black screen on Intel HM55 - during boot and Xorg

[Dotan Mazor]

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

Right after GRUB (during splash), and in Xorg (GDM) as well. When the system needs to set the screen mode, the screen goes to black, loads a bit more, and then the computer stops responding.

Hardware:
Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset

This is NOT an Ubuntu specific issue, since it also happens in other live CDs, such as Gparted.

The system had to be installed using an alternate installer.

GRUB solution: adding nomodeset solves the post-GRUB black screen, and allows entering the command line in safe mode. The i915.modeset=0 option made no difference.

*LINKS*

Relevant specs (though it happens on others as well):
http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/product/Satellite-L500-1XC/1081193/toshibaShop/false/

Thread in Ubuntuforums:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1393413

Thank you for the help!
Dotan

[Onilton Maciel (oniltonmaciel)]

My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A 505 S6005. It has the same graphics card and the same problem.

The point in this bug is that it make IMPOSSIBLE to install or use ubuntu. I know that sometimes when the support for the graphics card is not optimal you can have a low resolution. I know also when the graphics card is very old or not supported anymore you will only get a low resolution or will only use vesa one. That thing happens with some new graphics card also.

The problem in this bug is that it make ubuntu unusable (from almost all aspects), so it think it is a pretty serious issue.

I'm really willing to help with all information necessary on this issue since I would like very much to use ubuntu in my computer.

[Onilton Maciel (oniltonmaciel)]

I tried with ubuntu 9.04, 9.10 and lucid. It didn't work.

Anyone? help?

[Eric Boesch (ericboesch)]

Just a confirm -- I too run an HM55 chip set system that yields a blank screen, whether run normally or in safe mode, when I attempt to run ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso off the install disk. In my case, the machine that has failed to load Ubuntu Linux is an Acer Aspire 7740-5691.

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

Hi Onilton, this chipset is so new that the support in Karmic is not very good. Actually, it will only be officially supported (by intel) in kernel 2.6.33 which will not even be included in Lucid. However, the real-life support has improved quite a lot from Karmic to Luicid, but since you already tried Lucid, I guess it isn't fixed there yet. I know the intel developers are interested in getting feedback on things that are not working with this chipset on their newest driver stack. In order to help them with this, you can:
- Install the newest kernel from [1] (instructions at [2]), currently this is 2.6.33-rc7 IIRC.
- If that doesn't solve it, install the latest xorg including intel drivers from the xorg-edgers PPA [3].

If it still doesn't work, you can either report it directly to the intel developers using instructions from http://intellinuxgraphics.org/how_to_report_bug.html (this is most likely category 3: DRM kernel bug). Or you can report it here, and we will help you getting it upstream (but it may add some delay).

I cannot promise that a fix can be pulled in for standard Lucid, but hopefully Lucid with an upgraded kernel and maybe driver package will work.

[1]: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/
[2]: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/MainlineBuilds
[3]: https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ppa

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

Sorry, Dotan, I didn't see that you were the original reporter.

You other guys, we prefer that only the original reporter upload information to a bug report. If you feel like contributing, you can file your own bug report, since it can be hard to unentangle which information comes from where when if your findings at some point differ. You may even mark your bug report as a duplicate of this, and then all information you add to your bug report will also go to the subscribers of this one. But then we have the information nicely separated in case we need to split it off later.

PS: I'm not saying you cannot comment on this report in order to help, but logs and test results should be only from the original reporter of the bug.

[Dotan Mazor (dotanmazor)]

Geir Ove Myhr - you have solved the problem!

Installing the newest kernel from your 1st link has enabled the boot to complete. Xorg and all.

I just downloaded the relevant DEB files from the newest kernel folder, and did a:
dpkg -i *.deb

And a reboot...

Now I'll just have to figure out why the wlan isn't showing. But that's a whole new saga :-)

Thank you very very much!
Dotan

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

> Now I'll just have to figure out why the wlan isn't showing. But that's
> a whole new saga :-)

Note that the mainline kernels are not built with any of the ubuntu
customizations, so you may lose some features like this relative to
the ubuntu kernels (I guess you never found out if wlan worked with
Lucid's kernel -- I don't know if it does). If Lucid ships without
support for this chipset by default, I hope we can get a recommend
solution into the release notes.

[Eric Boesch (ericboesch)]

When swapping the kernel out, how do you get to see a shell prompt from which to run dpkg in the first place? Is it necessary to build a custom boot disk as described at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization , or am I overlooking an easy answer to this?

(Without boot disk customization, the 9.10 alternate installer succeeded, and upon reboot GRUB ran successfully, but booting even in "recovery mode" yielded the old blank screen.)

[Dotan Mazor (dotanmazor)]

To Eric, and to anybody else that wishes to find additional comments about the problem, you can go into the thread on the Ubuntu forums:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1393413

Dotan

[Onilton Maciel (oniltonmaciel)]

It didn't work for me. The greatest thing i've got was a shell without using safe mode, but then it tries to use graphics and then I get the blank screen again.

Maybe a did something different.

Which kernel (version) did you use? What version did you use AMD 64 or x86?

I don't really know if my laptop supports x86.

Ah and my system keeps complaining about some usb related stuff did that happen to you?

