Blank screen on boot unless nouveau was disabled.

[beaty mccloud]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau

Could not load Ubuntu 10.04 at all from the live cd, would only get a blank screen.

Had to install off the alternate CD, boot into single user mode (using nouveau.modeset=0), start X in safe mode, and finally enable the current nVidia driver before system could be used.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.15+git20100219+9b4118d-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-24.39-generic 2.6.32.15+drm33.5
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-24-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Oct 19 15:17:57 2010
DkmsStatus: nvidia-current, 195.36.24, 2.6.32-24-generic, i686: installed
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100816.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude E6510
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-24-generic root=UUID=09195d43-209b-4cb1-99ad-1d5205b60390 ro
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau
dmi.bios.date: 05/17/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A01
dmi.board.name: 0N5KHN
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA01:bd05/17/2010:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeE6510:pvr0001:rvnDellInc.:rn0N5KHN:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude E6510
dmi.product.version: 0001
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucid
 architecture: i686
 kernel: 2.6.32-24-generic

[Ron Johnson (ron-l-johnson)]

Changing the GRUB boot param to "nosplash" (thanks, #147623 !!) just pushed the problem back to when after I'd logged in. :(

[Ron Johnson (ron-l-johnson)]

Adding "nosplash nouveau.modeset=0" has me logged in without any errors, but at 800x600 instead of 1280x1024.

[Ron Johnson (ron-l-johnson)]

Nvidia apparently made some bad chips...

http://www.nvidiasettlement.com/affectedmodels.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1013947/why-nvidia-duff-chips-shoddy-engineering

Even if your Dell isn't on the Official List, it might still have the affected GPU.

I solved the problem by replacing an old-but-just-purchased "G86" GeForce 8400GS with a new-and-just-purchased "G98" 8400GS.

The key is to look for an 8400GS with 512MB RAM. The 128MB cards are definitely old and the 256MB cards *might* be old. Another indicator is that only the G98 cards are PCIe v2 x16, whereas the older ones are v1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_PureVideo#Table_of_PureVideo_.28HD.29_GPUs

[Roger Mason (roger-mason)]

Ron, just so I am clear about your comments; you are saying that the root cause of this "Blank screen on boot defect" is due to use of an nVidia "G86" version GeForce 8400GS GPU and you can resolve this problem by using a different, later version of the 8400GS GPU?

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hardware flaws could explain it, or else could be something in the linux kernel's nouveau drm driver. If that's true, then booting a newer version of the kernel might resolve it. Has anyone tested if this issue still exists with Lucid 10.04.4?

As we're on the cusp of the next LTS release, it would be worth testing if this issue exists in the 12.04 beta. This can be checked using a USB live image. You can get it at http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/, and use USB Disk Creator to make a boot drive. Please update this bug report once you've tested. (If you've already tested any version of ubuntu newer than Lucid and already know it works, that's sufficient testing, just mention that here.)

[Roger Mason (roger-mason)]

FYI, I just completed a full install from CD of 12.04 beta (x86 version) on the exact same PC hardware where I previously saw this blank screen problem during a 10.04 CD full install. No problems encountered; blank screen or otherwise

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xserver-xorg-video-nouveau (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]