9.10 problems with Intel Grahic Chipset on Upgrade

[nigel_gordon]

I had 9.4 running on my laptop, although the screen res was crap. Upgraded to 9.10 and get a totally black screen on boot up. Also get a black screen if I try to run the LiveCD. Have installed it on a Acer Extensa 5635Z. A friend has the same problem with his laptop, which is a different make but has the same Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M. Have seen a couple of posts with the same or similar problem that have the same chipset. So I suspect there is a problem with this chipset. None of the solutions I have seen suggested have worked, indeed most have been impossible to try, as I can't even get to a text terminal.

Please does anybody have a solution for this or do I have to drop linux altogether.

Please help if you can, I don't want to be deprived of a decent sytem.

[LewRockwell]

you might try this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1308317

.

[nigel_gordon]

you might try this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1308317

.

Have already tried all of this and none of it works. The CD I was installing from installs fine on systems without the Intel GMA 4500M chipset, so I think it is a problem with this the drivers for this chipset.

Unfortunately cannot install into a seperate partition. Fortunately I had backed up everything to start with, so nothing is lost.

[Dizzen2]

Hi there,

Same problem for me : I've been trying to install Ubuntu (8.04 & 9.10) on my new laptop : a brand new Packard Bell Easynote LJ65 : just impossible to have a decent working system : with 9.10 the screen turns completely black (attached external ordinary monitor however works) and with the Hardy Heron (8.04) version, the max. resolution of the screen is drawn back to 800 x 600 : no possibiliy what so ever to change the resolution (even not widescreen) !
So I started browsing the ubuntu fora : seems like there might be a problem with the chipset of the laptop : chipset is Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family. When trying to reconfigure X, the system comes up with a message that this chipset is not supported.

Anyone else any clue ?

[anewguy]

Well, I replied to another post a day or 2 ago about a different Intel graphics chip, but perhaps it will work for you as well. It can't hurt to try, as it is only a switch at boot for testing and nothing permanent until it works and menu.lst is updated:

Wink Re: Not getting GUI with ubuntu 9.10
Okay, I did some web searching and found something in Steve Rosenburgs' (?sp) tech log about getting the 82830 to work in X in 9.10. Apparently it's a kernel setting default causing the problem, and a work around is to try this:

As soon as you get the grub screen at boot (yours may have a very short countdown before it proceeds in to boot) press ESC *immediately*. Use the arrow key to scroll down to the boot line - should look similar to this:

Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.31-14-generic

- or maybe it says -

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=UUID=dc3cf399-6b13-4704-80c5-0e02fe6cd364 ro quiet splash


I haven't done any editing at boot for a long time and didn't try this myself so not sure exactly how it looks.


press the "e" key to edit the line - you should see something like the following:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=UUID=dc3cf399-6b13-4704-80c5-0e02fe6cd364 ro quiet splash

using the arrow keys, go to the end of the line and add:

i915.modeset=0 <press enter>

so that the kernel line now looks similar to:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=UUID=dc3cf399-6b13-4704-80c5-0e02fe6cd364 ro quiet splash i915.modeset=0


I *think* (not positive) that you then press the "b" key to boot.

If you get the GUI screen, then we know what we need to do to make it permanent.

Please try that and post back any questions and the results.

Dave
__________________
................................................
take my beans - please, they don't mean anything
....And Then I Heard This Blood-Curdling "QUACK!!"

[leviathan28]

adding i915.modeset=0 worked for me (Acer Extensa 5635Z) without any further problems so far.

[anewguy]

Glad that worked for someone. If you don't know, you can make the change permanent by:

EDIT: It seems with the change to grub2 in 9.10, the below procedure won't work. I installed 9.10 and the file is no longer there. I don't know what happens if you just do the upgrade to 9.10 instead of an install.

• booting up and logging in to the GUI
• click applications/accessories/terminal
• type:
  
  
  sudo cp /boot/menu.lst menu.lst_save <press enter>
  
  sudo gedit /boot/menu.lst <press enter>
  
• use the arrow keys and navigate to the same kernel lines you edited at boot time, and make the same change.
• save the file and exit.

Dave

[detrate]

Thank you so much, you've solved this for me with an ASRock G41M-GS motherboard and the Intel GMA x4500 onboard video.

However, in the terminal, I did

sudo cp /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/menu.lst.backup
sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

You're awesome

[gastur]

i915.modeset=0 <press enter>

Thank you very much!

Though I had no problems with X starting - but I just hate framebuffer console, and "nofb" didn't work.

[VARGHESE ANIYAN]

am using ubuntu 9.10 in my gateway mt6841 laptop. how will i activate my graphics driver?

its specifications
Chipset type Mobile Intel 945GM Express

# Video
# Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel GMA 950
# Video Memory Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0
# Max Allocated RAM Size 224.0 MB


am not able to activate appearance 'normal' or 'appearance' settings.

i'd tried few threads and while trying those some how i lost my audio driver too...