Common Issues

Issues on Precise (nxl67170ux)

• Issue — Git — Cannot install tileqt (tcl theme) to beautify gitk.
• Issue — TeX Live still old version (2009) — This may be the cause of errors LaTeX Font Warning: Some font shapes were not available, defaults substituted. (see [1])
  • fixed — install TeX Live 2012 from backports repository.
• Issue — Annoying file C:\nppdf32Log\debuglog.txt. Caused by acroread plugin (see [2], [3], [4]). A solution would be to edit nppdf.so with hex editor.
• Issue — Acrobat reader leaves ghost process SynchronizerApp-binary. Disable it!
• Issue — Opera fonts too small, not as good as windows.
  • partial fix — Increase default font size to 16 (Preferences → webpages). See also page Make linux looks like Windows/Mac
• Issue — Touchpad scroll not working, detected as ps/2 mouse.
  • partial fix — Install Kevin Cernekee's DKMS package (see below and bug 606238). See also [5] for more solutions.
    

sudo -s
add-apt-repository ppa:cernekee/ppa
apt-get update
apt-get install psmouse-dkms
reboot

• Issue — Annoying popup failure to download extra data files flashplugin-installer. See bug 977178 and bug 982684.
  Pop-up is from update-notified. Might be related to sudo ignoring some environment variables / profile.
  • tentative fix — sudo apt-get --reinstall install flashplugin-installer
• Issue — Synergy, still heavy keyboard corruption issue (v.1.4.10), in particular ctrl stuck key (must reboot to fix), and custom layout not honored (my custom belgian on us layout).
• Issue — Virtualbox module not recompiling (broken DKMS)
  • tentative fix — See Virtualbox
• Issue — Can't reconnect to Bluetooth Microsoft Sculpt Mouse.
  • Solved — Install Bluetooth manager (package blueman). See [6], bug 1094744.
• Issue — animated gifs do not work.
  • Solved — This is a feature of privoxy, to ban ads using such animation. It can be disabled (via setting deanimate_gifs), or better yet, temporarily disable privoxy, and clear cache/reload the page.
• Issue — Acrobat reader, errant tooltips
  • Solved — Click on the document area. Tooltips appears when the focus is on the document tab.
  • Other solution, see Banishing errant tooltips (using Xlib and Python)

Issues on Trusty (nxl67170ux)

• Issue — Controlling laptop brightness via brightness keys is very slow (small delta, long latency). See bug 847001 (and possibly related kernel bug. See also X page for work-arounds.
  • Solved — Enable vendor acpi in grub and use the 20-intel.conf script as explained on X page.
• Issue — Fonts in Opera look really ugly. Note that Opera did not upgrade (still v12.16). Other applications do not seem affected.
• Issue — xdotool can no longer move (unmaximized) windows to top left corner (see bug 1312412)
• Issue — lots of failure due to pcscd in /var/log/syslog (see below). apt-get remove pcscd as temporary fix.

Apr 29 14:28:22 nxl67170ux pcscd: ifdwrapper.c:348:IFDStatusICC() Card not transacted: 612
Apr 29 14:28:22 nxl67170ux pcscd: eventhandler.c:313:EHStatusHandlerThread() Error communicating to: O2 Micro Oz776 00 00
Apr 29 14:28:22 nxl67170ux kernel: [  754.501492] usb 1-1.3.2: usbfs: process 1883 (pcscd) did not claim interface 0 before use
Apr 29 14:28:22 nxl67170ux kernel: [  754.501546] usb 1-1.3.2: usbfs: process 1883 (pcscd) did not claim interface 0 before use
Apr 29 14:28:22 nxl67170ux pcscd: pcscdaemon.c:684:at_exit() write() failed: Connection refused

• Issue — XBMC Frodo 12.3 cannot read DVD (from disc media or from hdd). Filed as bug 1315873.
  • Work around — Install XBMC Gotham 13.0 from xbmc ppa (see XBMC).
• Issue — GPU hangs stuck on render ring + dmesg error - see bug 76956 and bug 77104
  • Could be related to the recent switch to SNA acceleration (instead of old uxa). See [7], [8]
  • see here for instruction on how to enable / disable sna)
  • Using SNA might require xorg-edges drivers
  • Or try this ppa grphics-drivers (suggested from freedesktop.org)
  • See Phoronix benchmarks
• Issue — keyboard shortcut for Indicator-synapse does not work.
• Issue — auto-completion works badly with command starting with sudo (lots of false positive).
  • Fix — This is due to doing complete -cF sudo in bash profile, which was necessary since u12.04 or so. However in u14.04 is no longer necessary. Removing it fixes the problem.

