Version: unspecified (using KDE 4.4.5) OS: Linux This has happened three times, but am not able to reproduce yet (or take screenshot). After working for at least 2 hours, all of a sudden any new or old window pop-up (not main window, just their pop-ups) becomes a completely black box, no edges, buttons or decorations. Could not resolve or avoid happening and had to log off and on again. Taskbar becomes invisible, right click doesn't produce anything, nor does ALT+F2, while CTRL+ESC simply brings up a black box. Solution was always CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+DEL This did not use to happen and only started after a change in qt libraries, so it might be related. All the rest of the settings have been the same for the past 4 months. Reproducible: Couldn't Reproduce
Are you using NVIDIA video drivers?
(In reply to comment #1) > Are you using NVIDIA video drivers? Yes, NVIDIA-Linux x86_64 260.19.36 from Nvidia's website.
Ok, it happened again, and I believe I might be able to reproduce. It happens after working with qOctave and gnuplot. At some random point, a black box replaces some windows (qt windows?) apparently with a black (or grey) box instead of the normal window. This time skype worked properly but qOctave and KDE windows would not show.
please post the output of grep -iE 'kwin4_effect_.*Enabled=true' `kde4-config --path config | cut -d":" -f1`/kwinrc | sed -e 's/kwin4_effect_//g; s/Enabled=true//g' I haven't seen black windows since ages, but in general that means the drivers inability to allocate a texture and the reason is usually "out of RAM" (GPU ram) - could be some sort of leak (in kwin, an effect or the driver) The next step would be to bisect the issue to determine the culprit effect if there's such. Are you able to up/dowgrade the driver and/or update KDE? As an interim solution and aside that some effects are not possible, the XRender backend should work ok for you (what's your GPU?) and rather not show such issue.
When I tried your command: Try `cut --help' for more information. bash: -f1: command not found grep: /kwinrc: No such file or directory GPU is nvidia 460 with 1GB ram, the bug occurs during work which does not require any heavy usage of the GPU. I can downgrade the GPU driver, but It has happened with a slightly older version (NVIDIA-Linux x86_64 260.19.12). I can update KDE (currently @ 4.4.5). Let me know if needed.
Just in case it's of any help, I've uploaded a vid on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GPECfMjvSA
(In reply to comment #5) > When I tried your command: sorry. you have to get rid of the newline character (introduced by html...) between 'cut -d":"' and '-f1`/kwinrc' > Let me know if needed. updating KDE would probably be a good idea anyway. I hope the video is just overbrightened - i'm not sure what i'm supposed to see there (aside well, the black window) or what the flickering element is... Do you enforce any special GL parameters via xorg.conf or nvidia-settings (such as FSAA, AllowSHMPixmaps or similar?)
The settings you wanted: coverswitch desktopgrid dialogparent diminactive fade flipswitch highlightwindow login logout minimizeanimation presentwindows shadow sheet slide slideback slidingpopups taskbarthumbnail wobblywindows I can't update KDE cuz I'm on debian and latest version if I'm correct in testing is the one I'm at now, have been waiting for a while for SC 4.6. Today something else happened which puzzled me, there was artifacts on the text in iceweasel. I was using in OpenGL: Shared memory, which might explain the leaks ? However every time this happens I had open qtOctave and gnuplot. xorg.conf is default (produced by the nVidia driver upon installation) with no special parameters. The video was just to show the grey & black boxes, the flickering/brightness is probably due to the shitty camera on the phone.
a) please use "texture from pixmap" (no idea whether shm was actually used then for nvidia drivers) as well as "direct rendering" for the nvidia driver b) "However every time this happens I had open qtOctave and gnuplot." "this" means the black window issue? - only coincident or really related? (ever happened w/o them?) c) you /can/ try to add "GLStrictBinding=true" to the [Compositing] section in ~/.kde/share/config/kwinrc and restart "kwin --replace &" - but that has likely no effect. Since your SW is rather old i guess there's no "danger" you've mixed nouveau/nvidia driver or the mesa opengl lib overriding/shadowing the nvidia one? ("stat /usr/lib/libGL.so" should ultimately point sth. like libGL.so.260.19.12)
I've switched back to texture from pixmap & direct rendering. Also I removed the "fade| option as this seemed to slow down the computer. I do not know if it is a coincidence, but I have left the computer on for days and it didn't happen, yet when i'm working with qtoctave & gnuplot it happens all the time. I've added GLStrictBinding=true, and will tell u if anything changes. I doubt I've mixed drivers because this was a fresh installation on purpose in order to use nvidia's drivers (non-free) in order to use with Cuda.
