display freezes after recent apt update/upgrade

After a recent upgrade (which includes linux,xorg-server,compiz,unity...see

below), the display periodically freezes and is completely unresponsive to

keyboard and mouse (other than pointer movement), after attempting to drag a

window across the workspace. This is a problem for both of two modes of window

dragging: <ALT>+<left mouse button>+drag and <super>+s then drag. Other than

when dragging windows, no other activity on the desktop/display appears to be a

problem. The system is otherwise quite stable.

But...

In addition (and this is also new since the upgrade and probably related), the

display and input goes dead after closing the lid on the laptop. This happens

whether displaying the desktop, or in a virtual terminal, or when logged out with

the login screen displayed. The display goes blank (per the usual), but does not

go active again when the lid is raised (bad). The system is configured to "never

suspend" and to "do nothing" when the lid is closed and to "never" turn the screen

off due to inactivity.

The noted behavior is now on exhibit with both the upgraded kernel and the "old"

kernel (4.4.0-38-generic and 4.4.0-36-generic, respectively). Prior to the

upgrade, this laptop was perfectly stable (booting 4.4.0-36), and (for what it's

worth) windows10 (ughhh) is still quite stable, suggesting that this is not a case

of hardware gone flaky.

I strongly suspect an interaction between the upgraded compiz package and the

upgraded xorg-server as the source of the problem, since the underlying system

continues to operate even though the display and input are dead (deduced by the

fact that scheduled cron jobs run to completion well after the display has gone

dead), and because the first problem only occurs when dragging a window. (It

would help if I were able to switch into a virtual terminal, but the keyboard is

totally deceased.)

There is no indication of a problem in the log files that I have been able to

discern. However, there is at least one instance of dumped core (so to speak) by

upstart in /var/crash since the upgrade.

I realize that this is not enough detail to be of much help, and not much of the

bug reporting docs seem to apply to this case, so please do let me know what more

I can do to assist in tracking down the problem.

Ubuntu release 16.04... all upgrades are current as of 2016-10-07
ideapad 100S laptop
Intel Atom CPU Z3735F @ 1.33GHz × 4
Graphics: Intel Bay Trail

uname -a
Linux khampton-Lenovo-ideapad-100S-11IBY 4.4.0-38-generic #57-Ubuntu SMP Tue Sep 6

15:42:33 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series SoC

Transaction Register (rev 0f)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx

Series Graphics & Display (rev 0f)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx, Celeron

N2000 Series USB xHCI (rev 0f)
00:1a.0 Encryption controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx

Series Trusted Execution Engine (rev 0f)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Power

Control Unit (rev 0f)

The upgrade included the following packages, as output by dpkg-log-summary, with

the obvious innocents stripped out:

u accountsservice 2016-10-07 11:32:34 0.6.40-

2ubuntu11.1 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.2
u accountsservice:amd64 2016-10-07 11:32:32 0.6.40-

2ubuntu11.1 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.2
u bamf 2016-10-07 11:33:27

0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20160701-0ubuntu1 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20160824-0ubuntu1
u bind9 2016-10-07 11:28:56

1:9.10.3.dfsg.P4-8ubuntu1 1:9.10.3.dfsg.P4-8ubuntu1.1
u compiz:all 2016-10-07 11:33:33

1:0.9.12.2+16.04.20160526-0ubuntu1 1:0.9.12.2+16.04.20160823-0ubuntu1
u gdk-pixbuf 2016-10-07 11:33:05 2.32.2-1ubuntu1

              2.32.2-1ubuntu1.2
u gtk2-engines-murrine:amd64 2016-10-07 11:35:19 0.98.2-

0ubuntu2.1 0.98.2-0ubuntu2.2
u ifupdown:amd64 2016-10-07 11:27:23 0.8.10ubuntu1

              0.8.10ubuntu1.1
u initramfs-tools 2016-10-07 11:28:54 0.122ubuntu8.1

              0.122ubuntu8.3
u initramfs-tools:all 2016-10-07 11:28:53 0.122ubuntu8.1

              0.122ubuntu8.3
u isc-dhcp 2016-10-07 11:28:57 4.3.3-

5ubuntu12.1 4.3.3-5ubuntu12.3
u klibc 2016-10-07 11:28:52 2.0.4-

8ubuntu1.16.04.1 2.0.4-8ubuntu1.16.04.2
u libunity 2016-10-07 11:34:55

7.1.4+15.10.20151002-0ubuntu2 7.1.4+16.04.20160701-0ubuntu1
u linux 2016-10-07 11:36:17 4.4.0-36.55

              4.4.0-38.57
u linux-meta 2016-10-07 11:43:39 4.4.0.36.38

              4.4.0.38.40
u network-manager 2016-10-07 11:35:58 1.2.0-

0ubuntu0.16.04.3 1.2.2-0ubuntu0.16.04.1
u network-manager:amd64 2016-10-07 11:48:15 1.2.0-

0ubuntu0.16.04.3 1.2.2-0ubuntu0.16.04.1
u ntp:amd64 2016-10-07 11:31:53 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-

3ubuntu5.1 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.3
u snap-confine 2016-10-07 11:32:05 1.0.38-

0ubuntu0.16.04.8 1.0.38-0ubuntu0.16.04.10
u snap-confine:amd64 2016-10-07 11:31:55 1.0.38-

0ubuntu0.16.04.8 1.0.38-0ubuntu0.16.04.10
u snapd:amd64 2016-10-07 11:49:11 2.12+0.16.04

              2.15.2ubuntu1
u systemd 2016-10-07 11:27:08 229-4ubuntu7

              229-4ubuntu10
u systemd:amd64 2016-10-07 11:27:39 229-4ubuntu7

              229-4ubuntu10
u ubuntu-drivers-common:amd64 2016-10-07 11:32:06 1:0.4.17.1

              1:0.4.17.2
u unity 2016-10-07 11:36:14

7.4.0+16.04.20160801.2-0ubuntu1 7.4.0+16.04.20160906-0ubuntu1
u unity:amd64 2016-10-07 11:36:00

7.4.0+16.04.20160801.2-0ubuntu1 7.4.0+16.04.20160906-0ubuntu1
u xorg-server 2016-10-07 11:27:14 2:1.18.3-

1ubuntu2.3 2:1.18.4-0ubuntu0.1