Anybody have this list of issues?

[dibl]

So, 24 hours before Beta release, and here's where I am:

- Compiz works no more since today's updates
- no compositing or glx
- Emerald window decorator doesn't work
- no known way to shut down X
- without shutting down X, no way to re-install Nvidia driver (not sure that it needs reinstalled ...)
- Desktop effects don't work -- looooooooonnnnngggg error message
- "Hardware Drivers" utility does not install video driver
- and Phonon continues to inform me that Pulseaudio doesn't work (while playing the greeting tune)

sheeeeeeeeeeesh -- maybe I'll just take the rest of the day off!

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

I noticed the following, fortunately BEFORE I hit the Y key:

The following packages will be REMOVED:
 lib32asound2-plugins

I have a feeling that's gonna kill audio in wine.

- without shutting down X, no way to re-install Nvidia driver (not sure that it needs reinstalled ...)

CTRL-ALT-F2
sudo service kdm stop

doesn't work?

[dibl]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

CTRL-ALT-F2
sudo service kdm stop

doesn't work?

It didn't work in the CLI -- I'll have to give it a try from the desktop.

Thanks Doc!

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

I held my breath and did the updates today. It didn't kill 32bit audio, and CTRL-ALT-BKSP still kills X, as I discovered when trying audio in wine.

The only persistent problem I see right now, other than kubuntu-installed firefox problems, is that in SystemSettings >Multimedia, the item that lists my sound card, and hovering over it lists the ALSA devices, does not work. Pulseaudio, and "Playback/Recording through Pulseaudio sound server" both work, without errors. This may wind up being a problem down the line, as some older programs I have use OSS. Haven't got around to testing that stuff yet.

dibl: check SystemSettings > Advanced > PolicyKit Authorizations >com.ubuntu > screenresolution > Screen Resolution Extra > Change the effect of Ctrl-Alt-Backspace
The "Active Console" item should be set to "Authentication (keep indefinitely).
I imagine changing Console to 'Yes' would enable it from the text console as well.

[dibl]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

Alt-F2 "sudo service kdm stop" does nothing at all here. Ctrl-Alt-Backspace also does nothing at all. Ctrll-Alt-F1 will exit the desktop to the tty console, but "sudo service kdm stop" does not stop KDM there either, and Ctrl-Alt-F7 brings the desktop back up. In SystemSettings>Advanced>PolicyKit Authorizations, I have no com.ubuntu or screen resolution item -- probably because I'm using a proprietary driver that was installed manually, not via Hardware Drivers.

So, I got creative -- opened ksysguard, found the processes "kdm" and "xorg", and killed 'em. That killed the desktop, but brought up the greeter. Hmmmmmmm! So I chose a "failsafe" session, and that got me an error message that it was unable to start an X session with root authority. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Ctrl-Alt-F1 to the CLI, and issued

sudo killall kdm

that brought the greeter back up. Now that's interesting! I did it twice more to confirm my observation:

sudo killall kdm

is the new way to start the KDE4 greeter!

I'm speculating that there is some unhappy interaction with the Nvidia driver and the new KDM/X.org -- not sure what else it could be. I have enabled and disabled Desktop Effects, but it doesn't matter -- Compiz and Emerald won't run and GLX is broken. On the few previous occasions when I have observed a failure of GLX, that is an indicator that the Nvidia driver installation is broken and it needs to be reinstalled. However, for the life of me, I cannot see how this new KDM gets turned off, and the proprietary driver installer fails if KDM is running. The Nvidia settings utility works fine and the various settings are all holding at their last values.

On the bright side, Conky runs fine, my (one and only) desktop looks and behaves fine, so I dunno. I think I'll just wait awhile and not do anything rash, and see what the next couple of days of updates brings.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

SystemSettings>Advanced>PolicyKit Authorizations, I have no com.ubuntu or screen resolution item -- probably because I'm using a proprietary driver that was installed manually, not via Hardware Drivers.

I'm using the proprietary NVIDIA 190.36 driver, downloaded and installed manually, so that's not the reason you don't have it. There is some deeper problem. Will have to research further.

Code:

sudo killall kdm

that brought the greeter back up. Now that's interesting! I did it twice more to confirm my observation:

Says to me it's being spawned by a parent process, activated during startup, that isn't dying like it's supposed to. If I do CTRL-ALT-BKSP, I do get the greeter back, but if I choose console login, then kill kdm, it doesn't come back.

[dibl]

Re: Anybody have this list of issues?

OK, my instinct that it was the driver installation appears to be correct. Tonight I booted Recovery Mode, reinstalled the 190.36 Nvidia driver, and the video-related problems have disappeared.

- Compiz and Emerald are working as expected
- nvidia-settings all works correctly

- Phonon still reports audio problems, while pulseaudio plays the music (you gotta love an OS with a sense of humor!)

I don't know what broke the driver, but it's all good once again.