Graphics Resolution- Upgrade /Blank Screen after reboot

[MAFoElffen]

I needed to repost this info to keep it accessible to people. It will be linked from the Table of Contents.

You say it "borks" mostly at the text banners before the menu... then on anything after the menu. I've use this Xubuntu/XFCE ISO on intel chipsets - and yesy it sometimes acts up on older Intel chipsets. Funny thing is that once I get it installed it works fine on a default driver! Here's how I get around it with older Intel.

- First I would check the md5sum on your downloaded ISO, just to make sure it is okay.

- Boot the ISO to the menu. Sounds like this make take a few attempts on yours.

- If the first Screen is the black screen with the person/keyboard screen > Press Escape.

- This will get you to a low-res language selection screen > Press Escape.

- This will get you to the Advanced Installation Menu

- Press F6... it will bring up a dropdown boot option menu. Press escape.

- That will close the dropdown, but now an editable boot line will be displayed at the bttom of that screen. It you Arrow left a few times, the cursor will diplay. Move it to before the "--".

- Add the text "i915.modeset=0 "

- Chose the try button.

*** If that still doesn't work, then I reboot and get back to the Advanced menu...

- Press Escape

- This will prompt a Message Box saying "Exiting- You are leaving the graphical boot menu. You are starting the text mode interface."

- It should start a hardware probe to your video hardware to try to ID it. On some older Intel chips, it will display a text message error saying it couldn't "ID the mode: XXX", blink, then displays a text menu asking for a display mode type... I think I usually use 640x480x16, which I think I remembr as "7"...

- That starts the installer in a text mode. I go through the install... After the reboot, it seems to work just fine.

*** Note- Sometimes the above, at the video probe, will dump you down to a text prompt saying "boot:" Press enter and it will bring you back to the Avanced Install Menu... At this point I chang tactics. Then I use the Ubuntu "Minimum" Installer ISO. Which is a text based installer. When it gets to the Taskel Software Install screen, I select Xubuntu desktop.

/*
I don't know what it is about those older Intel's, but since I've found several ways around it, I don't spend much time spinning my wheels on it...
*/

Hope this helps for you.

[Tronnie Dobbs]

OK, I've made extremely minor progress.

I tested the keyboard on another machine and it works fine. So, I put it back in my machine (a desktop, for the record) and nothing.

On a whim, I replugged the keyboard into one of the USB ports on the front of the machine, and now it functions and allows me to navigate through the various boot menus. So, one problem solved. Now, onto other things.

To recap, I've got the old purple screen. My GPU is an nVidia 450 GTX and this was a self-built rig. Not sure what I'm supposed to try next. I know the first recommendation is to ensure that I get a GRUB menu, but I still don't know what that is or how to recognize it. As I said, I can navigate the various BIOS menus so I should be able to try out anything, if you have any suggestions.

Update: As I pretty much have to figure out how to this machine up and running today, I've had to just start messing around with things. I reinstalled 11.10 from a USB and that's up and running just fine. Since I now have another OS version on my hard drive, I now get a GRUB menu and know what it is. (Apparently, since 11.04 was the only OS on my system before, it never went to GRUB...) However, none of my files and packages made the trip over, so I've got to figure out how to recover them. But, in order to do that, it seems like I'll have to work around my graphics issue. Any idea on where to start with that?

[bogan]

Hi! MAFoElffen, Sorry, I thought your knowing how my set-up got there would enable you understand what needed to be done.
You posted:

-->
1. What is ypur chief complaint?
2. What does your computer do?
3. On boot, how far does it get before it locks up?
4. Please post the output of "lspci -vnn | grep VGA" and,
5. your /var/log/xorg.0.log file.

