Graphics Resolution- Upgrade /Blank Screen after reboot

[wcnack]

Hi MAFoElffen,

Thanks for your reply. I have no idea how to post text ina scroll box so I have just attached the file. Hope this helps.

wcnack

[MAFoElffen]

Hi MAFoElffen,

Thanks for your reply. I have no idea how to post text ina scroll box so I have just attached the file. Hope this helps.

wcnack

Just for reference: To post logs or text files here, press the " # " icon in the posting toolbar. That will insert opening and closing code tags into the post.

[ code] and [ /code] <-- added a space to these so they would display

Open the text file in gedit. Select and copy. Paste between the opening and closing tag...

When I researched this last week, previous versions of your card with Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, SuSE, etc... where using VESA drivers. Your Xorg.0.log file confirms the same for this version.

Generate a basic generic Xorg.conf file with a Device Section, with the driver pointed to "vesa"... Sort of like this:

## xorg.conf file custom for wcnacc
## Created by MAFoElffen
## Last revised: 2012.03.15
#

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "default"
    ModelName      "default"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "vesa"
    VendorName     "default"
    BoardName      "default"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
        Mode        "1025x768"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

[wcnack]

Hi MAFoElffen,

I have copied your xorg.conf example and copied it to /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d. I googled where it should be placed and that is where I read it was suppose to be placed for Ubuntu 11.10. Video got worse.

Although its not usable, I can tell when Ubuntu boots to the desktop. Without your xorg.conf file, it boots to the desktop...just not usable. With the xorg.conf file, it is getting stuck during boot but the screen isn't readable enough to see where.

I am going to look at this more tomorrow.

One of the things I read was that you can boot to Rescue mode, go to a root prompt and run X -configure or Xorg -configure. First, the only way I can get into Rescue mode is by booting for the live CD. Second, I can't get either one to run.

Anyway, I am open to any other suggestions...

Bet you wish you hadn't answered my original Email.

Regards from "Lost in Linux", wcnack

[year4e]

I am trying to install Ubuntu 11.10 and getting the familiar purple screen and nothing else.So can't proceed for installation.
I have searched this forum and googled also but not getting the exact solution.
I am new to this forum and new to ubuntu also.
I have used fedora for last two years so a bit familiar about linux.
I tried to install Ubuntu 10.04 there also I had the same problem but that was solved by using 'nomodeset' at the time of installation. but in 11.10 I am not getting this option.
How to get it or how to install it in "Basic Video Mode" that is available in Fedora.

If this a familiar problem or already solved then please give me the appropriate post link.
Help please! Thanks in advanced.

[MAFoElffen]

Hi MAFoElffen,

I have copied your xorg.conf example and copied it to /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d. I googled where it should be placed and that is where I read it was suppose to be placed for Ubuntu 11.10. Video got worse.

Although its not usable, I can tell when Ubuntu boots to the desktop. Without your xorg.conf file, it boots to the desktop...just not usable. With the xorg.conf file, it is getting stuck during boot but the screen isn't readable enough to see where.

I am going to look at this more tomorrow.

One of the things I read was that you can boot to Rescue mode, go to a root prompt and run X -configure or Xorg -configure. First, the only way I can get into Rescue mode is by booting for the live CD. Second, I can't get either one to run.

Anyway, I am open to any other suggestions...

Bet you wish you hadn't answered my original Email.

Regards from "Lost in Linux", wcnack

LOL on "Lost in Linux"

onk... Wrong place. Should be (full path and filename) ==> /etc/X11/Xorg.conf

That is where XServer looks first for a Xorg configuration file. After i looks there, then it looks in the /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d directory...

XServer is just not the "basic" graphics layer... It's also how the keyboard, mouse, touchpad, gamecontroller, etc. interact in that layer... the /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d directory usually just contains files for those interactive pointing devices.

That directory also may contain custom files for a particular GPU, saying this is the how this GPU should be defined... But those would be files that the user defined and put in there him/herself.

On the file I created, you could delete all but the device section and be good. One thing you might try, is to comment out or delete the mode line in the screen section and let it pick it's own.

What to try that again and see what happens?

[MAFoElffen]

I am trying to install Ubuntu 11.10 and getting the familiar purple screen and nothing else.So can't proceed for installation.
I have searched this forum and googled also but not getting the exact solution.
I am new to this forum and new to ubuntu also.
I have used fedora for last two years so a bit familiar about linux.
I tried to install Ubuntu 10.04 there also I had the same problem but that was solved by using 'nomodeset' at the time of installation. but in 11.10 I am not getting this option.
How to get it or how to install it in "Basic Video Mode" that is available in Fedora.

If this a familiar problem or already solved then please give me the appropriate post link.
Help please! Thanks in advanced.

So from what you said, you are using the LiveCD and get a purple screen?

