xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

nordog · 2010-04-10 15:05:30

After an kernel update from 2.6.32 to 2.6.33 and a driver update from 6.12.4 to 6.12.192, KSM was enabled and with it I get a boatload of strange behavior. I'm just curious to see if anyone else is experiencing it.

1. On boot the framebuffer flickers alot. Not a "on-off" type of flickering but rather like the screen brightness is constantly being set to new random values.
2. The framebuffer also shows flickering ~ 1px wide lines once in a while.
3. Once KDM has started the screen will fade to green and then snap back to what the screen is actually supposed to be showing, then start to fade to green again...

I disabled KMS and this all went away. However, some scrolling artifacts etc in KDE still remain.

This is a 64 bit Arch setup, completely updated and the graphics card is the Ati X1400 laptop chip.

Best regards

darkwillow · 2010-04-10 15:13:14

I'm having similar problems after the latest update. I have a lot of flickering, artifacts, and compositing won't work. Also I get a black screen after waking from sleep. I am using an ATI chip with KDE, 32 bit.

bobdob · 2010-04-10 15:20:40

Is this the problem your having:
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=27331

nordog · 2010-04-10 15:40:56

Yeah, that pretty much covers it, although I also get this creeping green in X. I wonder whether this is only an issue with the X1400 chips?

I'll just patiently wait for a driver update and hope this will be fixed soon...

leeyee · 2010-04-11 12:03:33

Quite similar problem here too. After gdm started, the screen would go completely white blank. Switch to tty{1-6} is okay, so I would stick with intel integrated card.

nordog · 2010-04-11 17:08:12

The last two laptops I've owned have both had ATI cards and have caused nothing but disappointment. Both times ATI has dropped support for my cards leaving the opensource drivers as the only option. However, this time around I don't mind that much since the open ATI drivers are actually quite good, as long as you aren't interested in gaming.

Next time though, I'm going with either Intel or Nvidia.

Strider · 2010-04-11 18:35:27

I have a ATI 4850 (RV770 chipset) and I'm using 64 bit Arch with KDE
When I upgraded I saw the following behavior :
- KMS is choppy : my framebuffer switches to a higher resulation after udev is called and then it swithes again when KDM is started.
- When I try to startup in runlevel 3, my framebuffer freezes
- In KDE, compositing is disables and I can not turn it on

Maximalminimalist · 2010-04-11 22:39:34

I have a ATI 4850 HD too and my X-server (and most of the time the whole system) crashes very regularly since 2.6.33.

I'm using i3 btw. so I don't think the problem is related to KDE. (at least for me )

Last edited by Maximalminimalist (2010-04-11 22:40:19)

drcouzelis · 2010-04-11 23:45:24

My computer had this glitch too. I have a Radeon X850. I decided to downgrad the "xf86-video-ati" package. I got the older version from here: ftp://atviras.lt/archmirror/$repo/os/x86_64

I always wonder what can cause a package upgrade like this to create such a big bug. Maybe I'll take a look at a diff of the code. Anyways, the older downgraded package (6.12.4-3) works fine. Whatever.

Last edited by drcouzelis (2010-04-11 23:46:14)

travisf · 2010-04-12 01:07:25

I have problems as well.

HP NX8420 laptop with ATI X1600 and Arch 32bit / XFCE desktop. Was working OK up until update. (Except for being unable to enable EXA which made it a bit slow)

X starts ok and I get the desktop up but as soon as I try to open any window X crashes. Tried disabling KMS and played with various other settings to no avail.

For a quick fix I ended up installing radeonhd which seems to work ok.

AndyRTR · 2010-04-12 05:01:49

If you don't find anything useful in your logs it might be worth to try if booting with kernel option "pci=nomsi" helps. It's needed for my X200m card.

guisacouto · 2010-04-12 21:22:09

I also have this brightness problem.. I use dualhead(vga in the left, and dvi in the right), and my vga monitor is very bright.. I cant see gray color for example.. they just dont show up.. however the dvi is just fine.. if the kms is disabled everything goes back to normal.. i guess I'll have to go back to nomodeset again.. x|

this bug as already been reported, but it seems that there isnt a workaround..

regards

watacaweb · 2010-04-13 10:28:40

I have a similar problem with a Ati FireGL V5200.
Adding radeon.modeset=0 or nomodeset to kernel option line, works, but KMS is disabled.

in my case, I discovered that if I change the resolution, and back to my original resolution, the problem disappears and KMS is enabled.
so, I created a very small script that changes resolution. I tried to put it on /etc/rc.local but the script needs that X server is running. I use GDM, so I add two lines to my /etc/gdm/Init/Default script and it works. The boot process is still ugly and the screen flickers but KMS works fine.

To change the resolution add first a lower resolution and then the original (i use 1680x1050)

xrandr -s 1024x768 
xrandr -s 1680x1050

to /etc/gdm/Init/Default

I use GDM, but I guess that KDM, XDM, SLIM have a scripts too.

Regards!!

Last edited by watacaweb (2010-04-13 10:29:42)

Maximalminimalist · 2010-04-15 19:43:57

When is 2.6.33 going to be safe for X with ATI?

I will keep 2.6.32 for a while after these crashes with 2.6.33...
(I downgraded already.)

AndyRTR · 2010-04-16 07:34:55

With UMS you won't see any difference caused by the kernel update

rsty · 2010-04-25 15:19:17

this is a really disapointing thing to hear being that my t400 has just arrived ive been waiting awhile for 2.6.34 to become stable for ath9k_htc support. maybe this ati problem will be fixed in *.34

i hope i dont have to use the 4500 :[]

Arch Linux

#1 2010-04-10 15:05:30

xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#2 2010-04-10 15:13:14

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#3 2010-04-10 15:20:40

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#4 2010-04-10 15:40:56

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#5 2010-04-11 12:03:33

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#6 2010-04-11 17:08:12

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#7 2010-04-11 18:35:27

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#8 2010-04-11 22:39:34

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#9 2010-04-11 23:45:24

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#10 2010-04-12 01:07:25

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#11 2010-04-12 05:01:49

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#12 2010-04-12 21:22:09

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#13 2010-04-13 10:28:40

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#14 2010-04-15 19:43:57

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#15 2010-04-16 07:34:55

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

#16 2010-04-25 15:19:17

Re: xf86-video-ati unhappy after latest update

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