LinuxQuestions.org - X server crashes on laptop with Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Chip

- SUSE / openSUSE (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/suse-opensuse-60/)

- - X server crashes on laptop with Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Chip (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/suse-opensuse-60/x-server-crashes-on-laptop-with-intel-mobile-gm965-gl960-integrated-graphics-chip-4175538635/)

X server crashes on laptop with Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Chip

Hi,

I'm using a fresh install (from DVD) of opensuse 13.2 KDE (32 bit) on a Dell inspiron 1525. It has the Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller.

Various actions result in X crashing and I get kicked out to the login screen. When at the login screen I cannot simply login again from there because that results in being kicked straight back to the login screen again. I have to reboot first and then the login works.

The events I've found so far that trigger this behaviour are:

Trying to get into yast (at the point of entering root password and clicking 'ok').

Running the command xrandr.

Opening a PDF document.

Activate/deactivate desktop effects.

Clicking on 'Display and Monitor' in System Settings.

Screen blanking.

Starting knotes.

Starting Calibre.

Starting Transmission.

Trying to run an XP VM or running an opensuse install ISO in Vitualbox results in 'aborted' a few seconds after starting.

Here's some information about my system graphics:

Code:

hwinfo --gfxcard

09: PCI 02.0: 0300 VGA compatible controller (VGA)                                                          

  [Created at pci.328]                                                                                      

  Unique ID: _Znp.kIVVn0Xw8t7                                                                                

  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0                                                                

  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.0

  Hardware Class: graphics card

  Model: "Intel 965 GM"

  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"

  Device: pci 0x2a02 "965 GM"

  SubVendor: pci 0x1028 "Dell"

  SubDevice: pci 0x022f 

  Revision: 0x0c

  Driver: "i915"

  Driver Modules: "drm"

  Memory Range: 0xfea00000-0xfeafffff (rw,non-prefetchable)

  Memory Range: 0xe0000000-0xefffffff (ro,non-prefetchable)

  I/O Ports: 0xeff8-0xefff (rw)

  IRQ: 44 (2061 events)

  I/O Ports: 0x3c0-0x3df (rw)

  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d00002A02sv00001028sd0000022Fbc03sc00i00"

  Driver Info #0:

    XFree86 v4 Server Module: intel

  Driver Info #1:

    XFree86 v4 Server Module: intel

    3D Support: yes

    Extensions: dri

  Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown



10: PCI 02.1: 0380 Display controller

  [Created at pci.328]

  Unique ID: ruGf.Fls7hspaQUD

  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1

  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.1

  Hardware Class: graphics card

  Model: "Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (secondary)"

  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"

  Device: pci 0x2a03 "Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (secondary)"

  SubVendor: pci 0x1028 "Dell"

  SubDevice: pci 0x022f 

  Revision: 0x0c

  Memory Range: 0xfeb00000-0xfebfffff (rw,non-prefetchable)

  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d00002A03sv00001028sd0000022Fbc03sc80i00"

  Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

Code:

/sbin/lspci -nnk

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub [8086:2a00] (rev 0c)

        Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022f]

        Kernel driver in use: agpgart-intel

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary) [8086:2a02] (rev 0c)

        Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022f]

        Kernel driver in use: i915

        Kernel modules: i915

00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (secondary) [8086:2a03] (rev 0c)

Code:

inxi -G            

Resuming in non X mode: xdpyinfo not found. For package install advice run: inxi --recommends

Graphics:  Card: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary) 

          X.org: 1.16.1 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) tty size: 109x38 Advanced Data: N/A for root

Apparently there are problems with the Intel graphics stack for older chips like mine, I've done lots of searching and asked for help on the opensuse forum but so far with no luck.

I'm not sure that there's anything that can be done apart from waiting to see if Intel fix the bugs or buy a laptop that doesn't have Intel graphics, but any help/advice would be most appreciated!

probably it is a hardware related error, check your RAM. Also look at the log files.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64 (Post 5341848)

probably it is a hardware related error, check your RAM. Also look at the log files.

OK, thanks. I'll check the RAM later. Which log files would give me some useful information?

goto /var/log and there can be several files like Xorg*, messages, syslog and probably others. Also you can check ~/.xsession*

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64 (Post 5341876)

goto /var/log and there can be several files like Xorg*, messages, syslog and probably others. Also you can check ~/.xsession*

Well I ran memtest for about an hour and a half, no errors at all in that time.

Looked at a couple of logs but couldn't see anything that would seem to indicate a crash. Not that I really know what to look for.

Try switching DE from KDE to Xfce.

Quote:

Originally Posted by veerain (Post 5342392)

Try switching DE from KDE to Xfce.

I'm curious about why you think changing the DE would make any difference?

Because it has been observed that running KDE crashes with old graphics chips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by veerain (Post 5342755)

Because it has been observed that running KDE crashes with old graphics chips.

OK, thanks, maybe I'll give that a go. Do you have any specific links where I could read about this? I have found one:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=185650

which seems relevant but they are mostly talking about kwin crashing rather than X server.

Well I did change to xfce (xubuntu) after a while and that ran all right with no system crashes. I want to be back on opensuse/kde though so I'm still trying to find out what the problem is with that.

I installed opensuse/kde 13.2 on an external hard drive plugged into this laptop and it runs just fine on that; no crashes at all. So I bought a new hard drive for the laptop and installed the system on that but it behaves just the same as on the older laptop hard drive, ie. the crashes still occur.

If anyone has any idea why the system runs all right on the extenal hard drive but not on the laptop hard drive(s) I would love to know. All the same hardware (except for the hard drive) is being used so what can be making the difference?

I don't think that: how long did you test it on the external drive? (probably that was not long enough). I think - as it was already mentioned - KDE eats up a lot of resources and makes the system relatively unstable. But actually it was the X server not the KDE -under heavy load.

(I could crash X any time I wanted by starting a specific app and just by moving a scrollbar)

You could try OpenSUSE with XFCE. I bet it still has problems though.

I just want to mention that I have no general stability problems with opensuse/kde, and I don't find it to be a resource hog (boots to the desktop using just over 200 MB of RAM) either, YMMV. Also, with respect to these crashes that occur, it does not matter how long the system has been running before I try one of the aforementioned things that make the system crash; it happens if the system has been up for one minute or for five hours.

With the install on the external drive, the system does not crash, no matter what I do or for how long it has been running. What I'm interested in is this: does anyone have any idea why this might be the case?

Thanks.

to be able to go further we need to reproduce it, so I think you need to specify how can you crash your system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64 (Post 5435631)

to be able to go further we need to reproduce it, so I think you need to specify how can you crash your system.

Have a look at my first post.