Created attachment 533593 [details]
there is a shadow right to the black window

One more discovery - there is not flickering, when cpu is intensively used...

Created attachment 533594 [details]
dmesg output

Created attachment 533595 [details]
lsmod |grep i915 output

Created attachment 533596 [details]
partial lspci -kv output

Created attachment 533597 [details]
/var/log/messages output

Created attachment 533598 [details]
/var/log/Xorg.0.log output

Does this happen if you pass i915.i915_enable_fbc=0 on the kernel command line?

This i915.i915_enable_fbc=0 parameter does not solve this problem...

What about i915.powersave=0 ?

i915.powersave=0 does not solve this problem, but there is another discovery - when external monitor is connected via VGA output on docking station and activated this external VGA output, the flickering stops...

I have exactly the same problem on exactly the same configuration (on Fedora 16 -- all 3.* kernels, starting with the live CD; the same computer: EliteBook 2730p, with GMA 4500MHD graphics; and i915 driver).

I am using Gnome Shell though.

Yes, I can confirm that the flickering disappears when an external VGA monitor is attached.

As a side note: the external monitor doesn't display the proper resolution and the screen is clipped and positioned wrongly (the image is always cut on the edges). But when I suspend and wake the computer, the external screen becomes perfect. Very weird.

I think that this is a duplicate of bug 738813.  I have experienced the same result on my HP2730p with the GMA4500MHD, using the F16 live image.  Also, I am quite certain this is a kernel bug, as I experience the same behaviour on Arch Linux when uprading just the kernel from 3.0.7, to anything newer, including 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, and 3.1.4.  I've also tried a live image of the newest Ubuntu, with kernel 3.2, and the problem exists there as well.

Yes same system HP2730, same problem with F16 live image. On-line updates did not fix the problem. Now using Ubuntu kernel 3.0.0-13 with Gnome 3 now with no problems.

I can also confirm that CPU-intensive tasks make the flicker noticeably less severe (the flicker almost disappeared when I was updating Fedora, specifically when YUM was expanding the deltas and then when the updates were actually installed--it should be noted that the flicker did not diminish when YUM was downloading the packages).

I can confirm bminaker report. This must certainly be a kernel regression.  With 3.0.1-3.fc16.i686 no flickering occurs, but with any kernel newer (incl.3.2.0-0.rc4.git5.1.fc17.i686) the flickering occurs.

On an EliteBook 2730p, for me the problem occurs with both Fedora 15 and 16. On Fedora 15, running kernel 2.6.38.6-26.rc1.fc15.x86_64 I got no flicker, but with kernel 2.6.41-4-1.fc15.x86_64 I did.

I can add kernel 3.1.5 to the list from above, as also giving problems.  I should add the the kernel 3.2 I referred to in my previous comment was rc3, if I recall correctly.  I read something about Intel patches for rc5, so I'm hopeful that a fix may be close at hand.

I can also confirm the flickering is present in kernel 3.1.5-6.fc16.i686.

Flicker still present (and still extremely annoying) in kernel 3.1.6-1.fc16.i686.

Just for fun:

I am running this to completely remove the flicker:

   nice -n 19 bash -c "while [[ true ]]; do i=0; done"

Caveat: say goodbye to battery life.

So the problem is exclusive to the EliteBook 2730p with the newer kernel? My guess is its anything with the GMA4500MHD. These Intel graphics have always been a problem for me. The GMA500 I gave up on. Only got this machine because it had a pen-able screen and better battery life than the AMD versions.

Rhem: I have only one EliteBook 2730p with GMA4500MHD, so I don't know if it's only this notebook graphics issue or it's issue for all GMA4500MHD...

Tested kernels 3.1.6-1.fc16.x86_64 and latest rawhide 3.2.0-0.rc7.git0.1.fc17 - flickering is still present...

I can confirm August's comments that the latest F15 kernel (kernel-2.6.41-4-1.fc15.x86_64) also causes problems, and that the newest F16 kernel (kernel-3.1.8-2.fc16.x86_64) does too.

Still the same horrible flicker with kernel-3.1.9-1.fc16.i686.

Is there anything we can do to help track down the bug or maybe even fix it?

Could you give us some guidelines on how to build and install the driver from Fedora's sources? Is it possible to just use Fedora's source RPMs and build/install from them? Any links to online resources regarding this?

Ok, accidentally just updated Ubuntu, now running kernel-3.0.0-14-generic-pae and gnome 3. But no flicker problem. So is it really the kernel? I'm eager to go back to fedora as soon as.

Hi Rhem,

On Arch Linux I was okay with anything up to 3.0.7, but anything 3.1.x caused problems.  I was surprised to see the issue show up in 2.6.41 on Fedora, but I've seen it.  I think 2.6.41 on Fedora is actually more recent than 3.0.x on Arch.  I suspect there must have been some Intel driver backported from 3.0.x to 2.6.41.  I would recommend that you not upgrade your Ubuntu much further, for sure no 3.1 series.

Tried kernel-3.2.1-3.fc16.x86_64 today, problem still exists.

I can confirm that the crazy flicker is still present in kernel-3.2.1-3.fc16.i686.

