Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

tw · 2009-12-29 09:45:19

Being the stubborn sort, I've been struggling for more than a month with the following problem, to no avail.

The screen on my Acer flickers while running X (seems to be independent of window manager I run.) Even worse, at random intervals, the screen will actually go completely black (or sometimes green or blue, but usually black.)

To be clear, I am not absolutely sure the flickering and screen blanking are related to each other... only 90% certain.

The flickering and blanking seem completely unrelated to what I'm doing on the computer. The blanking will happen if I'm watching a movie, or even if I'm simply typing an email (in fact, it has happened as I typed this post!) When the screen blanks out, the only way to recover it is to shut the lid of the laptop, wait a couple of seconds, and open it again. Closing the laptop lid suspends the laptop and the screen seems to recover when the computer wakes up. Nothing else seems to bring the screen back: not console switching, not killing X, nor any magic key combination. Before I figured out that suspend/resume would bring back the screen, I had to reboot it with SysRq-B.

Although the flicker/blanking happens frequently, it leaves no traces I can find in either dmesg or Xorg log. I do not use an xorg.conf file.

One MIGHT think it is a hardware issue, but it NEVER occurs when I boot into Windows XP. I have used XP for days without any flicker or blanking (hence one reason I think the two issues are related.) Also, I'm pretty sure it doesn't occur when I boot the computer into xPUD.

Some research led me to think my issue might be with the intel driver. With that in mind, I've tried different versions of the driver:

xf86-video-intel from both extra and testing.
xf86-video-intel-git from AUR
xf86-video-intel-newest from AUR.

(In each case, with the appropriate dependencies, etc.)

Presently, I'm using the driver from testing, but none of the drivers has made any noticeable difference: the problem remains.

Finally, I am using Tera's one-dev kernel for the Acer Aspire One, available in AUR.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this issue? It's driving me to rely on Windows XP a lot more often, as suspending/resuming the laptop when it blanks out really interrupts my work. Please save me from Windows :-)

Last edited by tw (2009-12-29 09:48:09)

schuay · 2009-12-29 10:38:21

I'm afraid I can't help you except to say that I've never experienced anything similar with stock kernel/testing repo enabled. Good luck!

fberger · 2009-12-30 12:41:59

Are you using KMS? I (and others in this thread) had the same problems with Samsung netbooks.

Disabling KMS fixed it for me.

tw · 2009-12-30 19:07:11

Schuay,

No prob. I've switched back to the latest iteration of the stock kernel, so maybe that'll fix the issue.

Fberger,

Yep, I am using KMS. I'll disable it. Worth a shot! Thanks for the heads up!

tw.

freigeist · 2010-01-01 17:20:48

Same problem here on my Eeepc 1000H with an integrated Intel 945GME. Screen flickers randomly and sometimes goes totally black (had white, gray and green/turqouise also before). Switching to text console doesn't help then, only switching to sleep modus and waking up again.

I'm using KMS too so I'll try to disable it (problem still exists in 2.6.33-rc2).

Last edited by freigeist (2010-01-01 17:22:23)

jcerdan · 2010-01-01 20:02:14

I'm having the same problem on my macbook (not pro) after upgrading to kernel 2.6.32. going back to the old kernel solved the problem.

tw · 2010-01-01 23:49:25

I'm still having the same issues, but it's interesting to hear from others.

While I tried disabling KMS, I didn't much like the results. Maybe I'll try downgrading the kernel (or recompiling it; could there be a setting in the newer kernel that's causing our problem?)

Switching back to the latest stock kernel MIGHT have reduced the frequency of the issue... hmm, hard for me to say. From what I can tell, once the screen starts to flicker, it is not long until it goes black (or blue, or whatever), and then once the blanking starts, it continues until I cave in and restart X entirely.

patrickthebold · 2010-01-01 23:49:37

I'm having similar problems, it might be related to this bug:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour … bug/492392

So for some people KMS is not the issue but the 2.6.32 kernel. Hopefully there will be a patch soon.

Sertse · 2010-01-02 09:43:08

Posting just to say I've experienced something similiar and the same hardware (AOA150). Using stock kernel and drivers from extra. KMS enabled.

tw · 2010-01-03 23:14:20

For those dealing with this issue, there may be a solution, or at least a better identification of the problem.

This thread http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=87879 leads to a bug report here:

http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=14781

The bug report contains a couple of different kernel patches, but the one for kernel 2.6.32 is the important one (comment #15). I applied that patch, recompiled the kernel, and things seem improved: no flickering, no blank outs. It's been rock steady for quite a while now. Might be worth giving it a try, depending on how annoyed one is with the issue in the first place.

