I am using KDE 4.3.4 with Arch Linux and when I try to use desktop effects I get a notification that they couldn't be activated. I get another notification that compositing has been suspended.

FYI I dont think it is my hardware as I the Desktop effects worked when I was using Mandriva. Anyway it is a Dell 1525 with 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c).

Also confirmed that powerdevil does NOT have the disable effects settings on.

Based on suggestions in the Arch forum I enabled KMS in the intel driver and now get a higher resolution during boot up. However I still cant get Desktop Effects.

Any suggestions on how to fix this ?

thanks

Can you confirm that you have Direct Rendering support available?
The command "glxinfo | grep -i direct" should read "Yes"

Try also disabling the functionality checks, in the advanced dialog of the Desktop Effects configuration page.

bcooksley wrote:glxinfo | grep -i direct

bcooksley wrote:Can you confirm that you have Direct Rendering support available?
The command "glxinfo | grep -i direct" should read "Yes"

Yes it does. The output is "direct rendering: Yes"

bcooksley wrote:Try also disabling the functionality checks, in the advanced dialog of the Desktop Effects configuration page.

It is currently disabled. when i try to enable it I get

"Failed to activate desktop effects using the given configuration options. Settings will be reverted to their previous values.

Check your X configuration. You may also consider changing advanced options, especially changing the compositing type."

Currently I dont have an xorg.conf file. X uses HAL for autodetect. Earlier I tried adding this section to the xorg.conf page but it didnt work.

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

So you Enabled the "disable functionality checks" option, correct?

I know the card you are using is supported, since I am using the same one.
Are there any other applications doing any form of direct rendering?

bcooksley wrote:So you Enabled the "disable functionality checks" option, correct?

I know the card you are using is supported, since I am using the same one.
Are there any other applications doing any form of direct rendering?

No I couldn't do the disable functionality check due to the error message posted above. I tried without anyother application open and get the same result.

Do you have an xorg.conf file ? if yes can you paste it ?

SUSE switched to automatic detection of the needed settings with 11.2, so I no longer have an xorg.conf file unfortunately.

If possible, see if the openSUSE 11.2 KDE Live CD has functional desktop effects, to determine if it is a driver bug or not.

the problem was solved when I removed the file " ~/.dmrc '

Changed to the new way to mark topics as solved.

ok i also have the same problem

KDE Windows Manager "the following effects could not be activated"

Please help me SOMEONE!!!

hardyzard wrote:ok i also have the same problem

KDE Windows Manager "the following effects could not be activated"

Please help me SOMEONE!!!

Which graphics card? And which effects? (double posts deleted)

i'm using nvidia 420 go 32bit graphics card

i'm using nvidia 420 go 32bit graphics and all the effects

I have the same problem with KDE 4.4.2 on Kubuntu Lucid.

My video card is a nVidia GeForce 7150 with driver 173 that comes with Lucid.

I've tried disabling functionality checks, and both OpenGL and XRender. When I click on Apply, I get the same dialog mentioned above.

Is there a way to fix this?

SOLUTION:

run jockey-kde and select the recommended version of the nVidia drivers. For some reason, Kubuntu Lucid has the older version as default. All effects are available once you boot up with the new driver.

BAM! I was having the same problem as OP, but OP's solution didn't work for me. I tried switching the "Compositing Type" to "XRender" and most of the effects worked, but then I couldn't even switch back to using OpenGL. I solved the switching back to OpenGL by going to ~/.kde/share/config/ and then vim kwinrc (because someone told me to check the black lists in that file). I then found the line "OpenGLIsUnsafe=true"... so I changed to to equal "false" and I was able to switch back to OpenGL and all my effects have been working (including the Desktop cube effect that was having a problem before)!!

I am having similar problems as described above by others. Some of the effects work (e.g., the geometrics rendered per window per move) others like "blur", and especially "the cube", don't. (I know they worked by default when I used kde under PC-BSD 8, so, it's not the hardware that lacking in the ability to display them.) I get the error message that such and such an "effect cannot be activated" (without explanation).

I'm currently using Linux Mint KDE 10. Taking the cue from the last post, I issued the command "less /home/[MYDIRECTORY]/.kde/share/config/kwinrc" and I got the following:

_____________________________________________________________________
[$Version]
update_info=kwin3_plugin.upd:kde3.2,kwin_blacklist.upd:Blacklist-4.5,kwin.upd:kde3.0r1,kwin.upd:kde3.2Xinerama,kwin_focus2.upd:kwin_focus2,kwin_focus1.upd:kwin_focus1,kwin_on_off.upd:kwin_on_off

[Blacklist][Blur]
Advanced Micro Devices=DRI R600:-:7.8.1,DRI R600:-:7.8.2
Ati=Radeon HD 3650:-:3.3.9901
NVIDIA=GeForce 6150/PCI/SSE2:-:195

[Blacklist][Lanczos]
Advanced Micro Devices=DRI R600:-:7.8.1,DRI R600:-:7.8.2
Intel=GM45 Express Chipset GEM 20100328:-:7.8.2,GM45 Express Chipset GEM 20091221:-:7.7.1,965GM GEM 20100328 2010Q1:-:7.8.2,965GM GEM 20091221 2009Q4:-:7.7.1,Ironlake Mobile GEM 20100328:-:7.8.2

[Compositing]
AnimationSpeed=3
Backend=OpenGL
CheckIsSafe=true
DisableChecks=false
Enabled=true
GLDirect=true
GLMode=TFP
GLTextureFilter=2
GLVSync=true
HiddenPreviews=5
OpenGLIsUnsafe=false
UnredirectFullscreen=false
XRenderSmoothScale=false

[Desktops]
Name_1=
Name_2=
Name_3=
Name_4=
Name_5=
Name_6=
Name_7=
Number=7
_____________________________________________________________________

This is the relevant part of my hardware set-up, according to the KInformation Center:

"OpenGL

name of the display value :0.0
direct rendering
vendor: nVidia Corporation
device: C61 [GeForce 6150SE nForce 430]
subvendor: Hewlett-Packard Company
revision: a2

driver
vendor: Mesa Project
renderer: Software Rasterizer
OpenGL version: 2.1 Mesa 7.9-devel
kernel module: nouveau
OpenGL extensions
implementation specific
indirect rendering
GLX
GLU"

So, is this thing telling me that my graphics card is on a "blacklist"? If so, how do I get it off? If not, can anyone analyze the problem for me from this information? Or from other information?

Does this problem also affect openSuSE 11.4 (which I also have dual-booted, but can't even get to see because the screen goes black and striped!)???

Thanks for any helpful and useful directions and suggestions.