desktop crash playing media after last update [Solved]

[Ponder]

I'm back in and almost everything is working. Just got to figure out why my TV card isn't showing up now.

When things go wrong it causes many headaches, but also much learning!

[Fitzcarraldo]

As promised:

If amdcccle is showing a version number of the AMD Catalyst for Linux driver which is different to the version of the driver that is actually installed:

1. Log out of the DE and wait for the log-in page to be displayed.
2. Press Ctrl-Alt-F1 (or F2, or F3 etc., up to F6) to get to a VT.
3. Log-in as root user.
4. Enter the command /etc/init.d/xdm stop to stop X Windows.
5. Enter the command rm /etc/ati/amdpcsdb to delete the Catalyst driver's database.
6. Enter the command /opt/bin/aticonfig --initial -f to create and initialise the Catalyst driver's database.
7. Enter the command /etc/init.d/xdm restart to restart X Windows.
8. Press Ctrl-Alt-F7 to get to the new log-in window.
9. Log-in to the DE.

Then launch amdcccle again and check if the correct version number of the driver is now displayed.

Only need to do the above if amdcccle is showing a different version number for the driver.

[Ponder]

Thanks for the help.

Do the current changes (xorg-server rollbacks) in the repository solve this problem?

I don't want to mess about with it if it's going to set me back again.

[Fitzcarraldo]

See Gentoo Bug Report No. 391193 for the versions of ati-drivers and xorg-server that result in the problem occurring.

[Ponder]

OK, weird side effect of all the updating and shifting around is that I've lost pulseaudio. Not a big problem, ALSA is working as it was. Only downside is that although my Bluetooth headset (A2DP) connects it doesn't show in the mixer nor Phonon.
I have this odd feeling it's a udev problem but I can find nothing in the rules, but it is something I can live with because everything else is running smoothly

[Fitzcarraldo]

It may be related to, or the same as, the problem some people are having with the latest Entropy packages for Skype and PulseAudio, for some reason (see Skype refuses to connect and SL Bugzilla Bug Report No. 3003). I expect the solution will be found in due course.

[Ponder]

I'm sure it will. It happened that I suddenly couldn't use plain ALSA it'll probably reverse itself again soon.

It's not the Skype bug, I solved that one before I started having graphics problems. At the moment, PA just won't start properly at all. As I said, it's not the end of the world in this case.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Only downside is that although my Bluetooth headset (A2DP) connects it doesn't show in the mixer nor Phonon.

Have you seen: Gentoo Wiki - Bluetooth Headset?

[Ponder]

Thanks, I shall see if that's helped next time I reboot.

[Ponder]

It didn't but I solved the problem.

I had set an automatic PULSE_SERVER environment variable in my .bashrc and it seems pulseaudio really doesn't like that!

Removed it and all is back