Issues on Trusty (griffin)

• Issue — v-sync tearing during DVD playback in XBMC 13.0 Gotham (see XBMC

Issues on Precise (griffin)

• Issue — Can't map Super-Space for Gnome-Do
• solved? — open ccsm → Ubuntu Plugin → temporarily change the shortcut for the launcher. Change gnome-do shortcut again, and then restore the launcher shortcut to super.
• solved — Use Synapse instead with Alt-Space as mapping.
• Issue — Current openjdk-6-jdk does not print file full path in error message, but only basename, which breaks vim "goto bug" feature.
• partially solved — This is solved in openjdk-7-sdk, but can't install 32_bit version though. So for 32-bit, we need to refer to openjdk-6 libraries.
• Issue — Super-Space does not work. Also cannot bind to Alt-Space either (get error (Do:6011): libdo-WARNING **: Binding '<Alt>space' failed!). See bug 988699, [9] (Bugs: Do)
  • temporary fix — killing and restarting gnome-do in a shell (gnome-do&) to re-enable Super-Space
  • solved — Use Synapse instead with Alt-Space as mapping.
• Issue — Compiz Ring Switch requires pressing Enter to select a window.
  • solved — Change Key to show the launcher to Shift-Super in Ubuntu Unity Plugin. Also, changed Key to show the HUD to Ctrl-Super
• Issue — Compiz Scale plugin Initiate Window Picker for All Windows does not work (show windows for current workspace only)
  • See bug 933776
  • A patch can be found in this ppa (sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mc3man/fixing-scale)

Issues on Maverick (griffin)

• Issue — No Configuration Editor link in the menu. Must be added by hand?
• Solved — Enable it by editing Gnome menu, right click on menu → Edit Menu → System Tools → Enable icon for Configuration Editor.
• Issue — Known issues documented in Maverick release manifest & Release Notes:
• Connected DisplayPort monitors may prevent booting. (655795)
• 802.11n support for the iwlagn driver has been temporarily disabled. Intel is actively working to get this properly fixed up in the firmware. This workaround should be reverted once updated firmware is available. (630748, 654152). See also Ubuntu Forums thread, Bug 16691 kernel.org, Intel WiFi driver for linux and official Linux Wireless wiki.
cfr file /etc/modprobe.d/intel-5300-iwlagn-disable11n.conf

dmesg | grep -i iwl
sudo modprobe -r iwlagn
sudo modprobe iwlagn 11n_disable=1
iwconfig                                           # Check that 11n is disabled
# ...
# wlan0     IEEE 802.11abg  ESSID:off/any
# 
# ...

• The logo will not display during boot when using the Nvidia proprietary driver. (653274)
• Issue — [arrandale] Integrated intel graphics GMA HD doesn't work (590504). See also [10]
This relates to kernel message at boot:

dmesg | grep i915
# ... intel ips 0000:00:1f.6: failed to get i915 symbols, graphics turbo disabled

• Issue — Suspend does not work; pc goes suspend but then restart immediately it seems in login screen. Related bug: 570604.
• Solved — Problem is linked with xhci_hcd that prevents suspend when loaded (this is because sleep/suspend is not implemented yet in that module). Unloading it will allow suspend (workaround). Bug is fixed in Ubuntu 11.04. Launchpad bug 522998

echo 'SUSPEND_MODULES="xhci_hcd"' >> /etc/pm/config.d/unload_modules   # As root

• Issue — Window Manager does not display window decorators after Macbuntu install. Temporary fix:

compiz --replace&
<li> '''{{red|To Do}}''' — Setup BEH (backend error handler) for CUPS</li>