Comment 53 for bug 765438

I am on a Gateway NV78 and have gotten both Linux Mint 11 and 12 to boot flawlessly using this thread. Here is what I did.

Enter i915.broken=1 into command line to make install.

Post #42: Based on the info available here and how to set up a script to run during the startup process and the resume process (from suspend/hiberate modes), here it goes a work around for this bug:

1) create a script under /etc/init.d by the following command:

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/fix_backlight
With the content above:
#! /bin/sh
echo "Fixing backlight for Gateway NV78"
setpci -s 00:02.0 F4.B=00
exit 0

2) And then include that script path (/etc/init.d/fix_backlight) into /etc/rc.local (before the last command: exit 0)

3) create a script under /etc/pm/sleep.d/ by the following command:
sudo gedit /etc/pm/sleep.d/10_fix_backlight
With the content above:
#!/bin/sh
# Fix Gateway NV78 backlight
PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin
if [ ! -x /etc/init.d/fix_backlight ]; then
  exit 0
fi
/etc/init.d/fix_backlight

4) Make sure to make the created scripts executable:
sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/fix_backlight;
sudo chmod 755 /etc/pm/sleep.d/10_fix_backlight;

5) Add "acpi_osi=Linux" to the default grub start up script:
sudo gedit /etc/default/grub
Add "acpi_osi=Linux" after quiet splash
Then sudo update-grub

YMMV

You may have to add the respective backlight kernel.

https://launchpad.net/~kamalmostafa/+archive/inverted-backlight --Gnome3

https://launchpad.net/~kamalmostafa/+archive/linux-kamal-mjgbacklight --Gnome2

From experience I have had to use the backlight kernels above. Coming out of suspend mode the backlight keys would be inactive. This fixed it.