KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

NotALotOfBees · 2021-05-31 05:37:03

I installed Arch yesterday. I have installed it once before, back in November with a KDE setup, which I replaced with Xubuntu. I could not live without the AUR for long, so here I am. I deleted the Xubuntu partitions and installed Arch using the wiki.

Specs:
Dell-Inspiron n5010, AMD graphics card inside it had been hardware disabled. Runs on integrated Intel graphics. Dual boot with Windows 10

After installing the base system, I installed the xorg, plasma and kde-applications package. Rebooted, realized I had no display manger, installed SDDM (enabled it as well), rebooted again, SDDM opens, I put in my password and the Plasma splash screen comes up. Its smooth and nice but eventually its loading circle animation becomes janky and the whole screen starts flickering and flashing and I suddenly go back to the SDDM login screen. Try again, same result. I tried for the third time and this time I didn't go back to the login screen, the monitor just kept flashing and flickering on the splash screen.

I followed nearly the same steps I did in November, it had run fine then.

So, I tried if wayland worked. In wayland I could get past the splash onto the desktop but the flickering started as soon as I moved my mouse. I found a lot of old posts about this flickering thing but their solutions require opening the plasma settings, which I can't do if the screen is constantly flashing with black patches around the borders.

Things I think could be the problem:
1) Installed SDDM after Plasma
2) Paru fails to build, maybe I am missing some important package(?)

Note:
1) The disabled graphics card cannot be the problem as it was done more than 4 years ago, I have tried a lot of distros since then.
2) Kubuntu live environment runs fine

seth · 2021-05-31 06:52:46

Do you re-use the $HOME from xubuntu?
Please post your xorg log (1st link below) and in doubt remove the xf86-video-intel package.
ceterum censeo: 3rd link below

NotALotOfBees · 2021-05-31 11:39:43

Nope, I deleted and reformatted all partitions used by Xubuntu

https://dpaste.com/BEF3AJS8K
Like so?

xf86-video-intel, not installed

Fast-boot is annoying, had disabled it long back.

Also, the installation medium I used is from November, but I have fully updated the installed system.

seth · 2021-05-31 13:07:05

Like so?

Yes, unfortunately there's not indication of any problem (you don't want to have the VESA driver, but it's not used)

Do you get the same problems w/ an openbox session? (ideally also use startx/xinit instead of sddm to rule out the latter)
Are there any errors in dmesg related to "i915" or "drm"?

Edit, also:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_ … flickering
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_ … nable_fbc) (disable it)

Last edited by seth (2021-05-31 13:09:04)

NotALotOfBees · 2021-05-31 14:23:05

KDE open box is better, it doesn't glitch and have black patches but it jumps on the login screen as soon as I open any menu

So I tried out some more things, gnome and lightdm

Gnome wayland = smooth and stable

Gnome Xorg = fine but freezes under heavy ram load (opening a lot of youtube tabs on Firefox)

Lighdm with any combination except KDE, runs fine

NotALotOfBees · 2021-06-03 04:35:18

A full re-install fixed it, I think I might have messed up kwin conf while going around with nano on root trying to make paru work.

Arch Linux

#1 2021-05-31 05:37:03

KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

#2 2021-05-31 06:52:46

Re: KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

#3 2021-05-31 11:39:43

Re: KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

#4 2021-05-31 13:07:05

Re: KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

#5 2021-05-31 14:23:05

Re: KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

#6 2021-06-03 04:35:18

Re: KDE Plasma flickering and not getting past the splash screen.

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