I use Arch Linux with packages: mesa 7.5.1-2 ati-dri 7.5.1-2 xf86-video-ati 6.12.4-1 libgl 7.5.1-2 xorg-server 1.6.3.901-1 kernel26 2.6.30.6-1 blender 2.49a-1 and all menus in Blender are broken. Text in UI is visible, but when I enable menu with mouse or with a hotkey I see just white and black rectangles. This is probably well known issue because I found similar bugs from 2006. PS. I can't find any info how to disable hardware rendering now, both LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT and LIBGL_SOFTWARE_RENDERING doesn't change it.
Please try mesa 7.6 or git master. For software rendering, you want: LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1
I have the same problem on Gentoo x64. Kernel 2.6.30-gentoo-r5 x11-base/xorg-server-1.6.3.901-r2 USE="hal nptl sdl xorg -debug -dmx -ipv6 -kdrive -minimal -tslib" x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati-6.12.4 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV530 [Radeon X1600] (Secondary) Upgrading from mesa-7.4.4 to mesa-7.5.1 or mesa-7.5.2 breaks blender menus. 7.4.4 works fine. I have tried blender-2.48a-r3, blender-2.49a, blender-2.49b.
Seems to be fixed in mesa 7.7
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