In my case, very annoyed :-)

damjan · 2010-01-03 23:58:15

Screen flickers randomly and sometimes goes totally black (had white, gray and green/turqouise also before). Switching to text console doesn't help then, only switching to sleep modus and waking up again.

In 2.6.32.[012], this too happens to me after I resume from suspend-to-ram.
But on a clean reboot it never happens, and also I hibernate to disk (using tuxonice) and it does not happen.

my hardware is Thinkpad X60s with 945GM, software is all normal from core/extra except I use a self compiled kernel.

tw · 2010-01-04 00:25:03

Damjan,

Weird. I wonder if it is the same issue or not: I'm almost positive mine happens even from a clean reboot. Do you get anything from dmesg, other logs, etc?

caligo · 2010-01-10 15:30:22

I had the same problem on my Lenovo S10e (Intel GMA 945, kernel 2.26.32.3-1), strugged with it since I replaced ubuntu 9.10 with Arch some weeks ago. For me, however, it seems like disabling UVESAFB solved the problem. I removed the v86d hook from /etc/mkinitcpio.conf, regenerated initramfs and rebooted, and voila -- have been running for roughly an hour without any screen flicker or white/black/purple screens. Lost my splash screen though, but that seems like a fairly small price to pay. There are other ways to set one up, after all.

I wonder, though, if it could just be a question of how UVESAFB is configured. Might experiment some.

damjan · 2010-01-11 00:35:31

UVESAFB and KMS will probably never work together. Just use KMS it's way better (and you should be able to run same splash on KMS too)

caligo · 2010-01-11 12:24:37

damjan wrote:

UVESAFB and KMS will probably never work together. Just use KMS it's way better (and you should be able to run same splash on KMS too)

Thanks. Means I yet again learned something about linux the trial and error way.

I actually used a setup where KMS was disabled and UVESAFB enabled, since the Arch Wiki entry on Splashy strongly recommended UVESAFB and didn't mention KMS. Oh well. KMS enabled now, the UVESAFB daemon thrown out. I should probably get a wiki account, suggest a clarification of that entry to prevent other newbies from making the same mistake.

EDIT: Added a section on KMS to the Arch Wiki entry on Splashy

Last edited by caligo (2010-01-11 12:49:01)

zoof · 2010-02-07 12:27:39

Has anyone found a solution other than patching and compiling the kernel?

tw · 2010-02-07 19:27:37

Zoof,

I found upgrading to the 2.6.33 kernel worked, no patching required. The offending bit of code is entirely removed from the new kernel. Other than that, I didn't find any solution.

zoof · 2010-02-07 20:14:17

Did you install kernel26-one-dev or kernel26-rc?

Last edited by zoof (2010-02-07 20:15:19)

tw · 2010-02-07 21:23:37

Zoof,

One-dev. Seems to work great.

zoof · 2010-02-08 21:49:45

Hi tw,

Screen flicker is now fine but suspend no longer works -- is it working on yours?

Never mind. It seems to work most of the time.

Last edited by zoof (2010-02-08 21:51:25)

zoof · 2010-02-08 22:20:56

Hi tw,

What other configurations do you have? After coming back from a suspend, there does still seem to be a flicker but it is not as bad in that it hasn't blanked out on me so far.

zoof · 2010-02-08 22:30:34

Hmm, red screen instead of blanking. Better or worse? Dunno -- couldn't get it to suspend.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-12-29 09:45:19

Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#2 2009-12-29 10:38:21

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#3 2009-12-30 12:41:59

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#4 2009-12-30 19:07:11

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#5 2010-01-01 17:20:48

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#6 2010-01-01 20:02:14

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#7 2010-01-01 23:49:25

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#8 2010-01-01 23:49:37

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#9 2010-01-02 09:43:08

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#10 2010-01-03 23:14:20

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#11 2010-01-03 23:58:15

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#12 2010-01-04 00:25:03

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#13 2010-01-10 15:30:22

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#14 2010-01-11 00:35:31

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#15 2010-01-11 12:24:37

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#16 2010-02-07 12:27:39

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#17 2010-02-07 19:27:37

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#18 2010-02-07 20:14:17

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#19 2010-02-07 21:23:37

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#20 2010-02-08 21:49:45

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#21 2010-02-08 22:20:56

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

#22 2010-02-08 22:30:34

Re: Acer Aspire One A0A 150: screen flicker, blanking (intel driver?)

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