display goes blank and system hangs after (and sometimes before) gdm3 login with nvidia-driver-390 and a gtx 970m

[Jeremy Carter]

After entering username and password, gnome3 never loads, and instead you are stuck on a blank screen. Switching tty doesn't work. Sometimes gdm3 doesn't even load and the blank screen happens before you can try to log in. Without a workaround, you are forced to boot into recovery mode and purge nvidia, reverting back to nouveau.

At first glance, this seems similar to this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-graphics-drivers-390/+bug/1752053/+index?comments=all

However, none of the solutions listed there work and the workaround is to use lightdm instead of gdm3:
sudo apt install lightdm

If it doesn't ask you to set the default display manager, then do this after, and set lightdm as the default when prompted:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm3

After that, the system will boot and let you log in normally.

This problem is happening on a Clevo laptop without Optimus, with a dedicated nvidia gtx 970m device, after installing any of the modern nvidia drivers from version 390 onward, from the official repo, from the graphics PPA, and I presume also the official driver from the nvidia site.

I tested on both Ubuntu 18.04.1 + updates, and Ubuntu 18.10 + updates.

I tested with nvidia driver versions 390, 396, and 415.

gdm3 works fine until you install the nvidia driver.
---
ProblemType: Bug
ApportVersion: 2.20.10-0ubuntu13.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.10
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-12-15 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.10 "Cosmic Cuttlefish" - Release amd64 (20181017.3)
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
Package: gdm3 3.30.1-1ubuntu5
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.18.0-12.13-generic 4.18.17
Tags: cosmic
Uname: Linux 4.18.0-12-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Please use the workaround of lightdm to get the machine usable, and then run this command to send us more information about it:

  apport-collect 1808658

[Jeremy Carter (defcronyke)]

apport information

[Jeremy Carter (defcronyke)]

apport information

[Jeremy Carter (defcronyke)]

apport information

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for gdm3 (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]