Version: (using KDE KDE 3.5.6) Installed from: Compiled From Sources Compiler: gcc 3.4.4 pre OS: Linux When some programs (like bittorrent, kwifimanager) crash or report errors, the window decorations disappear and the keyboard is unresponsive. The mouse still seems to work, but cannot select a window or raise it. Often, the panel disappears, too. The only fix is ctl-alt-bs and start all over. I can easily reproduce this by trying to connect to an ad-hoc router in kwifimanager. That always crashes kwifimanager, brings up a KDE crash report window, and all window decorations etc. disappear.
KWin may not be the problem. Evidence: I compiled and installed KWin from KDE 3.3.1 on top of KDE 3.5.6, and the problem persists.
Can you provide some other way to reproduce?
To reproduce: make any kde application crash. The window manager then crashes too, and does not restart. Maybe you could write a small KDE app that does nothing but segfault when you press a button. I would do it, but I don't know how. Meanwhile, I am using KDE 3.3.1 because 3.5.6 is completely unusable in this condition (esp. since konqueror crashes sometimes, and this brings down kwin).
Here, this reproduces it: konqueror & pkill -11 konqueror
I have Kwin 3.5.7, and it never crashes (and apps DO crash here now and then).
You happen to use third party 3d drivers or special effects which don't come with kwin by default? I really wonder if this is a KWin bug at all. Can you get your hand on a backtrace?
> You happen to use third party 3d drivers ... ? I have the nVidia driver for X11 (and its own libGL). KDE 3.3.1 does not crash like this, with the same nVidia driver. > Can you get your hand on a backtrace? How? I do not have gdb. > I really wonder if this is a KWin bug at all. I share your suspicion, as I have said, this bug happens to me with kdelibs 3.5.6 and kdebase 3.3.1 on top of it, as well as with the correct combination kdelibs 3.5.6 and kdebase 3.5.6. I don't have the expertise to track it down further than that.
OK, so I spent a few hours installing 3.5.7 libs and base. Killing konqueror does not crash the new kwin, but this does: kcontrol & pkill -11 kcontrol Two crash windows come up, all window decorations disappear on all windows, and the keyboard does not respond. The mouse still works well enough to end the kde session.
I can't reproduce this. Kcontrol crashes, but then nothing happens (besides the kde crash handler showing up). I suspect it could be something in your configuration. You could try to mv the kwin config file (~/.kde/share/config/kwinrc or something) to a new file, and re-try. I expect no crash ;-) Maybe then Lubos might want the config file which causes a crash, though I'm not sure of that - he might also want to spend his time elsewhere.
Add the run applet(the small command line) to your panel before the crash (the small command line). After the crash it should be able to focus it with the mouse and enter 'kwin' there - that should start another kwin and make you able to get the backtrace of the kwin crash.
I moved kwinrc to a place that KDE wouldn't look for it. I am still able to crash the window manager or the panel with pkill -11 <name of some app>, for example, konqueror, k3b, kwifimanager. When kwin crashes, I get at least two (I've seen three) crash dialogs.
I need the backtrace from the crash dialog, otherwise there's no way to help.
Please read http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials/Debugging/How_to_create_useful_crash_reports if you want to reopen this bug.