Lucid beta 2: Ubuntu no longer boots after installing current NVIDIA driver

[Captain Chaos]

Binary package hint: nvidia-current

I'm running Ubuntu Lucid beta 2 64-bit on a 3 GHz Intel Core Duo quad core machine with 4 GB memory and two NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GTX's. I had been using the "nouveau" driver, which works but does not allow me to use my second and third monitors.

I just tried to install the "version current" version of the binary NVIDIA driver using the Hardware Drivers applet (which had just been fixed to make this even possible). The install seemed to go well, but after restarting the system Ubuntu now will no longer start up.

When I try a normal boot I get a flashing text cursor and a harddisk light which remains on forever. The recovery mode also no longer works. I see some kernel messages flash by, but then the system hangs again with the harddisk light on, this time with a completely black screen (no cursor).

[Tomáš Heger (theger)]

I can confirm this behavior in Kubuntu 10.04 Beta 2 (64-bit). I installed the beta, then updated all packages and then installed nvidia driver (current version -- 190.53 I think). After reboot just black screen appears (no matter if I choose recovery or not). I am able to boot with the older kernel, but only to the command line, so I am able to provide some logs or configuration files. I just need to know what could help.

[vincefn (vincent-favre-nicolin)]

I have the same symptoms, which seems to be related to the nVidia driver, the 2.6.32 kernel, and haveing TWO nVidia cards.

A workaround is using a 2.6.31 kernel.

See the other bug report (maybe should be merged):

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-graphics-drivers/+bug/548362

[Captain Chaos (launchpad-chaos)]

geckon, do you have two cards as well?

[Tomáš Heger (theger)]

It can be multiple GPUs related because I have nVidia 9400M in my laptop which I understood consists of two GPUs (9300 and 9100). I can be wrong though.

[Tomáš Heger (theger)]

lspci says:

02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation C77 [GeForce 9100M G] (rev a2)
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G98 [GeForce 9300M GS] (rev a1)

So I guess, I really do two cards.

[Captain Chaos (launchpad-chaos)]

It seems pretty clear that that's the same bug. I'll mark this one as a duplicate.