Thanks in advance

[Vikram Dhillon (dhillon-v10)]

This issue was reported against karmic, so can you confirm if this issue exists with the most recent Lucid Lynx 10.04 Alpha release? ISO CD images are available at http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/lucid/ . Thanks in advance.

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

Yes this issue still exists with the latest alpha 3 lucid.

[Brendon Crawford (brendoncrawford)]

This issue was resolved for me by following this:

http://www.linwik.com/wiki/using+the+intel+arrandale+intel+graphics+media+accelerator+hd+with+ubuntu+9.10

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[Resetting to incomplete since we need a response from the original reporter on this].

[Dotan Mazor (dotanmazor)]

Original poster:

Since I currently don't have the time to re-try and install Karmic, Lucid, or any other release, I suggest that the Ubuntu team will deviate from the regular procedures, and will accept the findings of other posters.

Thank you for all your help!

Dotan

[Onilton Maciel (oniltonmaciel)]

I have almost the same problem but the solution that worked for Dotan Mazor didn't work for me.

I didn't say anything because it was recommend that only the original reporter should provide bug logs and description.

I think I can help, but what should I do?

Should I open a new bug report (a duplicate) as asked (and avoid mess in bug reporting)? Or can I proceed from here?

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 5:39 PM, Onilton Maciel <email address hidden> wrote:
> Should I open a new bug report (a duplicate) as asked (and avoid mess in
> bug reporting)? Or can I proceed from here?

Open a new bug report and avoid the mess :-)

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

i read this on ubuntuforum:

full support for the integrated graphics found on Arrandale processors (Arrandale is the code name for an Intel processor, initially sold as mobile Intel Core i3, i5 and i7) requires version 2.10.0 of the intel xorg drivers.

http://intellinuxgraphics.org/2009Q4.html
"* Improved support for Intel® HD Graphics (in Intel® 2010 Core i7/i5/i3 Processor Series)."

You can upgrade to this version via the xorg-edgers ppa:
https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ppa

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

Now the question is whether lucid will be released with this intel driver?

[Geir Ove Myhr (gomyhr)]

On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 7:36 PM, manishmahabir wrote:
> Now the question is whether lucid will be released with this intel
> driver? (2.10.0)

That has been the plan. We've been considering shipping with 2.9.1
since it in general has proven stable and that will allow us to keep
UMS fallback (nomodeset). I'm beginning to lean towards shipping
2.10.0, but I'm not the one taking decisions.

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

Thanks Geir Ove Myhr!
can we have some input from those who are going to take the decision...or is there some place where this is being discussed?

[Onilton Maciel (oniltonmaciel)]

Unfortunely I can't help in this bug anymore.

My laptop was stolen =(

But what I can tell is that I could get low graphics (recover) mode using xorg daily PPA.

Using latest Kernel didn't make any difference.

I can confirm that installing raw Lucid Alpha 2 I can' t get any video.

The only way to get video although streched and in low mode is using de xorg daily PPA.

That's all I can do know.

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

well i got some discussion in the mailing list archives at http://osdir.com/ml/ubuntu-x/2010-02/msg00029.html
i will test the edger ppa as soon as possible and report back..

[manishmahabir (manishmahabir)]

i am unable to install alpha 3 in virtual box..ubiquity crashes..will take some time to report on the edgers ppa.

[Eric Boesch (ericboesch)]

Despite my initially optimistic comment before, I was unable to find a version of Ubuntu that was stable on my Acer AS7740-5691, which uses the HM55 chipset, until I installed 10.4 with kernel 2.6.34-020634rc6, which has been up continuously for the six days since I installed it, so there's reason to hope.

Before trying this setup, I tried the following amd64 versions (I didn't keep a detailed list of all of them; there were quite a few). All were more or less unstable and prone to display freezes.

Various incarnations of 9.10 with various 2.6.32 and 2.6.33 kernels. The same, with the X edgers package also installed. Right off the disk, 10.4 was especially unstable, usually failing to survive for one hour of interactive use, and 2.6.33-02063303 was just as bad.

Is this result typical? If so, waiting for Fedora in the hopes that its 2.6.33 kernel will solve the problem might not be a good idea.

I haven't tested the wireless yet -- I don't need it at home and it's not permitted at work.

[Mathias (mathias-me)]

Hi,
got a new Fujitsu A530 (http://docs.ts.fujitsu.com/dl.aspx?id=392aa3d5-609d-4d4a-b538-5b8d64f2a017 or http://ts.fujitsu.com/products/mobile/notebooks/lifebook_a530.html) and the same problem
Installing Ubuntu Desktop 10.04 64bit works fine, but after updating to 10.10 or reinstalling it from scratch Xorg is not working anymore.
Any hints to get it running again ?

Thanks,
Mathias

[xteejx (xteejx)]

This bug report is being closed since the original reporter no longer has this issue. As stated a few times on this report, and many others (and in the bug reporting guidelines); even if you have the same hardware, file another bug report. It's better to have several bug reports with slightly different problems and different machines than to mess around trying to sift through several pages of rubbish to find one thing. If Bug Control or BugSquad find that it is the same problem, it'll be marked as a duplicate and you'll be subscribed to the master bug report.
Thank you.