So, I LOVE KDE 4.6- it's been an awesome release. A lot of good software, great optimizations- it's more slick and zippy than ever. Really something to make Gnome fans cringe since they can't keep playing the resource-use card.

Anyway, the upgrade hasn't been without its share of issues. The main bulk of the issues for me are Kwin-related.

For some reason, when using the Scale and Cover Switch (or any other window switching) effects, I can't see the glossy border and the name, or even the icon of the applications. Everything else shows up just as it should, but without the full picture it's... quite aggravating. However, when I use XRender instead the window titles and borders come up just as they should. Any effect that utilizes the titles, borders, or icons is missing with OpenGL.

I'm using Arch Linux with an ATi Radeon 9250 card, using the open source ATi driver. I'm guessing the Acceleration Mode is XAA, as it's the default for Arch, although attempts at changing it to EXA or UXA haven't really worked out (not even sure if the mode actually changed). However, I don't think it would be necessary as KDE 4.5 performed excellently on this setup only a few weeks ago.

Since I love KDE and its applications so much, and how the features enrich my work environment, I'm gonna' stick with it. However, if there is any known workaround or any resource to help me get the functionality back, I would like to know.

Also, there is a small graphical error on the panel that causes buttons to turn blue when moused over or pressed- not sure if that's related to Kwin, since it happens when effects are off, too. Thank you for reading this somewhat lengthy and sloppy post- any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Can you try disabling blur effects in System Settings? Some cards don't like them that much.
Also, which kernel and X.Org / Mesa combination are you using?

Apologies, my last reply didn't post.

KDE doesn't support blurring for this card, so it's never been activated, but I unchecked it just to make sure- no change.

Using Xorg 1.9.4 with Mesa 7.10. (latest stable packages) Thank you very much for your attentiveness.

I suppose I will patiently await KDE 4.6.1 in hopes of a bug fix. If it's not solved by then, I will submit a sufficiently detailed bug report. Thank you, everyone who read this and has looked for answers. Your considerations are appreciated.