Booting Dell Optiplex only works if first boot into safe mode.

[Don Pobanz]

When booting into a Dell Optiplex 745, it will hang (blank screen). It will, however boot fine if I select the 'advanced option for Ubuntu' from the boot loader and boot into 'recovery mode.' Once booted into 'recovery mode', selecting the 'resume normal boot' works just fine. I have this same issue with the 3 different Dell Optiplex computers so this is not hardware on just one computer.

The previous version of Ubuntu (13.10) worked fine with the same hardware. It was only after the system update to 14.04 that this began to happen.

Ubuntu 14.04 with Linux 3.13.0-36-generic

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-35-generic 3.13.0-35.62
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-35.62-generic 3.13.11.6
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-35-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.5
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: don 11927 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Tue Oct 21 21:10:15 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=80165795-563a-48b3-b3bc-c4482c158111
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-10-15 (736 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release i386 (20120423)
IwConfig:
 lo no wireless extensions.

 eth2 no wireless extensions.
MachineType: Dell Inc. OptiPlex 745
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-35-generic root=UUID=23ca1a32-0fbe-4785-a8fb-ca7b6c8ff4ef ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-35-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-35-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.7
RfKill:

SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-04-25 (179 days ago)
WifiSyslog:

dmi.bios.date: 03/29/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 2.2.0
dmi.board.name: 0MM599
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr2.2.0:bd03/29/2007:svnDellInc.:pnOptiPlex745:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0MM599:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: OptiPlex 745
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream stable kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.13 stable kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.13.11.9-trusty/

[Don Pobanz (chuck-pobanz)]

I downloaded and install recent kernel as requested in comment 3. This made no difference. Computer would not finish booting. Booting through recovery mode per initail report works just fine.

don@PC-001:~$ uname -a
Linux PC-001 3.13.11-03131109-generic #201410141735 SMP Tue Oct 14 21:56:21 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i686 GNU/Linux

I then updated bios from 2.2.0 to 2.6.6 (Thanks Christopher). This also made no difference.

don@PC-001:~$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
[sudo] password for don:
2.6.6

I do not know how to add (or modify) tags so have not added 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream' (per comment 3) or changed the 'bios-outdated-2.6.6' tag.

[Don Pobanz (chuck-pobanz)]

This bug should be considered invalid.

With further testing (after updating the bios) some computers are now booting as expected. One is not, but one doesn't convince me that it would be a kernel issue, especially since others do.