[Solved] Odd "window limit" after update to KDE 4.6

Ijon Tichy · Last edited by Ijon Tichy on Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

I've recently updated to the latest KDE and have followed the helpful tips found in ssuominen's sticky.

For the most part, it all went well. However, since the update, only 7 or 8 windows are usable at a time. I can open more than that, but the contents of the additional windows don't show.

For example, after starting KDE, I can open 7 separate 'konsole' windows just fine. They all work. If I try to open an 8th one, the window opens, but there's nothing in it. The window is see-thru. Oddly, the konsole application is running in the window -- I can type commands blindly and they do work -- it's just the display of the window that's screwed up.

This is consistent and repeatable regardless of what application tries to run once I've hit the "window limit". Firefox will come up in a blank window, same with Thunderbird, etc.

I've done a complete re-emerge of 'world', but that didn't help.
This morning I updated to the latest (2.6.38-gentoo-r6) kernel, but that didn't help either.

If someone could even just give me hints on getting more debug info, that would be helpful. I'm not sure if this is an X problem, a KDE issue, or...? and I'm not sure where to look for error logs. Nothing shows up in the usual /var/log files.

Thanks very much.
_________________
Death to VideoDrome.
Long live the New Flesh.

Apheus · Guru Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 422

Does it happen with compositing turned off (Alt+Shift+F12, or in systemsettings - Desktop Appearace - Desktop Effects)?

Ijon Tichy · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:25 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the response, Apheus.

I kept hammering at this and grasping at any remotely related straws I could find.

The other, much less important problem I'm having is that selections from KDE's "Leave..." menu (Restart, Log out, etc.) don't work. The menu comes up and lets you make a selection. The desktop greys out and then just hangs. Since I'm the only user of this box and I hardly ever log out, that's more an irritation than a problem.

However, I saw a posting by someone else who had that problem and solved it by downgrading their Nvidia drivers from 270.41.06 to the previous version, 260.19.44.

As a shot in the dark, I tried it. It didn't solve my "Leave..." menu problem, but it DID solve the weird 'window limit' problem I was having. Now I can open and view as many windows as I could before. Whew...

Thanks again for the response. Enjoy your weekend!
_________________
Death to VideoDrome.
Long live the New Flesh.