Thinkpads Forum

I have an R61 (7732-CTO) with the integrated Intel graphics (GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c)) and a video issue has come up recently:






The screen freezes and slowly turns to a bright green color. It started after a car ride while I was booted into Linux, and would sometimes return to normal after a few seconds, but since I rebooted it this always happens once grub loads.

It's over a year out of warranty. I took it apart and reseated everything up to the video cable, which *seemed* to fix it - for a day and two four-hour car rides, but now it's happening again.

Ideas?

This looks exactly like what was on my screen (ati chip) when booting up Fedora 11 and Fedora 12 alpha live cds; if I understood correctly, it was caused by kernel mode setting using beta-graded drivers. So my bet is a software issue. Try reverting to an older kernel and/or disabling kms using boot parameters. A test boot from a "stable" live cd (debian lenny, ubuntu hardy) wouldn't hurt either.. good luck!

It happens in Grub, though, and I don't always get the Thinkpad splash screen (Press the Thinkvantage button to interrupt), though.

I tried kernel 2.6.32 and 2.6.30, with the same results, a Knoppix 6.0.1 and a Xubuntu 9.04 CD, same thing.

Once we get past grub video seems to work, and I can get into single user mode. But as soon as the screen tries to display a color besides white on black such as my user's bash prompt, or vim's startup screen, the screen starts dying.

If it matters, I normally run Debian Testing (with the kernel and video packages from Unstable), but it doesn't look like software to me?

Hmm. In my case it was definately a software issue, with the greenish color usually "fading in" from one corner of the screen.
Knoppix 6.x is based on a mixture of lenny, testing and unstable, so it wouldn't surprise that you get the same results, and coincidentally Ubuntu 9.4 seems to have major problems with intel graphics aswell ( http://www.h-online.com/open/features/U ... 46438.html ). Has one of these cds worked before on your machine?
I'd still try booting into a Ubuntu 8.4 system or maybe a puppy system.
Judging from the 3rd screenshot it indeed seems that you have kms enabled, so I'm still pretty convinced that kms (precisely: a bug related to kms) is the cause, which also coincides with the notes on http://wiki.debian.org/KernelModesetting or https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=25681 . One faulty "apt-get upgrade" could be the cause of all this.. that's the downside of running a bleeding edge distro.

edit: I don't know much about grub2 (which is what you use), so this is just a vague theory, but iirc one of grub2's new features is the ability to access graphics routines aswell (if properly configured), so that may explain why the symptoms already appear in your grub menu.

I tried uncommenting GRUB_TERMINAL=console in /etc/default/grub and running update-grub, and I also tried kernel 2.6.26 from Stable - same symptoms both in grub and once booted.

I'm downloading Ubuntu 8.04 atm but I doubt I will see a difference.

Edit: same thing with Ubuntu 8.04 CD

Ok, now i'm stumped. I was absolutely sure it was a problem with your distro (because of the experiences I had with these exact symptoms), but it seems that your issue is indeed more serious.
The only advise I have left would be try running a memtest86 (if that doesn't crash too), since the gpu uses system ram and you could 'hope' for a faulty ram module.

Anyone else?

I have a similar problem with a T23 which I suspect is due to a faulty video cable. In my case, I can twist the lid slightly and correct the problem. When you did the re-seat of the video cable did you do both ends; the motherboard connector and the one attached to the back of the LCD panel? If so, I'd inspect the entire length of the video cable and see if you can spot any irregularities. The only other things that I can think of which may cause a problem like this would be a defective LCD panel (internal wiring/contacts loose) or the video controller chip on the motherboard.

You can also download a copy of PC Doctor for the R61 (and others) from here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222 (creates an .ISO file which you burn to a CD-R)
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67910 (4 floppy diskettes)

and run the Video tests.

I don't think a defect in the LCD panel or video cable could cause system freezes. In theory, the machine should run even with the display completely detached.

I read the earlier description and I understood that the screen freezes but not the entire system. It would also help to know if the same thing occurs with the external video as well.

rkawakami is correct, only the screen freezes, sorry. The OS runs on.

I only reseated the motherboard connector. I'll dig out an external monitor and try memtest & PC Doctor, and perhaps take it apart again and go all the way to the end connected to the LCD. Thanks.

Alucard wrote:rkawakami is correct, only the screen freezes, sorry.

Ah, ok. Then it's indeed not the same problem I encountered, since that included a system freeze.
Sorry for setting you on the wrong track with my first answers.

slightly off topic: I wonder what a low level explanation of these green "clouds" could be. Considering some bug
report I read a few months ago, there are now three persons with three different GPUs (ATI x1300, ATI
x1400, intel 965) suffering from two different kinds of problem (hardware problem without system freeze /
software problem with system freeze) resulting in the exact same artifacts on screen. Why green and not
some other color? Why "clouds" and not something else (blank screen, solid color etc.)?

Anyway, good luck.

Hello,

I have this problem again on the same machine. The symptoms are the same, but here's a new pic: http://i.imgur.com/LhwKG.jpg . That's not glare - this is indoors with soft kitchen light.

The external VGA port works just fine, which is how I'm typing this now.

Unfortunately I don't remember how I solved it the last time; maybe it was reseating the monitor end of the cable, because reseating the motherboard end didn't do anything.

Any new ideas? Is the cable buyable / replaceable? Where would I find it?

Looks like the same issue, on my T20 I can make it do this any time on demand by adjusting the screen angle. I am suspecting either bad connection or cable (aint bugged me enough yet to mess with it )

Last time did you re-seat the monitor end of the cable to fix it possibly? My guess would be 1 of the 3 things:

cable-->motherboard connection
cable-->panel connection
bad cable

Out of curiosity, can you either make it happen or make it go away by adjusting the angle of your screen? Mine does it when I go past 90 degrees about 3 inches in either direction. Also noticed I cant make it happen in true DOS, but anytime I'm at any type of graphical screen I can make it happen.

To me it looks like the screen is filling with smoke/clouds, starts at the bottom and rapidly fills the entire screen until I adjust the monitor angle.

Well, after a day using the external monitor, I've been using the internal display for hours and it hasn't happened again. And I can't get it to happen by opening/closing the lid or trying to twist the chassis.

It started this time immediately after going through airport security; it was fine on the bus in, but an hour later at the terminal it was bad. If it happens again on the way home I'll try different angles.