KWin refuses to enable desktop effects

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1

Hi,

I have a clean new installation of openSUSE 11.4, but I can’t enable the desktop effects in it. My video is nVidia GTS250 and I haven’t any issues with enabling desktop effects in the past.

ilian@linux-home:~> su
Password: 
linux-home:/home/ilian # cat /etc/SuSE-release
openSUSE 11.4 (x86_64)
VERSION = 11.4
CODENAME = Celadon
linux-home:/home/ilian # lspci | grep VGA
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G92 [GeForce GTS 250] (rev a2)
linux-home:/home/ilian # uname -r
2.6.37.6-0.5-desktop
linux-home:/home/ilian #

The issue now is that every time I enable any effect in System settings, in lower right corner appears a error message from KWin that the following effects could not be activated (followed are the effects I had just enabled, for example Desktop Cube), as in screenshot below

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1356/effectsnotworking.png

Can anyone assist me with this issue.

2

On 07/18/2011 06:06 PM, gongalov71 wrote:
>
> Can anyone assist me with this issue.

i see where you tell the video, but what driver are you using?

have you tried installing the nvidia driver?
see here http://tinyurl.com/37v9y7m

–
DD
Caveat-Hardware-Software
openSUSE®, the BMW® of operating systems!

3

Go to Martin’s Blog and scroll down to ‘The Compositing Modes of KDE Plasma Workspaces Explained’ posted in May.

4

@DenverD I’m using the default community nouveau driver that installs by default with openSUSE. Doesn’t tried the proprietary nvidia driver yet

@john_hudson I have OpenGL and XRender compositing modes, tried to change, but no effects at all.

5

Then why not just install the proprietary driver?

You can add and enable the Nvidia repo in YaST’s ‘Software Repositories’ from ‘Community Repositories.’ And when you have done that just install the drivers with YaST’s ‘Software Management’; the right packages will probably be already preselected to install.

6

I’ve just installed the nVIDIA driver via 1-click and blacklisted the nouveau driver and installed Compiz-config-settings-manager. Now the message window is gone, but still no Cube effect, after enabling it

7

On 07/19/2011 03:06 AM, gongalov71 wrote:
>
> I’ve just installed the nVIDIA driver via 1-click and blacklisted the
> nouveau driver and installed Compiz-config-settings-manager. Now the
> message window is gone, but still no Cube effect, after enabling it

i guess you don’t have enough video ram for the effects you wish to
watch…is your nvidia graphics on an inserted video card in a
tower/desktop computer or built into the motherboard of a (say) laptop
computer?

if the video is not on its own add in board with a good bit of fast
video memory, the system is forced to use “shared” memory (that is,
taken from normal RAM) and a too small quantity of much faster “video
ram” you must expect video performance hits…

the only way to solve such a situation is to add hardware capability,
which is possible with a desktop, but not a laptop (afaik)…

–
DD
Caveat-Hardware-Software
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobiles” of operating systems!

8

Here is a different thought … On the tab labelled ‘Advanced’ (I don’t know what that is in Bulgarian(?)) you can specify which compositing type is to be used. It should be set to ‘OpenGL’ and not ‘XRender’. And anyway, playing around with the different settings on that tab may be something to try.

9

@DenverD:

It is a desktop PC with the following specs:

CPU: Intel Core2Duo 6750@2,66 MHz
RAM: Corsair 2x2GB DDR2
Video: Gigabyte GTS250 1GB DDR3; here you can see it: GIGABYTE - Graphics Card - NVIDIA - PCI Express Solution - GeForce 200 Series - GV-N250OC-1GI
HDD: 2xSeagate 320GB and 1xWestern Digital 1TB
DVD-RAM: LG 32x
KBD&Mouse: Logitech K120 kit
Speakers: Creative 5.1
OS: Dual boot Windows 7 x86_64 with enabled Aero and openSUSE 11.4 x86_64

@Lord_Emsworth:

Yes, I know about the compositing type, have played with it, as I wrote above. Now it is set to OpenGL. Someone in a bulgarian forum advised to install the latest KDE 4.6.5. My current installed version is 4.6.0 as shown on the left side of the following screenshot. On the right side is shown the System setting>Desktop effects>Advanced tab:

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/6342/desktopeffectssettingsa.th.png](http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/6342/desktopeffectssettingsa.th.png](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/830/desktopeffectssettingsa.png/)](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/830/desktopeffectssettingsa.png/))

Oh, and I forgot to say that I installed the nvidia proprietary driver. After that the window with the message that effects can’t be enabled disappeared, but when enabling for example, the Desktop Cube effect, the PC freezes totally and the only option is to press the Reset button and reboot the system. So now, I think I may try to update to the latest KDE in hope to solve the issue. What do you think about this?

10

The GPU that you have is strong enough. For comparison, I have an Nvidia Geforce 6100 onboard GPU and it plays Desktop Cube without any problems. I also have a PCIe Nvidia GeForce GT 520 and this one plays the Desktop Cube without any kind of problems if at the same time I have two HD videos in fullscreen.

One last thing I can think of is to set the ‘Scale Method’ to either ‘Crisp’ or ‘Smooth’, IOW to NOT ‘Accurate’. The tooltip that appears when I hover over this dropdown menu informs me that ‘Accurate’ may “cause various troubles with drivers” and advises to fall back to Smooth if there are problems. You might already have tried that, but I don’t know anything else at the moment.

11

OK, I changed the Scale method to Smooth, then started the Cube (Ctrl+F11), rotated left to Desktop 4, then right back to Desktop 1, right click to resume to Desktop 1… and PC freezed for maybe 5 or 6 seconds, then appeared a window that said the desktop effects are suspended because of slowly working. Now I resumed Desktop effects and I’m going to try Crisp.

12

On 07/20/2011 02:46 AM, gongalov71 wrote:
> and PC freezed for maybe 5 or 6 seconds

my best guess/advice:

the problem is in your video driver: make SURE you have installed the
best driver for your card (not by just trying to install different
drivers but by finding and reading documentation at the nvidia site (NOT
what everyone thinks might be the best driver)

perhaps nvidia is aware of the problem in the driver you are now useing,
and is working on it…perhaps not…if it were me i’d get to the nvidia
site and find documentation there…

and, see if there isn’t a a support forum–there, and raise the issue
with them…maybe you get to beta test their latest driver…or, maybe
you learn it comes out next week…

in the mean time do this:

  1. turn off desktop effects, or

  2. don’t try the cube again, and

  3. have a lot of fun and

  4. let us know how you get on with this little problem

–
DD
Caveat-Hardware-Software
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobiles” of operating systems!

13

Thanks to all, guis, it’s working now.:slight_smile: As I said, I tried to change the scale method to Crisp. The Cube worked again then the PC “freezed” again but for a less time. Then I began playing with the effects and their settings and… it now works. But I don’t know what exactly I’ve done to make it work:O

14

I have a similar problem, yesterday all effects was working well, no update and no changes and today I dont know why but plasma crashed at startup, after a couple of try I login on gnome and renamed /home/.kde4 folder, now kde starts but when I try to enable some effects, cube, trembling windows and others, kwin message appear sayng that effects cannot be enabled.
suggestions???
thnx :slight_smile: pla

15

On 07/20/2011 08:56 AM, pier andreit wrote:
>
> suggestions???

start your own thread, giving your hardware and software and your
specific (not similar) problem…as in “I have a similar problem” is
not enough to go on, for me…it might be for a clairvoyant, but not me.

–
DD
Caveat-Hardware-Software
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobiles” of operating systems!