Bug#622761: kernel upgrade trashes X display
Package: linux-image-2.6.38-2-686
Version: 2.6.38-3
Severity: <critical>
I am not certain if linux-image-2.6.38-2-686 is the cause of the problem that
follows.
Two weeks ago I successfully installed Wheezy (testing) on an Intel Pentium 4
with a Sony Trinitron CPD-G400 monitor. Three days ago I installed the
latest upgrades, and now my X-Windows display is unreadable. Here are the
details:
1. I called "apt-get upgrade", which listed 50 packages it was holding back.
Most were xorg-related. I did not proceed with that upgrade but called
"apt-get install" to install the 50 packages, and then "apt-get
autoremove" as suggested. I then proceeded again with "apt-get upgrade",
which installed many more packages, including a kernel upgrade from
2.6.32-5-686 to 2.6.38-2-686. I got an xorg warning for people running
the ati module, which I was not.
2. Now I can I reboot into a text console, which is how I have things set up.
The images put up by the BIOS, and the Debian logo that appears when grub
puts up the list of available kernels, are OK. When the console comes up,
everything seems fine. The keyboard and sound both work, and I have an
internet connection.
3. I then call startx, which tries to use fvwm to put up windows. Instead I
get something resembling a display grossly out of sync. However, there is
a perfectly nice arrow icon for the mouse, and it responds to the mouse.
Starting gdm3 (gnome) also brings up an unreadable display. With both
fvwm and gnome, neither CTRL-ALT-F1 nor CTRL-ALT-Backscape lets me drop
back to the console. I have to do a hardware reset to reboot (or do
"sleep 30; reboot" in another console before I try startx).
I just did a full backup of my healthy Wheezy disk prior to this upgrade.
Xorg.0.log now is identical to the one from the good system, except for a
date. So I don't believe that X itself is screwed up. Since the mouse works
(as well as "sleep; reboot"), the system hasn't totally crashed. Grub still
offers me the chance to boot into 2.6.32, but that crashes with a screen full
of kernel errors.
I did all the same upgrades on another Wheezy system (different hardware)
with no problem. That is an Intel i5 with onboard video chipset (IGDNG/D
chipset = Clarkdale). The Pentium 4 that did not upgrade successfully has
the onboard 946GZ video chipset. For both machines, lsmod shows the i915
module for video.
Other users have reported similar problems in these two threads:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2011/04/msg00932.html
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2011/04/msg00972.html
Thanks.
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