Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

[DavidV]

I am a complete newbie with Linux, and I am already in serious trouble! I need help. I just installed the current version of Kubuntu on a new Toshiba Satellite laptop. (I did set up separate partitions for Linux.) It seemed to be working fine, but I did not get far. I was hoping to find a "keep on top" feature for a window, and I was into some "View" options. I selected one that promised something like "more windows control". I got a response like "Wait a moment." Then the screen blanked out with a big white rectangle on a black background. Then it went completely black and stayed that way, with no response from normal input. I tried rebooting. I get the login screen (which looks good). But after I log in, the screen goes black again. When I press the power switch, the screen goes white and then I get a good looking Kubuntu sign-off-working screen before it shuts down.

How can I undo that "more windows control" View property that I changed before things went south? I am assuming (hoping?) that something can be done at the command line after a recovery boot - like removing a configuration file so that things go back to defaults. Any pointers on how to get back in business would be much appreciated.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

I'm not sure quite where you were in the menu, but you could log into the console and type:

mv .kde .kde-backup

then

sudo reboot

This will force kde to create a new configuration file, that should get your display back.
You will lose any configuration options you have set for your kde applications, but once you have your screen back, you can reconfigure or carefully copy back selected items.

[DavidV]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

mv .kde .kde-backup

That sounded like very good advice; but, sadly, it did not work. I still get a blank screen after a (good) initial log in. I could hear a "welcome" sound before the disk activity eased off. I hit the power switch and it shut down gracefully.

Maybe the failure is not directly due to the configuration change I made. (E.g., maybe it made the KDE stuff behave in a strange way that caused some other service to do something bad.)

I really don't have any major 'investment' in this installation - aside from having already downloaded all the (surprisingly many) available updates. My main objective when the failure occurred was to figure out how to install Firefox.

This seems like a rather silly sort of failure to cause a need to reinstall. It should not be so easy to break the system. Nevertheless, a reinstall would not be a major problem for me at this point. I'll wait a few hours to see if anyone can come up with any new ideas.

[DavidV]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

I have reinstalled and I have determined that the failure is repeatable. Furthermore, I can now say exactly how I produced it. I was in the configuration program for KDE on the page labeled "Configure Desktop Effects". I checked the box that said, "Enable Desktop Effects", and left checked only the subordinate box labeled "Improve Window Management". Then I hit "Apply" and the system got messed up again. (I am reinstalling yet again now.)

It appears to me that this is a rather serious bug. An innocent looking configuration change makes Kubuntu unusable. Should I be trying to report this problem somewhere?

[dibl]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

I checked the box that said, "Enable Desktop Effects", and left checked only the subordinate box labeled "Improve Window Management". Then I hit "Apply" and the system got messed up again. (I am reinstalling yet again now.)

You have proven that your graphics chip is not capable of running the Desktop Effects, which are based on fairly advanced compositing and Open GL capabilities. Don't check it, and your system will run fine.

BTW, I proved the same thing last weekend on an old Dell Dimension 2350, with an Intel 845G/GL graphics chip. KDE 4 Desktop Effects are not designed to run on 7 year old graphics chips, I'm afraid.

[DavidV]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

I think I have found a solution. I downloaded and installed the ATI proprietary graphics driver for my system. After that the extra graphics effects were already enabled by default. Apparently they only work with the proprietary driver. However, given the dire nature of the failure, the system should not allow one to enable the graphics effects without verifying that the installed driver can support them. (I have also discovered that the real solution to my original "always on top" quest actually lies elsewhere.)

[DavidV]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

You have proven that your graphics chip is not capable of running the Desktop Effects, which are based on fairly advanced compositing and Open GL capabilities. Don't check it, and your system will run fine.

Wrong on two counts: For one, the default, non-proprietary driver is what does not support the required capabilities. The graphics controller itself does, as one would expect of brand new machine. And so does ATI's driver for it. For another, my system did not run fine with the default driver and with the box unchecked. Indeed, not having checked it after my last install, when I next rebooted, the display was not working again - and I reinstalled for yet a third time.

Now, with the ATI driver installed, I seem to be in a more stable condition.

[dibl]

Re: Broken!: Lost Graphic Output after View Change

Wrong on two counts: For one, the default, non-proprietary driver is what does not support the required capabilities. The graphics controller itself does, as one would expect of brand new machine. And so does ATI's driver for it. For another, my system did not run fine with the default driver and with the box unchecked. Indeed, not having checked it after my last install, when I next rebooted, the display was not working again - and I reinstalled for yet a third time.

Now, with the ATI driver installed, I seem to be in a more stable condition.

Good -- I will happily stand corrected!


Although, I guess the question of whether a piece of hardware itself, or the software driver for it, is at fault when it can't do the job, is a debatable one ....