The Ubuntu Server 22.04 Installer Hangs Switching to Nouveau

[ebsf]

In what must be the most sublime failure in the history of software publishing, the Ubuntu Server 22.04 Live installation ISO (ubuntu-22.04-live-server-amd64.iso) when burned to stick. hangs during startup, with the last entry being:

fb0: switching to nouveau from EFI VGA

For a terminal-based OS, no less.

Compounding this, a "safe graphics" option isn't even offered.

One's astonishment knows no bounds.

Expected behavior: Installer launch

Behavior: Abject failure

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: subiquity (unknown)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.13.0-40.45~20.04.1-generic 5.13.19
Uname: Linux 5.13.0-40-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.23
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CrashDB:
 {
        "impl": "launchpad",
        "project": "subiquity",
        "bug_pattern_url": "http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-archive/bugpatterns/bugpatterns.xml"
     }
Date: Sun Apr 24 15:47:28 2022
InstallationDate: Installed on 2022-04-09 (15 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20210819)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: subiquity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[ebsf (eb-9)]

Please note also that the server documentation (Ubuntu Server Guide) refers only to 20.04.

At least the authors are being consistent.

[Allan W. Macdonald (allan-w-macdonald)]

Happening to me on HP Envy 700. (Trying to reuse old Windows 8 machine.)

[Allan W. Macdonald (allan-w-macdonald)]

I also tried 20.04 server install on the same box- this time blank screen at boot; maybe I have bad (incompatible) hardware. Windoze is still running fine so maybe there's some sort of funny business going on under the hood. I'll try another box and if that works, I'll e-waste the first one. So much for the 3 R's!

[Allan W. Macdonald (allan-w-macdonald)]

The second box is booting from the 22.04 live stick - I guess the first box is trash and I'll just recycle the ram and hdd. :(

[ebsf (eb-9)]

Try installing Lubuntu before you part out the machine. The Server 22.04 failure likely is a consequence of an absence of BIOS kernel graphics support. Lubuntu is brilliant on old machines and may install notwithstanding the Server debacle. If so, you'll have a bonus in the form of a GUI, if you want it. If not, it's easy enough to uninstall or, as lightweight as it is, not even bother and just get on with the rest of the configuration.