TF2 black screen, AMD drivers

[mcoumans]

TF2 starts but gives black screen (with correct sounds) with AMD Catalyst drivers (12.11 via xorg-edgers) on Cinnamon (composited) desktop!

On a Cinnamon Desktop (with two workspaces) I can start TF2, wait till the sound plays, I can use the mouse on the screen edge and flip to the next workspace, then go back and have TF2 minimized. Via window previews I can even see "inside" TF2, correctly displaying the proper menu (and even the in-game console I started).

TF2 plays well on GnomeClassic or XCFE desktop.

Processor Information:
Vendor: AuthenticAMD
Speed: 3200 Mhz
4 logical processors
4 physical processors
HyperThreading: Unsupported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Supported
SSE41: Unsupported
SSE42: Unsupported

Network Information:
Network Speed:

Operating System Version:
Linux Mint 14 Nadia (64 bit)
Kernel Name: Linux
Kernel Version: 3.7.0-7-generic
X Server vendor: The X.Org Foundation
X Server release: 11300902

Video Card:
Driver: ATI Technologies Inc. AMD Radeon HD 6700 Series

Driver Version:  4.2.11986 Compatibility Profile Context
Desktop Color Depth: 24 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 59 Hz
VendorID:  0x1002
DeviceID:  0x68ba
Number of Monitors:  1
Number of Logical Video Cards:  1
Primary Display Resolution:  1920 x 1200
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Primary Display Size: 20,39" x 12,76"  (24,02" diag)
                                        51,8cm x 32,4cm  (61,0cm diag)
Primary VRAM Not Detected

Sound card:
Audio device: Realtek ALC892

Memory:
RAM: 7819 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
LANG: nl_NL.UTF-8
Microphone: Not set
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 466109 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 127567 Mb

Installed software:

Recent Failure Reports:

[mcoumans]

Similar issue with Trine2 in full screen. Trine2 starts with the settings screen, and I can select "Windowed" and then it runs just fine. If I set it to "automatic" it starts, it sounds, but there is only a black screen.

[mvdkleijn]

Similar issue with:

• The Book of Unwritten Tales
• Darwinia
• Splice

All of these worked fine with the open source driver.

On the other hand, World of Goo works perfectly.

I also have Cinnamon, running on Linux Mint Debian edition with a Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 graphics card. I installed the AMD drivers because the open source ones make my (graphics card) fan spin up to the highest speed and stay there.

[mvdkleijn]

FYI, here's what the steam client reports:

Processor Information:
Vendor: GenuineIntel
Speed: 3401 Mhz
4 logical processors
4 physical processors
HyperThreading: Unsupported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported

Network Information:
Network Speed:

Operating System Version:
Linux Mint Debian Edition (64 bit)
Kernel Name: Linux
Kernel Version: 3.2.0-4-amd64
X Server vendor: The X.Org Foundation
X Server release: 11204000

Video Card:
Driver: ATI Technologies Inc. AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series

Driver Version:  4.2.11931 Compatibility Profile Context
Desktop Color Depth: 24 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 59 Hz
VendorID:  0x1002
DeviceID:  0x6719
Number of Monitors:  1
Number of Logical Video Cards:  1
Primary Display Resolution:  1680 x 1050
Desktop Resolution: 1680 x 1050
Primary Display Size: 18.66" x 11.65"  (21.97" diag)
                                        47.4cm x 29.6cm  (55.8cm diag)
Primary VRAM Not Detected

Sound card:
Audio device:

Memory:
RAM: 32190 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
LANG: en_US.UTF-8
Microphone: Not set
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 1562323 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 1080753 Mb

Installed software:

Recent Failure Reports:

[krasnoglaz]

I'm too having this issue. Radeon 7950, Catalyst 12.10. Cinnamon 1.6.7

Works well in Unity2D

[mattyy1hp]

I have same issue:

Only on Cinnamon (no matter, if effects are off or on), I have a black screen in all full screen games.
If I playing game in windowed mode, everything is fine.

I have two graphics cards in my laptop:

AMD Radeon HD 6520G - integrated APU
AMD Radeon HD 6470M - dedicated GPU

This problem is happening only on the 6520G APU with Cinnamon and proprietary AMD driver (12.8, 12.10, 12.11 beta11, EDIT: also 13.1). Not on 6470M dedicated GPU.

I also tried Mate and Gnome classic - there is everything OK.

---

Linux Mint 13 LTS 64bit
Cinnamon 1.6.7

[mvdkleijn]

I have an additional comment - Crusader Kings (recently purchased when it became available for Linux) DOES work.

Anyone know what the difference is between Crusder Kings and the other non-working games?

[MadeOfMagicAndWires]

This is a Cinnamon + AMD problem with running programs fullscreen, and has nothing to do with the Intel problems.

If you want to run TF2 (or any game really) on Cinnamon, try running it in windowed mode by adding -windowed to the launch options (-noborder optional), otherwise change to another DE.

[mellery]

Do the mint/cinnamon folks have a bug open on this I can follow?

[MadeOfMagicAndWires]

Just linuxmint/cinnamon#1609, and a bunch of forum posts, doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in fixing it

[mcoumans]

Made me get a nice new Nvidia GPU.

[mattyy1hp]

Try the AMD Catalyst 13.3 Beta2 drivers. It works for me - Cinnamon 1.6.7 - no more black screen. Also the annoying artifacts are gone.

[mvdkleijn]

I'll update my drivers this weekend and try to test it. I'll report back then.

[mikedebian]

I have Catalyst 13.3 Beta 3 running on Linux Mint x64 right now with an AMD GPU. I too, have this issue. In the meantime as a workaround, one can use FSgamer which opens up steam on it's own display. Use CTRL + F7 and F8 to switch between them. You need to follow the instructions of the FSGamer website, or it will not work (root problems, etc.).

Also, I was unable to launch Steam from FSgamer using the GUI, but managed to add it. For a reference command:

/usr/bin/fsgamer --desktop=~/.config/fsgamer/steam.fsgamer.desktop --opts='{}' --exec=etracer

You might have to replace ~ with the full directory name of your user (for example /home/username/)

Another workaround is to press CTRL + ALT + F1 to reach the terminal, then switch back to the desktop (while in game) with ALT + F8 (or F7)

I also want to add that according to the 13.3 Beta 3 catalyst driver changelog, this was supposedly fixed

[371937]: Team Fortress 2 - Screen black issue while entering the game screen under cinnamon desktop environment

But the issue still persists.

[MrSchism]

Might be worth trying the 13.4 catalyst driver that was released today.

[mikedebian]

Issue is fixed for me.

[MrSchism]

Okay. @mcoumans, any improvement on your end?

[mcoumans]

I installed 13.3beta and it already worked, full screen with sufficient fps (>60). Expect the same from 13.4! Well, good work, AMD.

[johndrinkwater]

Marking as closed since newer drivers fix it.