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#1 2013-09-03 21:13:18

Samy
Member
Registered: 2013-09-01
Posts: 9

Old screen flickering problem with Gnome 3 and dell vostro 3550

Hi,

I have an old an strange problem with my dell vostro 3550 laptop and gnome 3:
After a fresh install of a linux system and gnome 3 everthing works well for a few days, then out of nowhere my screen starts flickering and i loose mouse focus.
I have this problem since 2011, this is my first post about it i think: http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.p … 97551.html
This is my second post about it in 2012: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions … cs-926203/

I was not able to solve it and just used xfce instead. Now with arch i switched back to gnome and the problem ist back :-( .
Ohter people have similar problems with the vostro 3550:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1925196
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1852627

This guy found out that it is related to some xinput device:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2052968

I'm so thankfull to him it's ther first good clue to the root of this problem and disabling the device actually resolves that flickering.

This is the output xinput --test gives while the screen is flickering:

xinput --test 8
key press   235 
key release 235 
key press   235 
key release 235 
key press   235 
key release 235 
key press   235 
key release 235 
key press   235 
key release 235 
key press   235 
key release 235 

so everytime the screen flickers some strange key is supposedly pressed and released.

now my question is:
Why would some phantom key input from a phantom device make the screen flicker?
What is this "Video Bus" device doing in Virtual core keybord section and what is it for?
Why does it think a key is pressed even though i do nothing?



Some more output:

xinput list
 Virtual core pointer                    	id=2	[master pointer  (3)]
    Virtual core XTEST pointer              	id=4	[slave  pointer  (2)]
    DualPoint Stick                         	id=13	[slave  pointer  (2)]
    AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad        	id=14	[slave  pointer  (2)]
 Virtual core keyboard                   	id=3	[master keyboard (2)]
     Virtual core XTEST keyboard             	id=5	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Power Button                            	id=6	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Video Bus                               	id=7	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Power Button                            	id=9	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Sleep Button                            	id=10	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Laptop_Integrated_Webcam_FHD            	id=11	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     AT Translated Set 2 keyboard            	id=12	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Dell WMI hotkeys                        	id=15	[slave  keyboard (3)]
     Video Bus                               	id=8	[slave  keyboard (3)]
xinput --list --long 8
Video Bus                               	id=8	[slave  keyboard (3)]
	This device is disabled
	Reporting 1 classes:
		Class originated from: 8. Type: XIKeyClass
		Keycodes supported: 248

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#2 2013-09-03 23:40:51

Samy
Member
Registered: 2013-09-01
Posts: 9

Re: Old screen flickering problem with Gnome 3 and dell vostro 3550

I think the Video Bus devices have something todo with the acpi messages send to the video card/s

if i press Brigther and Darker keys on my keyboard both devices show key 233 or key 232 press/release

the flickering only appears on Video Bus id=8 as key 235 press/release (even thought nothing is pressed, maybe its some power managemnt messages that confuse xinput?)
If i disable both Video Bus devices with xinput i can still use brighter darker keys on my keyboard and the flickering is gone.
How can i permanently disable those input "Video Bus" input devices and keep xorg from loading them?

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