Graphics issues after restart with laptop and external display

[vpal]

 * Cinnamon version (cinnamon --version)
   Cinnamon 4.6.6

 * Distribution - (Mint 17.2, Arch, Fedora 25, etc...)
   Linux Mint 20

 * Graphics hardware *and* driver used
   VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation HD Graphics 5500 (rev 09)

 * 32 or 64 bit
   64 bit

 * Attach /home/<username>/.xsession-errors, or /var/log/syslog
   [logs.zip](https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/files/4842784/logs.zip)

Issue

On a Dell Latitude E5550 with a Dell external monitor attached via DVI.
Both displays have the same 1920x1080 resolution.
External display is configured so that the laptop display is disabled and only the external display is enabled as primary.

After Laptop restart login works.
After login the desktop background is black and there is constant flickering in some randomn areas of the display especially when moving the mouse around.
It is possible to open apps like terminal, but NOT able to open Cinnamon related apps like Display Manager.
Selecting the Display app it from the menu just does not start the app.

Cinnamon restart with "Alt + F2: r " does not solve the issue.

To fix the issue I plugged out the DVI cable and restarted the machine.
It starts on the Laptop display.
Then I plugged in the DVI cable, the external display was recognized and used as primary and the laptop display was powered off according to the confuguration before the restart.
After plugging back the cable everything is working as expected.

It seems like suspend also does not trigger this issue.

Steps to reproduce

Setup: laptop with external display.
Configure: laptop display is disabled, external display is enabled and is primary
Restart the laptop and log in.

Expected behaviour
Cinnamon works with mentioned setup after restart.

Other information
None.

Configuration info, if applicable
If this bug report is related to an Applet, Desklet or Extension, please paste (or use a pastebin service) the offending extension's settings, if it has any. You can obtain this by opening its configuration, clicking the 'hamburger' button in the upper-right corner of the window, and selecting "Export to a file". Please be sure to review the contents and remove any personal data it may contain.

Please paste here

[vpal]

logs.zip

[kkittykait]

possibly related?

#9401 (this one is a critical segfault in muffin)

I also had display artifacts with a VGA external plugged in during the live image boot, it was flickering and tearing like crazy and had to disconnect that during install

[vpal]

@kkittykait Is there a way I colld verify if this is the same issue?

[kkittykait]

well, they're both related in the sense of they involve an external display and one set to inactive

[Betalord]

I can confirm I had similar (the same) problem with my Mint 20 on Lenovo ThinkPad P51. When I first booted it up (from USB key), the screen would flicker like crazy, after a minute or so it would start showing some random pixels and areas from my previous boot of Windows 10 (like parts of windows and random stuff), so I didn't see any more of the Mint desktop. I opened my lid, and then it started working again. Note that I never open my lid though, since I have a monitor attached to my laptop so I don't need it.

[yigitdnz]

I am having same problem on my laptop with Arch Linux and Cinnamon 4.6.6. When I start the computer with laptop screen off and external monitor on, the same thing people explained above happens. Then I unplug and replug the HDMI cable and it works without problem until I reboot again.

[vdcow]

It is probably duplicate of linuxmint/cinnamon-desktop#151. You could verify it downgrading cinnamon-desktop package to 4.6.1 (if possible).

[yigitdnz]

Downgrading cinnamon-desktop to 4.6.0 fixed the issue. (didn't have 4.6.1 as an option)

[gusbrs]

I'd like to report I have what's likely the same issue, for a very similar setup.

As to setup:
I also use a Laptop (Dell Inspiron N4050), with a Dell external monitor (P2717H) connected through an HDMI cable. Same versions of Mint (20) and Cinnamon (4.6.6). I also set up things so as to disable the laptop monitor and use the external one instead.

As to the issue:
For me as well, as long as the display settings are made within the session, all works fine. But as they are reapplied during login they don't. The background is stretched wide, an there is a lot of flickering all around, to the point of the desktop being unusable.

I think a couple of pictures might illustrate what I meant by "the background is stretched wide" (sorry, made with external device). The fist one is the desktop immediately after login:

The second, with workspaces exposed:

On the second one I had also tried to open "Display", it did, but was not accessible from the desktop (it was "to the right"). But it can be accessed with the workspaces exposed (the OP can confirm if this is the same for them).

Curiously, the panel and menu are not stretched, only the desktop background. And only the width dimension. Thinking it better, "stretched" is not the most precise word: the background image is not really distorted, it is only displaced to the right. Regarding aspect ratio, I would expect the display area to end where the cut on the background image happens. And looking at it, it seems the "Display" window is placed centered, as usual, but it takes as reference the displaced background image, and thus cannot be seen.

Current workaround:
Simply unplug the external monitor cable and replug it. And things get back to where they should.

If any other info is required, please let me know.

[mtwebster]

Hi, can I get some more info from all of you please:

• output of xrandr --verbose both while everything is 'working' and then also when 'broken'.
• contents of cinnamon-monitors.xml file in ~/.config if it exists, and contents of monitors.xml if it exists
• output of inxi -G

Is anyone not on a laptop? Specify if this is an 'optimus' laptops (having both a discrete nvidia as well as built-in intel), do you run in hybrid mode via bios settings, or discrete only. If in hybrid, do you run in performance or intel mode (or on-demand)?

Thanks

edit: Please put this stuff into a text file and attach the file to your response - I don't want to overwhelm this thread :)

[yigitdnz]

I'm on a 13'' Samsung Ultrabook with HD4000 graphics card.

xrandr output - working.txt
xrandr output - broken.txt
cinnamon-monitors.xml.txt
output of inxi -G.txt

[gusbrs]

Hi @mtwebster , thank you for looking into this.

Regarding your questions:

output of xrandr --verbose both while everything is 'working' and then also when 'broken'

xrandr-broken.txt
xrandr-working.txt

contents of cinnamon-monitors.xml file in ~/.config if it exists, and contents of monitors.xml if it exists

cinnamon-monitors.txt (renamed, to be attachable)

find ~ -name "monitors.xml" returns no results.

output of inxi -G

inxi.txt

Specify if this is an 'optimus' laptops (having both a discrete nvidia as well as built-in intel), do you run in hybrid mode via bios settings, or discrete only. If in hybrid, do you run in performance or intel mode (or on-demand)?

Sorry, I don't really know how to answer. As far as I know, mine is an oldish laptop with just the built-in graphics card, and no nvidia. But I can check things if you give me the directions.

[kkittykait]

Hi, can I get some more info from all of you please:

• output of xrandr --verbose both while everything is 'working' and then also when 'broken'.
• contents of cinnamon-monitors.xml file in ~/.config if it exists, and contents of monitors.xml if it exists
• output of inxi -G

Is anyone not on a laptop? Specify if this is an 'optimus' laptops (having both a discrete nvidia as well as built-in intel), do you run in hybrid mode via bios settings, or discrete only. If in hybrid, do you run in performance or intel mode (or on-demand)?

Thanks

edit: Please put this stuff into a text file and attach the file to your response - I don't want to overwhelm this thread :)

You're going to have to start testing more on external display set ups and yes >50% of the market is laptops

I am not on optimus laptops and get external display issues (Segfaults and active/inactive, positioning issues, see other bugs)

VirtualBox also seems to be hiding some bugs from real silicon

[mtwebster]

I can reproduce now, thanks

[vpal]

No optimus here, single integrated GPU.
No monitors.xml.

cinnamon-monitors.xml.txt
inxi-G.txt
xrandr--verbose.broken.txt
xrandr--verbose.working.txt