If so, look at the first half of my post here (using nomodeset):
Modesetting and the LiveCD

I start up installs for Desktop Editions in "Try" mode to confirm that I can get to the desktop... Then install from the desktop. This way I have a lot more options to install different things if needed, or to diagnose and resolve problems.

If you need to use "nomodeset" to get graphics with the LiveCD, then you will also need to use it on the first boot after installation, so you can install your graphics drivers. Instruction for that would be:
Temporarily Editing Grub Menu for Boot Options

What graphics chipset do you have?

Tell me how it goes.

[GMayank]

Hey Guys!!
I'm facing similar problem on my laptop. My laptop hangs after reboot at checking battery state and the cursor keeps blinking there and no login screen appears. My Laptop has two graphic cards - Integrated Intel GPU and ATI Radeon 6770m.I installed latest ATI graphic driver 12.2 after installing linux on my lappy. It was running smoothly but with poor battery backup. So, I switched my graphic from high performance mode to power-saving mode. And later on when I rebooted to see the applied changes. It kept hanigng up at the previously mentioned point. So, any help to resolve this issue will be appreciated.

[lauribuntu]

G'day MAFoElffen.

Thanks very much for this thread. It has helped greatly whilst trying to diagnose my Ubuntu 11.10 with the dreaded blank screen on reboot.

My problem ended up getting fixed by doing this:

sudo ifconfig eth0 up
sudo dhclient eth0 &

wget -0 NVIDIA-Linux-x86-290.10.run http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/290.10/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-290.10.run
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-290.10.run

then I reboot and all works as it should.


Problem is that after an Ubuntu update (some, not all), this seems to 'break' again, and I have to rebuild the driver again.

The computer then boots and runs fine.

Why am I breaking the driver (that's what it looks like to me!)?

Or should I use another driver?

Thanks for your help!

L.

Just dropping to let people know (probably do already) but NVIDIA have a new update as of 22/3/12..

295.33

My video driver broke again (No. 5 times this calendar year) and I fixed it using code above but substituting '295.33' for file name were appropriate above - instead of '290.10'

I wish they would fix this for good.....

Cheers
L.

[MAFoElffen]

Hey Guys!!
I'm facing similar problem on my laptop. My laptop hangs after reboot at checking battery state and the cursor keeps blinking there and no login screen appears. My Laptop has two graphic cards - Integrated Intel GPU and ATI Radeon 6770m.I installed latest ATI graphic driver 12.2 after installing linux on my lappy. It was running smoothly but with poor battery backup. So, I switched my graphic from high performance mode to power-saving mode. And later on when I rebooted to see the applied changes. It kept hanigng up at the previously mentioned point. So, any help to resolve this issue will be appreciated.

Sorry about the delay. In the middle of a big project

First "read" the tutorial here:
Installing ATI Binary Drivers

Yes- read it, before you try anything. If you have an ATI driver installed already (as I already suspect), from what you described... It sounds to me that you already have this driver installed and with high graphics turned on your battery charge life is going to suck.

Explaination- By turning off the discreet chipset (ATI), it then uses the Intel GPU (physically)... which with the Xorg.conf file still there pointing to the ATI GPU (now switched off), it gets confused.

Solution- If that's what you want to do, after turning off the ATI GPU- rename /etc/X11/Xorg.conf to something else, so that XServer can ID the active GPU (your case Intel) and select a generic driver for it.

What I usually suggest to people is that they make a copy/backup of the Xorg.conf files- One for the installed ATI and one generic pointing to the xorg Intel Driver in the edice section... then copying the appropriate one into place when needed.

As for power consumption, the integrated GPU stays on all the time (Intel). When the discreet GPU is on, you're going to have over twice the power draw (The high res chip draws more than the low res GPU and both would be on.) The integrated GPU stays on all the time.

If you need detailed instructions, just ask and I'll provide.

[MAFoElffen]

Just dropping to let people know (probably do already) but NVIDIA have a new update as of 22/3/12..

295.33

My video driver broke again (No. 5 times this calendar year) and I fixed it using code above but substituting '295.33' for file name were appropriate above - instead of '290.10'

I wish they would fix this for good.....

Cheers
L.

And 295.20 was between 290.10 and 295.33....

Fix for good? Not going to happen.

Why?

NVidia keeps releasing newer and better cards... needing new drivers. The technologies introduced with these cards can sometimes be used in their older cards through drivers.

Ubuntu (and other Linux Distro's), Windows <> Operating systems in general keep introducing new graphics technologies that they want displayed in their desktops... More drivers changes.

Gaming companies intro new games with new sparkle and action... More updates.

Then theirs the bug fixes....

This pattern of logic is not solely NVidia. ATI is in the same position. They work to make their products work.

Now with Linux and UNIX, you then have other "external" factors: Kernel and XServer. Some kernel updates require the third-party drivers to be recompiled. Some versions of graphics drivers work with certain versions of XServer. Etc.