanks.

Changed in linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24:
status: New → Invalid
Changed in restricted-manager:
status: New → Invalid
Revision history for this message
Nemes Ioan Sorin (nemes-sorin) wrote :

nope I think is not hard to follow.

but I'll broke this one on pieces if you say so ...

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