unstable desktop environments using nvidia drivers

[Lundy Bernard]

Using Nvidia drivers with an Optimus laptop.

Using the integrated intel chip (prime-select intel), I cannot log in to the gnome desktop, screen flashes and returns to login prompt.

Using Nvidia (prime-select nvidia) I am able to log in, to an X session (no wayland option yet). In both gnome and unity, using nvidia 384.98 and 387.34, the session is highly unstable, and I get crashes from X, gnome, firefox, chromium, and occasionally other applications including apport.

This basically makes it impossible to do any CUDA development.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: nvidia-prime 0.8.5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-17.20-generic 4.13.8
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-17-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.5
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sat Nov 25 17:44:35 2017
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-11-14 (742 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151021)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: nvidia-prime
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)