Unity shell doesn't fully load after crash in compiz settings manager

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

I think I have the same bug but in my situation I can open ccsm but changing even the most innocuous preferences and the next time I log in no laucher, no dash, no top menu, just the background (I am using the default magenta shading).

Dropping to the login prompt (Ctl-Alt-F2) doing a unity --reset and a reboot and I'm back.

I filed a separate report #876608 and marked it as a duplicate of this one so I could attach the Apport info.

Joe

unity --reset hangs at

  Sending Update "run_key"

for me.

$ unity --reset
Checking if settings need to be migrated ...no
Checking if internal files need to be migrated ...yes
[LOG]: Moving Internal Files
[LOG]: Copying subdirectory from /home/jlebar/.compiz/session to /home/jlebar/.compiz-1/session
[LOG]: Copied file /home/jlebar/.compiz/session/1073a347b2f0c9d2d2131886993370205900000067370043 to /home/jlebar/.compiz-1/session/1073a347b2f0c9d2d2131886993370205900000067370043
[LOG]: Successfully moved internal files
Backend : gconf
Integration : true
Profile : default
Adding plugins
Skipping upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.01.upgrade
Skipping upgrade com.canonical.unity.unity.02.upgrade
Initializing core options...done
Initializing bailer options...done
Initializing detection options...done
Initializing composite options...done
Initializing opengl options...done
Initializing decor options...done
Initializing place options...done
Initializing vpswitch options...done
Initializing resize options...done
Initializing grid options...done
Initializing animation options...done
Initializing gnomecompat options...done
Initializing move options...done
Initializing session options...done
Initializing snap options...done
Initializing mousepoll options...done
Initializing workarounds options...done
compiz (expo) - Warn: failed to bind image to texture
Initializing expo options...done
Initializing wall options...done
Initializing ezoom options...done
Initializing staticswitcher options...[ERROR]: Option "next_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_all_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_all_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_all_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_all_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_group_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_group_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_group_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_group_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_no_popup_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_no_popup_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_no_popup_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_no_popup_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_panel_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "next_panel_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_panel_button" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "prev_panel_key" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "speed" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "timestep" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "window_match" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "minimized" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "auto_change_vp" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "popup_delay" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "mouse_select" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "saturation" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "brightness" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "opacity" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "icon" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "icon_only" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "mipmap" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "row_align" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "focus_on_switch" already defined
[ERROR]: Option "bring_to_front" ...

One more thing. I did a fresh install into a separate partition so I could still boot Natty not an upgrade. The LiveCD iso I used was downloaded 2011-10-15.

I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

Justin - I've noticed a lot of Compiz and Unity crashes being reported, I'm not sure we've got the exact same problem even though we seem to have the same symptoms.

I did read in some forum posts about a way to reset compiz but it may be out of date because it doesn't work on my system:
gconftool-2 --recursive-reset /apps/compiz
Evidently --recursive-reset is not available. Whether my version is too old or too new, I'm not sure.

Joe

I think I found my gconftool-2 problem.
For the record the the option is --recursive-unset not recursive reset

Running

 $ gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz

did not fix my problem. When I log in with the "ubuntu" shell (Unity 3D), the shell still doesn't load, and all I get is a titlebar for nautilus.

Justin, I can confirm that running unity --reset it hangs at the exact same
location for me as well.
2011/10/17 Justin Lebar <email address hidden>

