Why does MATLAB crash when using the 'screen' command from the third party Psychtoolbox?

I am using the third party toolbox, Psychtoolbox, with MATLAB and it crashes every time I use the 'screen' command given in the link below:

http://psychtoolbox.org/docs/Screen

Please see the crash log below:

ERROR: Configuration: 
  Current Graphics Driver: Unknown hardware 
  MATLAB Architecture : glnxa64 
  MATLAB Version      : 9.1.0.441655 (R2016b) 
  OpenGL              : hardware 
  Processor ID        : x86 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3, GenuineIntel 

Fault Count: 1 


Abnormal termination: 
Segmentation violation 


Stack Trace (from fault): 
[  0] 0x00007f2853d3ccb0              /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0+00076976 
[  1] 0x00007f2848964c25              /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libX11.so.6+00261157 _XError+00000277 
[  2] 0x00007f285479670f          /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/mesa/libGL.so.1+00120591 glXMakeCurrentReadSGI+00000479 
[  3] 0x00007f271022fa62 /usr/share/matlab/site/m/psychtoolbox-3/PsychBasic/Screen.mexa64+00084578 
[  4] 0x00007f2710231c59 /usr/share/matlab/site/m/psychtoolbox-3/PsychBasic/Screen.mexa64+00093273 
[  5] 0x00007f271028830c /usr/share/matlab/site/m/psychtoolbox-3/PsychBasic/Screen.mexa64+00447244 
[  6] 0x00007f27102a1a36 /usr/share/matlab/site/m/psychtoolbox-3/PsychBasic/Screen.mexa64+00551478 
[  7] 0x00007f27102ae82c /usr/share/matlab/site/m/psychtoolbox-3/PsychBasic/Screen.mexa64+00604204 mexFunction+00001190 
[  8] 0x00007f28439dccaa     /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmex.so+00175274 mexRunMexFile+00000106 
[  9] 0x00007f28439d51a3     /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmex.so+00143779 
[ 10] 0x00007f28439d6345     /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmex.so+00148293 
[ 11] 0x00007f2842cd58a3 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmwm_dispatcher.so+00768163 _ZN8Mfh_file16dispatch_fh_implEMS_FviPP11mxArray_tagiS2_EiS2_iS2_+00000947 
[ 12] 0x00007f2842cd616e /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmwm_dispatcher.so+00770414 _ZN8Mfh_file11dispatch_fhEiPP11mxArray_tagiS2_+00000030 
[ 13] 0x00007f283fb10847 /usr/local/MATLAB/R2016b/bin/glnxa64/libmwm_lxe.so+11675719 

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This appears to be a graphics card specific issue. The only workaround for this would be to change your graphics card or the driver or both.

However, please note that the MEX file belongs to Psychtoolbox which is a third-party toolbox not owned by MathWorks. Therefore, it is not an officially supported MATLAB function.

Should new issues arise, it is recommended to consult the toolbox authors directly to investigate further and check for fixes on their repositories or website.