Arch Linux

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Just finished installing arch, I am using Cinnamon as my DE. The problem is that the text is all buggy and the icons on the toolbar show up randomly. Right now I only see nautilus. The time is missing as well as "menu". I can however still click on menu but when I do, I either see only "m"'s or "c"'s.

I am using nouveau with an old nvidia gpu which requires the 96.xx driver, so in order to get that working I will need to rollback xorg, but that is for another time.

During the installation I ran into a bit of trouble with getting an Xorg file. I would run:
       

 Xorg :0 -configure 

But I did not get a new xorg.conf.new file. Instead I just decided I would startx and badaboom badabing, cinnamon was running, just with missing text.

I feel as though this may be a font issue or an issue with the driver/xorg. Let me know what you think.

x33a

Forum Fellow

Registered: 2009-08-15

Posts: 4,587

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

It seems to be a graphics driver/hardware issue. Have you tried running nvidia-xconfig?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … figuration

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

I am using the nouveau driver. When I run the command you offered I received

 -bash: nvidia-xconfig: command not found 

niceman

Member

Registered: 2015-08-31

Posts: 55

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

you can't find nvidia-xconfig if you're using nouveau, you have to install the proprietary driver to have that command, see this wiki page https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … ed_drivers

Last edited by niceman (2015-09-28 19:05:47)

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 17,388

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

During the installation I ran into a bit of trouble with getting an Xorg file. I would run:
       

 Xorg :0 -configure 

Why do you think you need to generate a config file?  Was autodetection failing?

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

you can't find nvidia-xconfig if you're using nouveau, you have to install the proprietary driver to have that command, see this wiki page https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … ed_drivers

My gpu requires either the 96.xx nvidia driver which is not supported by Xorg or the nouveau driver. I went with nouveau. Are you saying I should abandon nouveau and try my luck with rolling back Xorg?

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

During the installation I ran into a bit of trouble with getting an Xorg file. I would run:
       

 Xorg :0 -configure 

Why do you think you need to generate a config file?  Was autodetection failing?

I'm sorry, I don't know what auto-detection you are referring to. I've just been following the wiki and guides. Seeing as how I was unable to configure a new Xorg.conf, I am assuming it fell back to the default config file in

 /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d 

.

circleface

Member

Registered: 2012-05-26

Posts: 639

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Depending on what you use your computer for, you might be better off using the vesa driver.  It won't provide any 3D support, but it should at least work on any old card.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 17,388

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

During the installation I ran into a bit of trouble with getting an Xorg file. I would run:
       

 Xorg :0 -configure 

Why do you think you need to generate a config file?  Was autodetection failing?

I'm sorry, I don't know what auto-detection you are referring to. I've just been following the wiki and guides. Seeing as how I was unable to configure a new Xorg.conf, I am assuming it fell back to the default config file in

 /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d 

.

Yes I was referencing the wiki as well Configuration

Note: Arch supplies default configuration files in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d, and no extra configuration is necessary for most setups.

But this is getting a little off topic.
Can you please post the Xorg log.

niceman

Member

Registered: 2015-08-31

Posts: 55

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

you can't find nvidia-xconfig if you're using nouveau, you have to install the proprietary driver to have that command, see this wiki page https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … ed_drivers

My gpu requires either the 96.xx nvidia driver which is not supported by Xorg or the nouveau driver. I went with nouveau. Are you saying I should abandon nouveau and try my luck with rolling back Xorg?

No I'm not saying you should abandon nouveau, yes it may not have the same performance but it certainly won't cause such problem, also rolling Xorg back might give you some problems as Arch is bleeding edge and many packages expect you to have the latest packages. 

Also Xorg can work well without configuration and I doubt nvidia-xconfig will solve the problem. 

Also you can try another DE to see if it's a problem in cinnamon.

Last edited by niceman (2015-09-29 10:44:52)

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Why do you think you need to generate a config file?  Was autodetection failing?

I'm sorry, I don't know what auto-detection you are referring to. I've just been following the wiki and guides. Seeing as how I was unable to configure a new Xorg.conf, I am assuming it fell back to the default config file in

 Xorg :0 -configure 

.

Yes I was referencing the wiki as well Configuration

Note: Arch supplies default configuration files in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d, and no extra configuration is necessary for most setups.

But this is getting a little off topic.
Can you please post the Xorg log.

https://ptpb.pw/HuL6

 /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d 

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Bit of an update, I noticed that there is an Xorg.0.log as well as an Xorg.2.log file. I only use one monitor however.

niceman

Member

Registered: 2015-08-31

Posts: 55

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Bit of an update, I noticed that there is an Xorg.0.log as well as an Xorg.2.log file. I only use one monitor however.

the number doesn't map to monitor but to tty , by default you have ttys from 0 to 7(you can switch to any of them with Alt+FN where N is the number of the tty you want). 

the existance of Xorg.2.log means you launched X in tty2 sometime in the past, in most cases you only need to look in Xorg.0.log.

EDIT: looking in your log it seems you installed vesa alongside nouveau and both are loaded, I suggest you remove the package xf86-video-vesa, you also have fbdev(that is for intel I think). 

In short remove any xf86-video-* package except xf86-video-nouveau. 

Just for you to know, vesa is an alternative graphics driver that is capable of working with any graphics card(be it Nvidia,AMD,Intel) and thus shouldn't be mixed with a driver that only works with a specific card(like nouveau for Nvidia).

Last edited by niceman (2015-09-30 15:30:30)

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 17,388

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

https://ptpb.pw/HuL6

Thank you for the log that all looks fine to me sadly.
libgl is provided mesa-libgl on your system correct?
Does this still happen if you use cinnamon (software rendering)?
To rule out a font issue have you tried with an alternative font?

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

https://ptpb.pw/HuL6

Thank you for the log that all looks fine to me sadly.
libgl is provided mesa-libgl on your system correct?
Does this still happen if you use cinnamon (software rendering)?
To rule out a font issue have you tried with an alternative font?

Away from the box for a few days, will get back to you asap. Thank you for reading through the log.

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

Update:
Since I last wrote I have combed through the wiki and refined my installation process to the "T". I still have come to the same issue.

I have switched around fonts with no luck

https://ptpb.pw/HuL6

Thank you for the log that all looks fine to me sadly.
libgl is provided mesa-libgl on your system correct?
Does this still happen if you use cinnamon (software rendering)?
To rule out a font issue have you tried with an alternative font?

libgl was provided by mesa while I was installing. I downloaded nouveau (hopefully that is helpful)

I shall look through the wiki on how to switch modes.

I have switched around the fonts and followed each switch with a reboot to make sure. Unfortunately I had no luck.

ssdblackninja

Member

Registered: 2015-03-21

Posts: 9

Re: Missing letters on Arch install, running cinnamon.

you can't find nvidia-xconfig if you're using nouveau, you have to install the proprietary driver to have that command, see this wiki page https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … ed_drivers

My gpu requires either the 96.xx nvidia driver which is not supported by Xorg or the nouveau driver. I went with nouveau. Are you saying I should abandon nouveau and try my luck with rolling back Xorg?

No I'm not saying you should abandon nouveau, yes it may not have the same performance but it certainly won't cause such problem, also rolling Xorg back might give you some problems as Arch is bleeding edge and many packages expect you to have the latest packages. 

Also Xorg can work well without configuration and I doubt nvidia-xconfig will solve the problem. 

Also you can try another DE to see if it's a problem in cinnamon.

I will try lxde right now