Answers:
1. I cannot get updated Ubuntu 11.10 to run beyond a text login, into a graphics screen.
2. When, in the grub menu, I select Linux10.04, 2.6.32-34, it runs perfectly normally.
When I select Linux11.10, 3.0.0-12, it goes ( with variations ) to a text login or a root prompt.
The first shows

ubuntu 11.10 alan-MS-7318 tty1
alan-MS-7318 login:

, The second shows text ( see below ) and "root@alan-MS-7318~#"; if I enter 'exit' and press return, it shows additional text ending in;

*Checking battery state...
alan-MS-7318~#

In both cases, entering

sudo service gdm start
gdm start/running. process xxxx

does nothing visible and

 Sudo gedit xxx
 Cannot open display

shows nothing else.
'Ctrl-Alt-F7' gives a blank black screen with a small flashing cursor, whether gdm has been started or not; in some cases it goes direct to this.
When I select Linux11.10, 3.0.0-12 recovery, it goes into a black blank screen indefinitely; but if I enter 'Ctrl-Alt-Del', after 20 seconds or so it goes to the blank black screen with a small flashing cursor and then responds to 'Ctrl-Alt-F1/F2' similarly to the above.
3a. Text before login prompt:

"Ext4-fs (sda8) mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: (null)
Begin: Running .scripts/local-bottom ... done.
Begin: Running .scripts/init-bottom ... done.

3b. Text before root prompt ( Also sometimes before login prompt):

"init: Handling starting event
init: udev state changed from starting to pre-start
init: udev state changed from pre-start to spawned"

( see note above for added text if 'exit' is entered.) Hope this is enough to identify.
4.

lspci -vnn | grep VGA
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation G73 [GeForce 7650 GS] [10de:0390] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])

5. I cannot post my /var/log/xorg.0.log file. Nor even my /var/log/Xorg.0.log file. As gedit "Cannot open display".
I assume the only way I could do would be to mount sda8 11.10 from sda6 10.04.
Sorry it is not as concise as I would hope but it never seems to produce the same results twice running. Chao! bogan.

[TexasPedi]

I have wasted a day trying to get this to un-upgrade and get the old ubuntu back...I am sure its just not worth it for me.
--perhaps till someone figures out a "fix" and has a clear and simple instruction like "download this file and boot with this CD" Right now its really too hard for a noob like me...back to Windows I go.

[paulb42]

Hello MaFoElffen

Try those changes and tell me if they helped.

(Post 719)

I tried all this and nothing has changed.
I still get these messages in syslog

Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-simple-slave[1467]: CRITICAL: Error while compiling regular expression DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=(.+)#012DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=([0-9]+) at char 0: unknown option bit(s) set
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-simple-slave[1467]: GLib-CRITICAL: g_regex_match_full: assertion `regex != NULL' failed
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop kernel: [   35.809602] gdm-simple-slav[1467]: segfault at 2cf86f03 ip 0105ca4f sp bf94062c error 4 in libc-2.11.1.so[fe9000+153000]
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-binary[906]: WARNING: GdmDisplay: display lasted 1.204945 seconds
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-binary[906]: WARNING: GdmLocalDisplayFactory: maximum number of X display failures reached: check X server log for errors
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop init: gdm main process (906) terminated with status 1

I was reading a similar thread, which never had a satisfactory answer.
(http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1846728)

Paul

[JavaQueen]

I'm not sure if the problem I'm encountering is related to this, but I thought I'd post here as well just in case. I'm running Ubuntu 10.10 and after yesterday's update, a screen appeared telling me Nautilus needed to restart. Nothing happened when I clicked restart in the update window, so I restarted my laptop. Upon reboot, I got a blank screen. I did try to boot from the latest recovery option...same blank screen. I am, however, able to boot in low graphics mode. When I was able to do this, the same "Nautilus needs to restart to complete updates" window appeared. Suggestions?

[MAFoElffen]

OK, I've made extremely minor progress.

I tested the keyboard on another machine and it works fine. So, I put it back in my machine (a desktop, for the record) and nothing.

On a whim, I replugged the keyboard into one of the USB ports on the front of the machine, and now it functions and allows me to navigate through the various boot menus. So, one problem solved. Now, onto other things.

To recap, I've got the old purple screen. My GPU is an nVidia 450 GTX and this was a self-built rig. Not sure what I'm supposed to try next. I know the first recommendation is to ensure that I get a GRUB menu, but I still don't know what that is or how to recognize it. As I said, I can navigate the various BIOS menus so I should be able to try out anything, if you have any suggestions.

