Display Problem

[FrankN209]

Hello Again,

I've installed the latest Mint on my Dell Laptop, but I get some type of tearing in the taskbar, like white lines in the taskbar sometimes.

I'm using the opensource gpu driver.

Code: Select all

System:
  Kernel: 5.15.0-73-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.3.0
    Desktop: Cinnamon 5.6.8 tk: GTK 3.24.33 wm: muffin vt: 7 dm: LightDM 1.30.0
    Distro: Linux Mint 21.1 Vera base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy
Machine:
  Type: Portable System: Dell product: Inspiron 7537 v: N/A
    serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 8 v: 0.1
    serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: Dell model: 07PF9F v: A00 serial: <superuser required>
    UEFI-[Legacy]: Dell v: A13 date: 06/04/2015
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 18.2 Wh (61.9%) condition: 29.4/60.2 Wh (48.9%)
    volts: 15.6 min: 14.4 model: SANYO DELL Y1FGD3B type: Li-ion
    serial: <filter> status: Charging
CPU:
  Info: dual core model: Intel Core i7-4500U bits: 64 type: MT MCP
    smt: enabled arch: Haswell rev: 1 cache: L1: 128 KiB L2: 512 KiB L3: 4 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 798 high: 799 min/max: 800/3000 cores: 1: 798 2: 799
    3: 798 4: 799 bogomips: 14367
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Haswell-ULT Integrated Graphics vendor: Dell driver: i915
    v: kernel ports: active: eDP-1 empty: HDMI-A-1 bus-ID: 00:02.0
    chip-ID: 8086:0a16 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: NVIDIA GK107M [GeForce GT 750M] vendor: Dell driver: nouveau
    v: kernel pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 4 bus-ID: 04:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:0fe4
    class-ID: 0302
  Device-3: Microdia Integrated HD Webcam type: USB driver: uvcvideo
    bus-ID: 2-5:3 chip-ID: 0c45:6705 class-ID: 0e02
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    unloaded: fbdev,vesa gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
    s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: Samsung res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142
    size: 344x194mm (13.5x7.6") diag: 395mm (15.5") modes: 1920x1080
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 4400 (HSW GT2)
    v: 4.6 Mesa 22.2.5 direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Haswell-ULT HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:03.0 chip-ID: 8086:0a0c class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: Intel 8 Series HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel
    v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:9c20 class-ID: 0403
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.0-73-generic running: yes
  Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.99.1 running: yes
  Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.48 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 7260 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel pcie:
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:08b1 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    vendor: Dell driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1
    port: 4000 bus-ID: 03:00.1 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp3s0f1 state: down mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8
    bus-ID: 2-6:4 chip-ID: 8087:07dc class-ID: e001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: down
    bt-service: enabled,running rfk-block: hardware: no software: yes
    address: <filter>
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 238.47 GiB used: 12.93 GiB (5.4%)
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: SSD SM841 2.5 7mm 256GB
    size: 238.47 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 1D0Q
    scheme: MBR
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 90.64 GiB used: 12.93 GiB (14.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda5
  ID-2: /boot/efi size: 512 MiB used: 6.1 MiB (1.2%) fs: vfat
    dev: /dev/sda3
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 2 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2
    file: /swapfile
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 48.0 C mobo: 43.0 C gpu: nouveau temp: 43.0 C
  Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0
Repos:
  Packages: apt: 2155
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
    1: deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
    1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com vera main upstream import backport
    2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted universe multiverse
    3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
    4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
    5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse
Info:
  Processes: 230 Uptime: 34m wakeups: 1 Memory: 15.53 GiB
  used: 1.9 GiB (12.3%) Init: systemd v: 249 runlevel: 5 Compilers:
  gcc: 11.3.0 alt: 11/12 Shell: Bash v: 5.1.16 running-in: gnome-terminal
  inxi: 3.3.13

[motoryzen]

The Opensourced nvidia coherent drivers have been known to give people odd headaches sometimes.

I recommend you create a Timeshift snapshot targetting a separate drive if possible, then check Driver Manager

Tell us what all options you see in it please.

[SMG]

I've installed the latest Mint on my Dell Laptop, but I get some type of tearing in the taskbar, like white lines in the taskbar sometimes.

Where in the panel is this happening? There is the possibility this might relate to an applet you have installed.

I'm using the opensource gpu driver.