Tried kernel-3.3.0-0.rc1.git3.1.fc17.x86_64 under F16 today.  I thought for a second that our problem was solved, as there was no flicker throughout the boot process.  Sadly, once the KDM login screen appears, the flicker reappears, somehow different and more severe than before.  It appeared to depend on mouse action also.

Interesting news.  If I boot using kernel-3.3.0-0.rc1.git3.1.fc17.x86_64 under F16, but only to runlevel 3 (the prompt screen) instead of runlevel 5 (graphical login manager), the flicker is gone.  There are a couple of warnings about intel drm bad pixel format during boot, but no flicker.  If I log in and start X from the command line, the flicker reappears, and stays, even if I log back out.

    tested latest kernel-3.2.2-1.fc16.x86_64, also latest rawhide
    kernel-3.3.0-0.rc1.git3.1.fc17.x86_64, runlevel 5, problem is still present...

I have also EliteBook 2730p and with F16 and different kernels the screen flickers. With external display no problems. I tried Ubuntu 11.10 with gnome 3 and it worked without problems. I have no time to debug but system worked perfectly before upgrade from F15 to F16.

Dualbooting to W7 and there are no issues (except being Windows it is not usable anyhow, used for testing and compatibility purposes)

The problem is still present in kernel-3.2.3-2.fc16.i686.

Btw, it seems like nobody is taking notice of this bug. Does Intel have a bug tracker for its Linux driver? Maybe we should post the reports there.

I found this:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=43123

It seems like the same issue.

Hi Matej,

I thought the same thing and already posted there as well.  Also, I tried one of the Fedora 17 Rawhide nightly builds the other day, and the bug is still there.  It doesn't appear until after the boot process is over, but shows up at the login screen.

The flicker is still present (with the same highly obtrusive intensity) in the kernel 3.2.7-1.fc16.i686.

Hello,

This is a real problem for me because I am way too much used to fedora and I have been sticking to f14 for a long time because of this bug. I spent the last 3 days trying to update to f16 (fresh install) and make it work with my 30" DELL monitor. It has been a nightmare and impossible for me. Now I am running debian for a while. Debian wheezy had the same problem and squeeze (kernel 2.6.32) is working perfectly fine, but there is no gnome3 on squeeze and I want to start getting used to it.

I was happy to find out this bug report. I thought I was going nuts... I have the same problem but only with the external monitor and the resolution being screwed up. No flicker for me (thinkpad x201s), though.

I wonder about the following...

Could it be possible to install f16 and _downgrade_ the kernel to one of the 2.6 series? (I am feeling like working with windows, btw, downgrading the system to make it work, though I do not have to pay for it, at least...).

My question:

(1) Can I pick up a kernel from here 

http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/packageinfo?packageID=8

say, kernel-2.6.20-1.2954.fc6

and stick to it? I.e. make sure that a 

yum upgrade

will not delete it?

Cheers,

Pau

PS: I mean fc16, of course.... so e.g. kernel-2.6.39-0.fc16

Hi,

I seem to have found a fix to this... If I open the monitor configuration interface and choose what I want, the external monitor goes black, as described BUT if I suspend the system and wake it up, the configuration is what I chose.

Ugly, but it works.

I just wanted to let you know.

Pau
PS: Installing older kernels did not help, though

Hi

For all those that can reproduce the bug and somehow make the problem stop appearing (like Pau from comment #40):

Please reproduce the problem, then run intel_reg_dumper from intel-gpu-tools and attach the file.

Then, "fix" the problem (for example, by suspending/resuming), and then run intel_reg_dumper again, and attach the file.

I'd also like to see the "dmesg" output in the "working" and "non-working" case. If you boot with drm.debug=0x6 it might help too.

For more information on intel_reg_dumper:
http://intellinuxgraphics.org/intel_reg_dumper.html

To Pau & others:

I have divided the problems with Intel graphics to 2 parts:
1. Problem with flickering when no external monitor is connected
2. Problem with external monitor connection
I have opened this bug report only for first part of problems, I know also about problem with external monitor, but I was thinking about opening of another bug report for this.

1. Problem with flickering when no external monitor is connected
----------------------------------------------------------------
It's problably kenrel driver based bug, affected kernels:
3.1 and newer
2.6.41 and newer - probably graphics driver backport from 3.1 kernel
latest functional fc16 kernel from koji:
http://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org/packages/kernel/3.0.1/3.fc16/x86_64/kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64.rpm - 64 bit kernel
http://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org/packages/kernel/3.0.1/3.fc16/i686/kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.i686.rpm - 32 bit kernel
This problem dissapears when external monitor is connected!