Update: As I pretty much have to figure out how to this machine up and running today, I've had to just start messing around with things. I reinstalled 11.10 from a USB and that's up and running just fine. Since I now have another OS version on my hard drive, I now get a GRUB menu and know what it is. (Apparently, since 11.04 was the only OS on my system before, it never went to GRUB...) However, none of my files and packages made the trip over, so I've got to figure out how to recover them. But, in order to do that, it seems like I'll have to work around my graphics issue. Any idea on where to start with that?

Sorry for the delay. Life happened.

Step 1.
Here we go...
- At boot, hold down shift key, Grub Menu should come up...
- Press "e" key, that should put you into an edit mode.
- Arrow Down to the Line that starts with "linux", that is the kernel Boot line.
- Arrow Right to where is says "quiet splash vt.handoff=7"
- Replace that text with "--verbose single"
- Press <cntrl><x>, It will boot with those options.

That will boot into a TTY Text Console. Login.

Step 2.

sudo update
sudo nvidia-installer --uninstall
sudo apt-get remove nvidia-*
sudo apt-get install nvidia-current  
sudo nvidia-xconfig
sudo service lightdm atart

[MAFoElffen]

Hi!
4.

lspci -vnn | grep VGA
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation G73 [GeForce 7650 GS] [10de:0390] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])

5. I cannot post my /var/log/xorg.0.log file. Nor even my /var/log/Xorg.0.log file. As gedit "Cannot open display".
I assume the only way I could do would be to mount sda8 11.10 from sda6 10.04.
Sorry it is not as concise as I would hope but it never seems to produce the same results twice running. Chao! bogan.

Bogan, please do step 2 from this post:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php...&postcount=727

Note that gdm in 11.04 was replaced now by the use of lightdm.

Before doing the last line thats starts lightdm, do this:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure light-dm

And reselect lightdm... just to ensure its the default DM.

[MAFoElffen]

I have wasted a day trying to get this to un-upgrade and get the old ubuntu back...I am sure its just not worth it for me.
--perhaps till someone figures out a "fix" and has a clear and simple instruction like "download this file and boot with this CD" Right now its really too hard for a noob like me...back to Windows I go.

Sorry to hear that. I try to tailor instructions to each user. Tuesdays and Wednesdays (spent with my fiance) are my Weekends and Thursday I have other things. Every other day, I have time comnited here.

I didn't see a post from you with a problem to resolve(?).

[MAFoElffen]

Hello MaFoElffen


(Post 719)

I tried all this and nothing has changed.
I still get these messages in syslog

Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-simple-slave[1467]: CRITICAL: Error while compiling regular expression DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=(.+)#012DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=([0-9]+) at char 0: unknown option bit(s) set
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-simple-slave[1467]: GLib-CRITICAL: g_regex_match_full: assertion `regex != NULL' failed
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop kernel: [   35.809602] gdm-simple-slav[1467]: segfault at 2cf86f03 ip 0105ca4f sp bf94062c error 4 in libc-2.11.1.so[fe9000+153000]
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-binary[906]: WARNING: GdmDisplay: display lasted 1.204945 seconds
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop gdm-binary[906]: WARNING: GdmLocalDisplayFactory: maximum number of X display failures reached: check X server log for errors
Oct 26 09:55:44 paul-desktop init: gdm main process (906) terminated with status 1

I was reading a similar thread, which never had a satisfactory answer.
(http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1846728)

Paul

Paul.

Sorry to see those error messages. I was helping someone with Kubuntu that was getting the same errors. He ended up having to reinstall to correct it. What we figured out, was that "something" either got corrupted or that files that were supposed to be removed left something orphaned...

For you- In 11.04, GDM was the Desktop Manager. For 11.10, GDM was replaced by lightdm. You shouldn't be having any meassages about GDM at all...

Try this from a command line:

sudo apt-get remove --purge gdm ligthdm
sudo apt-get install lightdm

Tell me how that goes...