You have a dual-graphics laptop (Intel & Nvidia) which is current using Intel as the primary renderer.

Graphics:
Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,vesa gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: Samsung res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142
size: 344x194mm (13.5x7.6") diag: 395mm (15.5") modes: 1920x1080
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 4400 (HSW GT2)
v: 4.6 Mesa 22.2.5 direct render: Yes

Usually, tearing issues related to graphics happen across the entire screen and not just one specific area which is why I asked for more details about where this is happening.

[FrankN209]

It's happening in the taskbar. I see white lines when cpu is in use. Not a constant tearing, but every 30s or so.

[SMG]

It's happening in the taskbar.

You already indicated the problem only happens in the panel. (Linux Mint does not have a "taskbar".) The panel runs the entire length of one side of your screen (bottom, top, or one side) depending upon where you placed it. The default is for it to be at the bottom.

Where in the panel is the problem showing up? What icon has white lines running through it?

II see white lines when cpu is in use. Not a constant tearing, but every 30s or so.

This is a video of a Screen Tearing Example. That does not sound like what you are describing.

What you describe sounds like it might be an issue with an applet you installed, but it is hard to know without more details.

[FrankN209]

I see white lines in the panel. It's not the applets, it happened before I installed them, I removed them and it still does it. I just had weather and cpu temp applets.

I installed cpufrequtils and disabled any throttling.

Sometimes when i see the white lines, it seems like the display dims a bit and then goes back.

Here is a short video of it happening. You can see at the very bottom of the panel it happening.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hZOy1R ... sp=sharing

[SMG]

Here is a short video of it happening. You can see at the very bottom of the panel it happening.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hZOy1R ... sp=sharing

So you are talking about the short white segments that appear at equidistant segments across the bottom of the screen like in this freeze-frame I grabbed from your video?

[FrankN209]

Yes those. It doesn't happen when I boot Windows up. Just linux, all distros that I've used.

[SMG]

Yes those. It doesn't happen when I boot Windows up. Just linux, all distros that I've used.

Currently you are running in emulated Legacy BIOS mode mode.

Machine:
Type: Portable System: Dell product: Inspiron 7537 v: N/A
serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 8 v: 0.1
serial: <superuser required>
Mobo: Dell model: 07PF9F v: A00 serial: <superuser required>
UEFI-[Legacy]: Dell v: A13 date: 06/04/2015

See if switching to UEFI mode helps.

I will point out, you can be in UEFI mode and have secure boot disabled. They are two different settings if that is the reason you are running UEFI-Legacy.

I don't know if it will help, but if you have been running into the issue with all Linux-based distros, then it is likely related to the graphics driver. Most do better when the laptop is run in its native firmware which is UEFI in this case.

Is there a setting in your computer's BIOS/UEFI to set which GPU is used?

[FrankN209]

Yeah, it won't boot that way. This is in gpt, so legacy has to be used. I tried UFEI and it didn't work. And I don't want to reinstall 2 OS's. I ll just live with this. It's not messing anything up, just annoying.

Thanks

[SMG]

Yeah, it won't boot that way. This is in gpt, so legacy has to be used.

I think you mean it is MBR so legacy has to be used.

I did see a /boot/efi partition which is why I thought it might work because LM21 is supposed to install both methods of booting, but if you have a second operating system then that may have negated that ability.

[FrankN209]

I see that when I have a video playing, like utube, those white lines go away. Can gpu processor fluctuation cause this? like freq speed?

[SMG]

I see that when I have a video playing, like utube, those white lines go away. Can gpu processor fluctuation cause this? like freq speed?

If you are playing in a browser, the browser may use the graphics driver differently than the desktop does, but are you meaning you are running the browser full-screen and the panel is not there?

Usually, in odd graphics issues like this, we later find out there was something running which caused the issue. The fact it appears they are perfectly equidistant from each other gives me that impression.

Have you booted to a live session of Linux Mint to see if the same thing happens?
Create a new user and log in as them to see if it happens.

[FrankN209]

I just did a clean install today, it did it in live also. I'm about to just give up on it lol.

[SMG]

I just did a clean install today, it did it in live also. I'm about to just give up on it lol.

If you switch to On-Demand or Nvidia mode, does it go away in either of those modes? (On-Demand should be pretty much the same as your current Intel mode so that may not change.)