Xfree-DRI not compatible with Intel video and vbox?
Posted: 19. Jul 2008, 19:08
Hello - I'm using an Intel Mac Mini to run sidux. It's mostly running well but I can't run virtualbox because of an Xfree-DRI module issue.
My kernel is 2.6.25-11.slh.2-sidux-686 and I have virtualbox 1.6.2 with Guest tools installed.
My video card is detected as Intel 945GM (although OSX calls it GMA950).
If I run with default Xorg.conf virtualbox will start and run for a few minutes with a Windows or Linux guest until suddenly the host desktop goes to grey (or black). It is almost not possible to recover from this - no vt access. If you can blind type on a terminal you can stop X and restart but the desktop remains grey. Only a restart sorts it out.
I found when using ubuntu that this issue can be avoided by entering the following line in xorg.conf under Device section.
Option "DRI" "false"
Then restarting X. This also works in sidux.
However, in sidux another problem appears. With the DRI module disabled, desktop applications, like iceweasel and games, will freeze the whole desktop after a few window refreshes. The mouse moves and the cursor changes as expected but nothing seems to work. The desktop can be unfrozen by switching to another vt and back again (to vt7). When you do this the actions that you tried to do in X have been done. This seems to be a rendering failure by X. This can be done repeatedly, but it is not the way I like to run my desktop!
So, I can have DRI on and get grey screen lockups if I run virtualbox, or turn DRI off and get annoying desktop freezes every few scrolls of a window.
In sidux (and ubuntu) I obviously have to run with DRI enabled so it looks as though virtualbox needs fixing to be compatible with DRI and this video card.
My kernel is 2.6.25-11.slh.2-sidux-686 and I have virtualbox 1.6.2 with Guest tools installed.
My video card is detected as Intel 945GM (although OSX calls it GMA950).
If I run with default Xorg.conf virtualbox will start and run for a few minutes with a Windows or Linux guest until suddenly the host desktop goes to grey (or black). It is almost not possible to recover from this - no vt access. If you can blind type on a terminal you can stop X and restart but the desktop remains grey. Only a restart sorts it out.
I found when using ubuntu that this issue can be avoided by entering the following line in xorg.conf under Device section.
Option "DRI" "false"
Then restarting X. This also works in sidux.
However, in sidux another problem appears. With the DRI module disabled, desktop applications, like iceweasel and games, will freeze the whole desktop after a few window refreshes. The mouse moves and the cursor changes as expected but nothing seems to work. The desktop can be unfrozen by switching to another vt and back again (to vt7). When you do this the actions that you tried to do in X have been done. This seems to be a rendering failure by X. This can be done repeatedly, but it is not the way I like to run my desktop!
So, I can have DRI on and get grey screen lockups if I run virtualbox, or turn DRI off and get annoying desktop freezes every few scrolls of a window.
In sidux (and ubuntu) I obviously have to run with DRI enabled so it looks as though virtualbox needs fixing to be compatible with DRI and this video card.