Greetings and salutations. I am in need of some help. I am posting this in the general help & support as I don’t see a category for Manjaro.
I am a relative newbie as far as Linux skills go. However. I started my Linux path with Ubuntu and then switched to Manjaro some years ago and on the whole, Manjaro has served me well.
For the last few years it has been relatively simple to connect a TV to my laptop using the HDMI port. A simple setting on Gnome Settings to ‘mirror’ the displays worked well. Since the last 2 Manjaro & Gnome updates in the last 4-6 weeks, once the HDMI is plugged in and Gnome Settings is opened to attempt to ‘mirror the displays’ Gnome Settings either closes immediately or flashes a quick message that it cannot be done due to a hardware error. However, no hardware has changed. I attempted to use HDMI on another laptop which also runs Manjaro and has also not had any hardware changes in the last 4 years, The result was the same. I have tried booting into kernels linux612, linux618 & linux71 with the current (i.e. latest) Manjaro and that makes no difference.
I have rolled back to earlier Manjaro installations. Kernel612 worked perfectly. Kernel618 prior to 29 July also worked perfectly. Subsequently to 29 July there were 2 Manjaro updates including some Gnome changes and numerous Firefox updates. I mention Firefox simply because I use that often in conjunction with the HDMI when viewing Netflix. Although I am almost sure the problem is no a Firefox issue. I have posted extensively on the Manjaro forum and nobody has come up with a potential solution. I have run ``inxi -zv8``` and posted that to Manjaro forum.
Looking at the comments in the Manjaro release notes since Ver 26.1 updates after 29 July various changes to Gnome 50 and display technologies mentioned lead me to suspect that the issue maybe either changes in the Manjaro or Gnome updates. Nonetheless, I cannot seem to find a solution and I’d really like to have my HDMI working again.
Thanks for that suggestion. I will try that when I next reboot. I didn’t think of trying that so I am hoping it will help prove whether the issue is possibly Gnome or not.
I have seen in the past that extensions can interfere with the GNOME system, so it’s always a good thing to try out when you run into an issue like this (especially after updates). Let us know how it goes!
Thanks for your suggestion. I tried it a few hours ago. I also tried switching extension on one at a time to see if that made any difference. Unfortunately, none of that resolved the problem. Annoyingly. the TV shows up in Gnome settings as soon as the HDMI is plugged in. I get a copy of the desktop on the TV but that’s all. Whatever is on the laptop screen, doesn’t appear on the TV and nor does the sound hook up.
From my perspective you have been going through a reasonable process of elimination. Sometimes in quirky situations like this it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the source of the problem.
I noticed that you did try a number of different combinations. By any chance do you have a backup of the last working instance of your configuration? If so, even if it was a while ago it would be interesting to go back to it or attempt to replicate exactly what you had when it worked, down to the smallest detail.
THEN you have a physical, empirical way to check what is the same and what is different. To me that would clearly be the easiest way to resolve this AND identify the source of the problem, which may allow you to move forward once again.
If you do not have a backup of that instance, first, I would recommend regular backups in the future; they definitely help to fix stuff like this and also get back your system in near disasters, but they are also valuable in trouble shooting.
So let’s say you do not have a backup. What now? My recommendation is similar to the backup and restoration of the backup: do everything possible to get as close to an identical situation as you had before.
Best wishes, and remember everyone: backup and recovery testing is also extremely valuable; once you have a serious problem, that becomes clear, but sometimes it’s too late if you haven’t been diligent in backup and recovery.
I do have backups. As mentioned earlier, I rolled back to various backups and dates and kernel configurations. On the basis of the backups, the last one that worked (and still does if I roll back) was prior to 29th July. The changelogs for both Manjaro and Gnome since then show hundreds of lines (see Manjaro change log for one update in August ) and the logs on my laptop from 5 days ago run to more than 19k lines. Most of which are unintelligible for my level of skills. So, in short, one option is to rollback to a working configuration and turn off future updates. However, at some point I will have to update if for no other reason than security. I recall a blog from @hydn with a guide to checking logs for problem solving, I have it bookmarked. Something like ‘how to resolve 99% of problems with using log commands’. I’ll try that and see if I can see any glaring issues.
Update an couple of hours later: I notice from the Manjaro changelog, which include Gnome changes, that mutter was upgraded from 50.3 to 50.4. Would it be worth trying to rollback to the earlier version of mutter? I ask as I don’t want to break the system. I mentioned this on the Manjaro forum and it appears to have been ignored. Which surprises me a little as that forum is usually helpful. Perhaps just a bad day there.
So the next step is to revert to that version and confirm that it works. If so, you then have a baseline that works.
Obtain a complete list of the programs and versions that you are using so you have solid knowledge about the working configuration.
You asked about certain programs that have newer versions. Try the one you mentioned specifically and see if it works with the known working environment. Hopefully yes; if no, then you now know what broke your system.
Proceed slowly, incrementally adding the new software. If you succeed in getting a better, newer working version, back it up but continue to retain at least one older working version until more backup versions have been successfully created and tested.
This can be tedious, but hasn’t it been a pain to have a broken system?
I urge patient and vigilant backup, recovery and verification of them. I always do it myself and I also have enough redundancy that I can get careless at times and recovery to a reliable system is quick and easy because I have invested in doing what I recommend and I have it down to a fine art.
Thanks Brian. I’ll have a go at it albeit I would like to minimise the potential options, i.e. create a short list, that may need be changed before i go down that road.
Thanks for your suggestion. I disabled all extensions, rebooted and tried connecting the HDMI + TV. Sadly. it made no difference. The problem is still there.
@Brian_Masinick I’ve temporarily abandoned solving this issue. a) there are too many variables and b) as a temporary solution I can use a lived USB which is prior to the updates that broke the system & c) I’ll be having a holiday for the next couple of weeks and won’t be needing the HDMI during that time. To be honest, I am also hoping new updates while I am away may resolve it for me. Nonetheless, thanks for suggestions/