[SOLVED] multiple displays issues

[jankushka]

hi everybody.

i am back on kubuntu after a few years on plain ubuntu.
i have a configuration at work with my laptop (hp spectre x360 pro whatever) and 2 external iiyama full hd displays.

i installed 18.04 back in may and everything has worked well until recently.

now if i boot with the external monitors hooked up, i get to the login manager alright, all 3 displays are active, but when kde starts up...
no preconfigured panels show up, no wallpaper is loaded...
everything is black.

i can still alt-f2 and start applications, though.

i managed a work around to get at least 1 external display to work.
but that involves:
- boot kubuntu with the external displays unplugged
- log into kde
- plug in no more than 1 external display

and as soon as i plug in the second external display...panels disappear, wallpaper goes black, ...

i tried removing .local/share/kscreen and do the displays set up again.
no changes.

i'm on 18.04 lts (with all the latest updates installed).
nothing fancy in my sources.list:
===
deb http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu bionic partner
===

any idea anyone?

thanks in advance,
j.

[jglen490]

Can you start by running

inxi -Fxz

in konsole. Then copy and paste the results to a code box.

If you don't have inxi, then do a

sudo apt-get install inxi

to install it.

[jankushka]

Here...

# inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: peanuts Kernel: 4.15.0-23-generic x86_64 bits: 64 gcc: 7.3.0 Console: tty 1
          Distro: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Machine:   Device: laptop System: HP product: HP Spectre Pro x360 G2 serial: <filter>
          Mobo: HP model: 8197 v: 33.56 serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends v: F.03 date: 01/15/2016
Battery    BAT0: charge: 52.5 Wh 100.0% condition: 52.5/52.5 Wh (100%)
          model: Hewlett-Packard Primary status: Full
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core i7-6600U (-MT-MCP-) arch: Skylake rev.3 cache: 4096 KB
          flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 11232
          clock speeds: max: 3400 MHz 1: 500 MHz 2: 500 MHz 3: 500 MHz 4: 500 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel HD Graphics 520 bus-ID: 00:02.0
          Display Server: X.Org 1.19.6 drivers: modesetting (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
          Resolution: 1920x1080@60.01hz, 1920x1080@60.00hz
          OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 520 (Skylake GT2)
          version: 4.5 Mesa 18.0.5 Direct Render: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1f.3
          Card-2 GN Netcom driver: USB Audio usb-ID: 001-005
          Card-3 DisplayLink driver: USB Audio usb-ID: 002-003
          Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.15.0-23-generic
Network:   Card: Intel Wireless 8260 driver: iwlwifi bus-ID: 02:00.0
          IF: wlo1 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 512.1GB (21.2% used)
          ID-1: /dev/sda model: SanDisk_SD7SN6S size: 512.1GB temp: 41C
Partition: ID-1: / size: 47G used: 18G (41%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
          ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.19GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 38.5C mobo: N/A
          Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 231 Uptime: 6 min Memory: 1894.0/7859.6MB Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 7.3.0
          Client: Shell (bash 4.4.191) inxi: 2.3.56

[jankushka]

it's gone.
don't know what it is/was.
it's still not ideal.
yesterday afternoon i tried to hook up the third display again and it started working fine once again.
this morning i had to leave for a meeting.
when i came back i plugged back in the two displays (same interfaces, same order) and ... the configuration of the second display is gone.
but at least the desktop environment did not crash, so i can continue working.
i'd say we can close this issue.
thanks @jglen490 for your help.
cheers.

[vinnywright]

if you go to system settings>Display and Monitor with the external Monitors plugged in , do you see them (grayed out) in the setting window somewhere to the outside of configuration window ?

if so , drag and drop it where you wand it to be oriented as regard to the main display when you do this the settings will change to this monitor , so click "enabled" and then "apply" ,,,then again for the next Monitor.

VINNY

[jankushka]

thanks @vinnywright.
sorry i didn't keep an eye on this thread after the issue was resolved.
i must say this "displays management" part of kubuntu is still not as robust as i would like it to be.
i have to change working environment often, hence displays configurations.
my .local/share/kscreen directory has at least 20 or more different configurations saved.
sometimes i just have to wipe it and start all over.
it's not proper sys adm but i see that i must do this from time to time to avoid annoying (mis)behaviours.
i understand it's not the easiest thing in the world to keep up with all these displays brands, types, features, configurations...
the people that develop kubuntu did a great job.
i ditched it a few years back in some frustration...but now i use it in production every day and i see that my iEverything colleagues with their MacBooks are a lot worse off lately.

nonetheless i have another small (curious) issue i need to investigate...which i'll post separately.

cheers everyone.