Bug 155142

Summary:	The keyboard stops responding except for repeats
Product:	[I don't know] kde	Reporter:	Vivien Mallet <Vivien_Mallet>
Component:	general	Assignee:	Unassigned bugs mailing-list <unassigned-bugs>
Status:	RESOLVED DOWNSTREAM
Severity:	crash	CC:	erikanderson3, finex, grundleborg, l.lunak
Priority:	NOR
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Ubuntu
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Vivien Mallet 2008-01-05 15:17:59 UTC

Version: (using KDE KDE 3.5.8)
Installed from: Ubuntu Packages
OS: Linux

I report a very annoying problem, but with very little expectations as I only have the symptoms and I have no hints about the cause. Maybe other people will contribute and help finding out the cause.

I am under Kubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10), with kdm and KDE (3.5.8). After some time under KDE, the keyboard stops responding. It happens once or twice a (full) day, on average. The event seems to be completely random. It can occur three times in the same hour and no more for the rest of the day. Whatever the applications and the connected items may be (memory sticks, etc.).

Actually, the keyboard responds only with repeats if I hold down a key for a long time (say, 2 seconds, which is longer than my usual repeats threshold). But only some keys, not all. It does not work with "Num Lock" or "Caps": they never respond. I cannot kill X with ctrl+alt+backspace. "Ctrl" and "Alt" cannot be used.

The bug report #109322 seems to be similar, but the mouse does not behave in the same way. This is not like "Alt", "Ctrl" or both where activated all the time. The mouse behaves perfectly.

If I log out, I get back the keyboard immediately in kdm (login screen), thus with relaunching Xorg. This is why it may be related to KDE more than to Xorg. Everything is working fine when I eventually log in again.

I have checked in the logs: kernel, xorg, kde, etc. I did not find any particular event. After the keyboard stops working, I have tried to unplug and replug a USB keyboard (in different USB plugs and with different keyboards): no way... Still the same behavior. But the unplug and replug actions were correctly detected by Xorg (seen in xorg.conf).

Other remarks: I had the same problem in Kubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04); I have the problem with and without dual screens; I do not experience the problem with my laptop (even with an external USB keyboard).

Comment 1 Lubos Lunak 2008-01-07 18:40:54 UTC

See option "AllowClosedownGrabs" in xorg.conf manpage and use it to kill and find out which is the offending application.

Comment 2 Erik Anderson 2008-01-08 18:00:40 UTC

I find the same with Kubuntu Gutsy, running on a stock Dell Dimension 5150 desktop. In my case, the keyboard will sometimes quit responding at all except for Ctrl commands, but *only* for the specific app, and generally (maybe always, not sure) after using a keyboard shortcut to do something.

Examples:
* Using my custom Win+T command to open a Konsole terminal sometimes (but not always) results in the keyboard not working for that terminal session.
* Using R to reply in Kontact's KMail, or Ctrl+N for a new message / to-do / calendar item sometimes (but not always) results in Kontact ignoring all keyboard input in text fields (Ctrl commands like Ctrl+Q to quit and other keyboard shortcuts like R for reply still function).
* Konqueror sometimes also begins to completely ignore the keyboard (except for Ctrl commands) in text input areas like the Google bar or address bar, generally after some keyboard shortcut is used.

In all cases, the mouse continues to operate just fine, it's just that text cannot be typed into any text fields. Sometimes repeatedly hitting the keyboard seems to have an effect, but sometimes not. Perhaps a QT problem? Text can be *pasted* in, but this is not an acceptable workaround. Closing the offending app and reopening seems to reset the problem, and the keyboard will function ordinarily again. So far I have only observed the problem in KDE apps; I have never seen this with Firefox, for instance.

I do not have Gnome installed, so I cannot presently check if this occurs there. My file server is Xubuntu 7.04, and I've never seen this issue there. Kubuntu 7.10 is my first Kubuntu install, but it's interesting to note Vivien's 7.04 issue. Given the symptoms, my shot-in-the-dark guess is that it's some sort of weird QT widget race condition.

Comment 3 Erik Anderson 2008-01-08 18:04:21 UTC

PS -- *Not* running Compiz, which seems to be related to other dead-keyboard bugs.

Comment 4 Vivien Mallet 2008-01-27 16:47:33 UTC

Lubos, how am I supposed to use what you advocate? According to what I have read in xorg.conf manpage, AllowClosedownGrabs should be used with ctrl+alt+*. But my keyboard is precisely missing ctrl and alt...

Anyway I tried (twice) with unresponsive keyboard, but nothing happened. And nothing special appeared in the logs.

Comment 5 George Goldberg 2008-06-03 02:49:20 UTC

Have either of the reporters of this issue been able to upgrade to the latest kubuntu and see if the issue persists?

Comment 6 Vivien Mallet 2008-07-06 13:36:10 UTC

I upgraded to the latest Kubuntu (8.04), but the problem is still there.

Comment 7 Vivien Mallet 2008-10-05 19:22:58 UTC

I do not know whether this can help: I do not experience the problem any longer with KDE4. (And this is a relief.)

Comment 8 FiNeX 2008-11-24 16:13:35 UTC

I remember to have read this issue on ubuntu launchpad. It was an ubuntu issue, not a kde one. Users reported this problem even using Gnome or other DE.