2. Problem with external monitor connection
-------------------------------------------
Problems with all kernels, 2 symptoms:
1. bad resolution on lower resolution monitors
2. corrupted image on high resolution monitors (my case - 24" Sun monitor, resolution 1920x1200)

Solution: go to sleep mode & wake up computer

To Paulo (comment #40):

Thank you for your advice, I will attach required files.
Environment: kernel 3.3.0-8.fc16.x86_64 with drm debug turned on, external monitor 24" Sun, resolution 1920x1200

Created attachment 575104 [details]
dmesg output before sleep with corrupted graphics on external monitor

Created attachment 575105 [details]
dmesg output after sleep with correct graphics on external monitor

Created attachment 575106 [details]
intel_reg_dumper output before sleep with corrupted graphics on external monitor

Created attachment 575107 [details]
intel_reg_dumper output after sleep with correct graphics on external monitor

Created attachment 576123 [details]
Dumps of dmesg and intel_reg_dump for different situations (see comment).

Here is what I did to obtain the dumps:

1. Booted the machine afresh (without an external monitor). The flicker was painfully present. I dumped dmesg and IRD (intel reg dump) into files `flicker.noexternal.beforesuspend.*`.

2. I attached the external monitor, which removed the flicker, but the screen on the external monitor was clipped and streched (disproportionally--circles appeared as ellipses and squares as non-equilateral rectangles). Then I took dumps :-) for this situation: `noflicker.brokenexternal.beforesuspend.*`.

3. I then suspended/waked the computer. However, the external screen was still clipped and stretched! So, nothing changed for the external screen. Still, the flicker was gone... The dumps for this situation: `noflicker.stillbrokenexternal.aftersuspend.*`.

I hope this helps.

To Matej (comment #48):

I haven't tested connecting external monitor when notebook was running (I have always connected external monitor before turning on notebook), maybe it is the reason why suspend don't work...

I am running RHEL 6.2.
Had a lot of issues with the GMA500 chipset in my Sony Vaio P.
Now with ELRepo kernel I fixed all issues by installing the latest 3.3 kernel available.

I would advice to upgrade your kernel to 3.3, as all my issues are resolved (laggy screen, no external display etc).

Hi,

I had to unfortunately switch to debian squeeze since it's using the 2.6 something kernel and all of this disappeared immediately.

This is why I could not make the tests etc, because I had to catch up with my work, which was already delayed...

@Rob: Please elaborate or point to a link on how to upgrade the kernel to 3.3 because I would like to go back to fedora as soon as possible.

Cheers,

Pau

Hi Pau,

Fedora 16 it should be available here: http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/packageinfo?packageID=8 

Please keep in mind that Fedora 17 is build on kernel 3.3.
So if you want to try it with the latest system Fedora 17, but is Alpha ofcourse.
http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-prerelease

So if 17 is released all your issues could be fixed.
But Fedora 16 with a upgrade to kernel 3.3 is the best shot.

Greetings,

Rob

To Rob, Pau

There are more GMA graphics types, I have Intel GMA4500MHD graphics, not GMA500, kernel 3.3 doesn't solve this issues...

Confirmed: The beta release gives the same problem

[root@localhost liveuser]# uname -a
Linux localhost.localdomain 3.3.0-1.fc17.i686 #1 SMP Mon Mar 19 03:19:22 UTC 2012 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux


and I cannot configure the external monitor.

:(

PS: I tried to yum upgrade the live system, but it gave me a "bus error" and rebooted before I could try to restart X

In case of my GMA 4500MHD it seems that this bug has been corrected with a kernel of the 3.4 series. While I was still able to reproduce this bug with a 3.3 kernel, no flickering occurs when using the latest kernel from kooij (3.4.0-0.rc3.git1.1.fc18.i686).

To Marc (Comment 56):

Thank you for good hint, I confirm that kernel 3.4 solves all issues. I have tested kernel-3.4.0-0.rc3.git4.1.fc18.x86_64 from here: http://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org/packages/kernel/3.4.0/0.rc3.git4.1.fc18/x86_64/kernel-3.4.0-0.rc3.git4.1.fc18.x86_64.rpm
There are some warnings when installing kernel 3.4, I hope that doesn't matter...
Kernel 3.4 probably won't be officially released under Fedora 16, maybe under Fedora 17...

Hi,

same here. I switched to ubuntu and I can confirm the same issue with kernels up to 3.3

The newest one, 3.4x solves the thing:

Linux deukalion 3.4.0-030400rc4-generic-pae #201204230908 SMP Mon Apr 23 13:23:25 UTC 2012 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

Cheers,

Pau

I installed the 3.4 kernel today.

Using kernel 3.4 in HP2730p and still have the same problem.

I had the same flicker problem with my HP2730p; I was getting constant flicker on the built-in display, even during boot (I'm not sure what happens when I plug in an external monitor, since I haven't tried that).

However, installing the 3.4.0 kernel from http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/buildinfo?buildID=321678 fixed the flicker for me.

Kernel 3.4.1 from http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/buildinfo?buildID=321994 also seems to work OK on my setup.

The latest kernel packages in the "updates" Yum repo fixes the problem for me.

I'm testing kernel 3.4.3 is now working perfectly. No more screen flickering.
:)

Confirm fixed HP2730p. Awesome.

3.4.2-4.fc17.x86_64

Installed F17 then update.
Confirm feeling sickly after watching update on flicky screen. Working perfectly, thanku :)

I also confirm it's fixed for me. Although (as previously pointed out) the flicker is still present during boot state (only before the greeter shows up).