> Running
>
> $ gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz
>
> did not fix my problem. When I log in with the "ubuntu" shell (Unity
> 3D), the shell still doesn't load, and all I get is a titlebar for
> nautilus.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/875400
>
> Title:
> Unity shell doesn't fully load after crash in compiz settings manager
>
> Status in “compiz” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> I just upgraded to 11.10 from 11.04.
>
> I opened the compiz config app and clicked "preferences". Before I
> could do anything, my shell crashed.
>
> Now when I try to log in using the Ubuntu shell, it doesn't fully
> load. I get my desktop icons and a file menu at the top of the screen,
> which appears to be for nautilus. But that's it.
>
> I can log in with Ubuntu 2D without issue.
>
> It appears that some configuration file may have been corrupted. When
> I load the compiz config program from the Ubuntu 2D shell, click on
> "preferences", and click the "Profile" drop-down-list, I see two
> entries: "Default", and garbage characters. When I remove the profile
> with the garbage name, another one comes to take its place.
>
> Originally reported on the Ubuntu forums; a few other people are having
> this issue, but I didn't get a working fix there.
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=11345654
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
> Package: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu3
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
> Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
> NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
> .proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory:
> '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
> .proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
> .proc.driver.nvidia.version:
> NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 280.13 Wed Jul 27
> 16:53:56 PDT 2011
> GCC version: gcc version 4.6.1 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.1-9ubuntu3)
> .tmp.unity.support.test.0:
>
> ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
> Architecture: amd64
> CompizPlugins:
> [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,place,vpswitch,resize,grid,regex,animation,imgpng,gnomecompat,move,session,snap,mousepoll,workarounds,expo,wall,ezoom,staticswitcher,fade,scale]
> CompositorRunning: None
> Date: Sat Oct 15 20:42:50 2011
> DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-10-14 00:43:45.423752
> DistroCodename: oneiric
> DistroVariant: ubuntu
> DkmsStatus:
> nvidia-current, 280.13, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
> nvidia-current, 280.13, 3.0.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed
> GraphicsCard:
> nVidia Corporation GF108 [Quadro 600] [10de:0df8] (rev a1) (prog-if 00
> [VGA controller])
> Subsystem: nVidia Corporation Device [10de:0835]
> InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64
> (20110427.1)
> JockeyStatus:
> xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary,
> Enabled, In use)
> xorg:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driv...

Justin,

I can confirm that running unity --reset hangs at exactly the same location for me as well.

Bug 874799 is on the list of profiles with garbage in it.

Resetting Unity's config with

  $ rm -rf .compiz .config/.compiz-1 .gconf/apps/compizconfig-1 .gconf/apps/compiz-1

works for me.

When you are using the 'unity' profile & open preferences in ccsm it's not 'crashing'
What's happening is the profile is being switched to the 'Default' profile & then being loaded. This can take quite some time.
By default the 'Default' profile does not have the unity plugin enabled, That;s why the 1st. login after he switch doesn't have the plugin enabled, if you had waited for the Default profile to finish loading you would have seen this.

The unity plugin can be enabled in the Default profile & you can continue on as before, except you'll be using the Default profile instead of the unity profile

If this has occurred & you didn't rm ect. you can see 2 ways -

Start ccsm in a terminal - the 5th line down will be Profile : Default
Or go to ~/.config/compiz-1/compizconfig/ config . That file will have this in it which translates to Default profile
[general_ubuntu]
profile =
In a new install that file is empty, delete that section & log out/in & you'll go back to the unity profile

So I don't quite see a compiz bug here - you opened the preferences which is set to "Default' profile & it loads - whether ccsm should do this may be a bug, may not

Doug wrote "What's happening is the profile is being switched to the 'Default' profile & then being loaded. This can take quite some time."

I have left the blank screen and did something else for at least 20 min, so I don't think it was just impatience. I have an I7 2600K, 16GB RAM, nVidia 560, SSD system.

I have been very leery of ccsm and only changed some keyboard shortcuts. Since then I've not had to reset unity or compiz.

Justin Lebar, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. However, your crash report is missing. Please follow these instructions to have apport report a new bug about your crash that can be dealt with by the automatic retracer. First, execute at a terminal:
cd /var/crash && sudo rm * ; sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade && sudo service apport start force_start=1

If you are running the Ubuntu Stable Release you might need to enable apport in /etc/default/apport and restart.

Now reproduce the crash, then open your file manager, navigate to your /var/crash directory and open the crash report you wish to submit.
If this fails you will have to open a terminal and file your report with 'ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash' where _my_crash_report.crash is the crash you would like to report. If you get an error that you aren't allowed to access this report you will have to file it with 'sudo ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash'. If you run the command against the crash report and a window pops up asking you to report this, but then never opens a new report, you would be affected by https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apport/+bug/994921 . In order to WORKAROUND this, one would need to open the following file via a command line:
gksudo gedit /etc/apport/crashdb.conf

and comment out the line:
'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

by changing it to:
# 'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

Save, close, and try to file the crash report again via:
ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash

Please follow https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingCompiz when you file this crash report so the necessary information is provided.

I'm closing this bug report since the process outlined above will automatically open a new bug report which can then dealt with more efficiently.

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs