Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

[joneall]

I'm not at all sure how to report this one. Every now and then (about once a day), my screen looks like it has St Vitus Dance or something. The window frames remain in place correctly, but the contents of all windows scroll up and (I think) down madly, making the system unusable until it gets over its fit, usually a minute or so later.

My vague impression is that it starts when I try to scroll up really fast in something like Gwenview.

Anyone else see something odd like this?

I'm running KDE 4.4.5 in Kubuntu Lucid 10.04.

[askrieger]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

I'm not sure that I understand what you're seeing. Please define "window frames". Does this imply that you have one or more (unmaximized) "windows" (running different programs?) on a given "desktop"? If so, I assume that the windows themselves remain stationary and the contents (images) do something, but it is not clear to me what those contents are doing. Are they doing the same thing that they would do if you were manually manipulating the scroll bar on the side of the window (albeit in a crazy way), or are they doing something else? Do all the windows scroll in the same direction at the same time? What happens if you start programs on separate desktops? Do all the desktops go crazy at once? Basically, I'm trying to figure out whether your problem is in the hardware or the software, and if it is in the software, where is it? Therefore, I suppose, the ultimate question is whether you see the same thing in your other OS?

Slightly Later: Are you using "Desktop Animation Effects" in "System Settings > Desktops" ?

[joneall]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

By "window frames", I don't know how else to say it, I mean the borders around the windows, what used to be supplied by a Unix utility called Motif. They are the same for all windows (except Chrome -- why?) and which have boxes in the urh corner for minimize, maximize and close.

I almost never maximize windows, but usually have more than one un-minimized windows open on each desktop. Yes, the problem seems to appear for all windows on all desktops, tho it may depend on whether they are "focused", i.e., the principal or top window. The frames remains stationary, but their contents jump up and down as if I had gone crazy with the vertical scrollbar.

The fact that only the window contents go "crazy" says to me that it is a software problem. I presume that the windows themselves, what I called frames, are managed by the X server, whereas their contents are controlled by the client, in X-server terms.

As for desktop animation, I do not see exactly that. What I do see is System settings -> Desktop effects -> Enable desktop effects. If I check the box to enable them and click on Apply, I get an error message

Failed to activate desktop effects using the given configuration options. Settings will be reverted to their previous values. Check your X configuration. You may also consider changing advanced options, especially changing the compositing type.

I have no idea what I am supposed to check in the X configuration. I wonder if this is because I have not installed the NVidia driver. The reason for that is discussed at

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...3155#msg233155

Thanks for your interest.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

I wasn't sure if you meant the contents of all windows do this at once. If only the one in the front (with the focus) is doing it, then I would consider the scroll wheel in the mouse itself. As for software, I've had the bookmarks in Firefox scroll in a smooth but unstoppable manner so you can't read them and have to wait until it's finished "doing it's thing". I think you're on the right track with the X-server though.

[askrieger]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

Your computer usage style is completely different from mine. Personally, I use n desktops (where n is 8 or 10 on my two desktop computers and 6 on my laptop). Each computer runs a different Kubuntu release. Each desktop has one and only one MAXIMIZED window (except for 7), containing one program, that is always loaded.

For example, desktop 1 has Konsole, 2 has konq, 3 has Firefox, 4 is used for "system programs" e.g. System Settings, Synaptic, etc., 5 runs Oo.o (so does 6 on my Lucid machine, 5 spreadsheet, 6 word processor), (6 or 7) is for Speedcrunch and applets (e.g. notes, weather, etc), 7 (or 8 ) for Amarok, 9 for games, and 10 for anything else. The laptop doesn't run Amarok (no speakers), or Konsole (I use Yakuake). The Karmic box doesn't run games.

The point is that, in this way, I (almost) always have whatever I want running and I can almost always find it on the bottom panel. This is consistent with my life style. Your style reminds me of computer professionals in the old days who had giant monitors (and no stacks of paper) on their desks. However, it implies that I have never encountered the type of problem you are facing. Therefore, I needed an explanation of your terminology and situation.

BTW, I do use the nvidia proprietary drivers, and I, too, have run into the problem that Ole Juul mentioned with regard to unstoppable scroll down (in Firefox, only, and never up). I always thought that it was a bug in Ff.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

BTW, I do use the nvidia proprietary drivers, and I, too, have run into the problem that Ole Juul mentioned with regard to unstoppable scroll down (in Firefox, only, and never up). I always thought that it was a bug in Ff.

It probably is a Ff bug. I just mentioned it because it seemed vaguely related. joneall's problem looks like it originates at a more fundamental level, but who knows.

[askrieger]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

joneall's problem looks like it originates at a more fundamental level

I agree, but I can't tell where it is. I'm pretty sure (but not certain) that it's software, but is it the device driver, the X system, or just a typo in xorg.conf? I thought that if he switched over to maximized windows we could learn something about what happens when only one window at a time is trying to get refreshed.

On the other hand, maybe it's a problem with his video card? With his window setup, he's refreshing random windows (i.e. portions of the screen) at random intervals. This means, he's addressing different places in his video RAM at arbitrary intervals. I wonder whether there's a correlation to mouse movement over (and between) various windows?

[joneall]

Re: Screen contents go crazy, scroll like mad

Ole and askrieger, thanks for all your comments. They are great food for thought, but I am not sure what action to pursue.

I have had several problems related to this system on /dev/sdb. I have 2 HDs, sda with windows 7 and a backup Linux, and sdb with prod Linux. Both Linuxen are Kubuntu 9.10. I have never had a pb booting from sda, either Linux or Win. I have had several pbs with sdb, including a boot problem (excerbated, curiously, by the Nvidia driver), a problem with Nvidia slowing things down (but that one on both sda and sdb) and now this. Links to the first two;

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...3155#msg233155

I would use /dev/sda for prod, but somehow I feel that a backup system which doesn't always boot is not really very useful...

The common element is always /dev/sdb and/or the graphics card. The computer is only several weeks old. Altho it worked fine for about 10 days, Unless you have other suggestions, I'm thinking now I'll take it back to the store and let them check it out armed with the info that I now have on these problems.

Thanks for your input. Will report results.