Hello all,
While an initial installation of Leap 42.3 using KDE went well, no problems were experienced. I was pleased with how well the installation deployed. However, after performing a multimedia maneuver and installing an update all the while under KDE, the video was lost. I can boot to a login screen, start a session, but loose the display immediately. All under KDE.
Now, I can boot and start a successful session with a good display under Gnome and Icewm and reach a desktop after performing the update. No KDE desktop, though. My preferred desktop is KDE. I’m using the on-board video card of a Biostar MCP6PB-M2+ system board. I have had no trouble or problems with this SVGA video system under 13.2 for some time. Only until transitioning to Leap 42.3 have I had video problems under KDE. I’m thinking of installing a PCI or PCI-E video card to test the display. Currently, this system board is running an Nvidia GeForce 6150SE chipset.
Any and all collaboration will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Thom
I have an MSI K9N6PGM2-V with 6150SE, without any PCIe slot, with TW and 42.3, but no KDE on 42.3, and no black screens except where they are expected. The 6150SE has been far more problematic than average over the years. A PCIe gfxcard could be a good move, freeing up the RAM onboard GFX consumes if nothing else. Mine has no such slot, and plain PCI can be fitfully slow.
Things I suggest to try:
1-Try logging into KDE using a virgin user login
2-If using the NOUVEAU Xorg driver, remove xf86-video-nouveau and restart X. If using MODESETTING, install xf86-video-nouveau and restart X. (inxi -G -c0 in any X session should report Xorg driver in use. Driver in use can also be found on many successive lines in /var/log/Xorg.0.log.)
3-add nouveau.config=NvMSI=0 to kernel cmdline
4-add nouveau.noaccel=1 to kernel cmdline
5-install stable kernel from BS (4.16.7?)
6-disable compositing: Create /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-extensions.conf with the following:
Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection
which will take effect globally and might prevent Gnome from running. Plasma has a setting to turn it off only for itself in ~/.config/kwinrc
[Compositing]
...
Enabled=false
...
What is the native resolution of your screen? The one my 6150SE is connected to is a 1920x1200, but both TW and 42.3 are somehow being limited to 1680x1050. If and when I get that sorted out I may be able to find time and space to add KDE to 42.3. KDE works fine in TW (with compositing purposely disabled), except for the Xorg limitation to 1680x1050.
Thank you, Mr. Mazda, for your valued suggestions. I have noticed other users of this system board commenting on the unstable nature of this chipset. Your suggestions appear to be focused on the MSI board and may not be applicable to this Biostar system board. Although, what caught my attention was the pointer to the compositor. I disabled the compositor, but the change made no difference. Still lost video display in KDE mode. The Icewm and Gnome are still the only usable desktop GUI’s after the 42.3 update. Also, I removed drm-kmp-default feature, but that made no difference as well.
There is something in the 42.3 update that disrupts the display of KDE. For now, I’m thinking of the PCI based video card or going back to 13.2. I believe 42.3 has great potential, just need to match it with a better system board.
Many thanks,
Thom
I’m not sure what you mean by a multimedia maneuver, but could that have broken it?
If utilizing btrfs in the correct manner you can always perform a snapper rollback and then see which of the two steps disabled the KDE.
Try as User:
mv ~/.config ~/.config.bak
That will rename the Config directory to xxxx.bak. Many settings will be lost.
If that works you can copy necessary files/dirctories from the Backup.
That’s essentially what my first suggestion “Try logging into KDE using a virgin user login” does and OP apparently didn’t try, without disturbing original user’s settings in ~/.config/ that are unrelated to KDE.
KDE putting any settings directly in ~/.config/ was a huge mistake. They should have been in subdirectory(s) that can be moved for troubleshooting like is needed here.
Installed a PCI Nvidia GeForce FX5500 which proved where the problem originated. The chipset, GeForce 6150SE, appears to be the perpetrator. I reinstalled the original kernel(4.4.17) prior to the update and continuing to test. I’m hoping the PCI bus video card is the true solution. If so, I’ll be installing a PCI-e, modern video card. Also, I have a quad-core cpu on the way for installation. I have already bumped up the RAM to 4Gb. Will soon have a Biostar 4x4 system.
That is a very old gfxcard, probably unsupported by the current drivers. If you are using nvidia’s blob you could check the supported chipsets listings.