Ok this keeps happening, and this time without qtOctave or Gnuplot running. It occured as i tried to save something on firefox. However I had ksnapshot running, and managed to get a screenshot. http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa474/vor73x/?action=view¤t=mozilla_bug2.png I'm starting to eliminate options on Desktop Effects at System settings, and i've set the texture filter to nearest instead trilinear or bileanear that I had it before. Any suggestions on what else I could try ?
I've rolled back to Debian's nvidia driver & non-free GL stuff (stable). Bug keeps appearing and only solution so far has been to keep a systemsettings window open and try to suspend compositing, if that window is unaffected by bug, which isn't always the case. Is there any way to trace or find what could be causing this?
you can toggle compositing by pressing SHIFT+Alt+F12 run kdebugdialog, ensure anything kwin & kwin(1212) are checked (Kwin4 is an unrelated game) then run "kwin --replace" from konsole (do NOT close the konsole) to get some debug output. there will likely be some GL_ERROR messages. Also try to deactivate (kcmshell4 kwineffects) - minimizeanimation - sheet - slideback * slidingpopups (not sure about this) - wobblywindows I think they all (at some time in the past) could have caused kwin to keep in "fullscreen effect" mode - but that's just a short in the dark. You could as well disable all effects (but NOT compositing), check whether the issue remains and if not, (slowly) re-enable them one by one until the issue reappears...
Thomas thank you for the help and instructions, I will follow them, and if I can get any useful info I will let you know!
I think I've found what causes this bug. The option: Dialog Parent under the Focus group in desktop effects. I had been running free of problems for a week without it, and after re-enabling it in less than 12 hours the bug re-appeared. Sadly I was not running a debug output, so I cannot tell you exactly what it was.
dialog parent has a severe memory leak - it fills a hash without ever removing the items again.
OMG - i'm gonna rewrite the effect.
Git commit 26a5f4dc3ec42616a13eee4f0112a22b6361c241 by Thomas Lübking. Committed on 18/03/2011 at 23:20. Pushed by luebking into branch 'KDE/4.6'. fix dialogparent implementation CCBUG: 267349 M +49 -67 kwin/effects/dialogparent/dialogparent.cpp M +3 -2 kwin/effects/dialogparent/dialogparent.h http://commits.kde.org/kde-workspace/26a5f4dc3ec42616a13eee4f0112a22b6361c241
Git commit dccc1c2d6db62bf633cef3d97ca1b495597e3ee8 by Thomas Lübking. Committed on 19/03/2011 at 16:34. Pushed by luebking into branch 'master'. fix dialogparent implementation forward port of 26a5f4dc3ec42616a13eee4f0112a22b6361c241 CCBUG: 267349 M +26 -38 kwin/effects/dialogparent/dialogparent.cpp M +2 -2 kwin/effects/dialogparent/dialogparent.h http://commits.kde.org/kde-workspace/dccc1c2d6db62bf633cef3d97ca1b495597e3ee8
I am afraid the bug still appears although less often than before. In 3 cases it has appeared right after doing an ALT+TAB. The only Desktop effects I am using atm are: Cover Switch and Present Windows. Again I was not running the debug command to see what might have caused it, and the problem is not as serious since SHIFT+ALT+F12 solves it. I have abandoned nvidia's official drivers and have been using Debian's nvidia drivers for the past 3 weeks. If it still persists I will eliminate cover switch and present windows and see if bug persists. I am not using shadows or any other option. I am still using OpenGL, with texture from pixmap, nearest filter and direct rendering.
better use NVIDIA's driver, it's much more recent than what Debian shipps.
Since I've disabled Desktop Grid and Flip switch, I haven't had the bug appear in over a week. Some times it would appear right after doing a flip switch, or while doing a flip switch. I can't help it but think that this is somehow related to the bug. The only options I'm using now are: presentwindows slide No shadows, no nothing else. I am slowly starting to use more options, checking to see if bug will reappear. I am puzzled as to how come I am the only person affected by that bug.
might be related to bug #261323
setting to UPSTREAM as it's one of the most known NVIDIA driver issues.