ubuntu-x-swat team mailing list archive

[dcam <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Perhaps if users end up here, this little guide could help some people
overcome this problem.  I had this problem myself, with nvidia hardware.

I have Nvidia video hardware and had the flashing problem when I updated
to 9.10.  I suspect that the flashing is caused by the gdm service
trying to repeatedly start the X server over and over, but it fails to
start, so it keeps retrying, which causes the flashing.

When it is flashing, nothing is properly working including the keyboard,
so I had to force a reboot by holding down the power button for 10
seconds to force it off, then powering it up again a few seconds later.

Boot the Ubuntu live CD, sudo to root:

    sudo su -

Then use this command to display the drive's partition table (your
install could be on a different drive, eg /dev/sdb but most are probably
/dev/sda, that's a lower case L as option):

    fdisk -l /dev/sda

I then mounted the partition where the etc directory for the install is
found:

    mkdir /stuff                         (a place to mount it)
    mount /dev/sda5 /stuff         (this will likely be different for you, you'll have to choose the right linux partition):

and moved /etc/X11/xorg.conf aside:

    cd /stuff/etc/X11
    mv -i xorg.conf xorg.conf.fails

Then created a new xorg.conf:

cat >xorg.conf <<EOF
Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Monitor         "Configured Monitor"
        Device          "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
EOF

I then unmounted the partition:

    cd /
    umount /stuff

then rebooted (and removed the bootable cd):

    reboot

Once rebooted the flashing no longer happens, but you're running the
open source video driver, which works but doesn't give the best result.
If you're wanting to use Ubuntu to set up the closed source driver, you
can logon and let it inform you that the closed source driver can be
used, proceed that way, and it should all be automatic.

If you're wanting to use a driver that is more recent than what ubuntu
provides, then you can download it, and use the following steps:

Once you've got the login screen, press CTRL-ALT-F1 and logon

Then become root:

    sudo su -

Then stop the gdm service because the driver install needs X to be down
while installing:

    service gdm stop

Then run the nvidia installer and proceed the install

Once installed you can do this:

    service gdm start

And your X server should be up and running then with the nvidia driver.
You can flick back to the console window with CTRL-ALT-F1 and logout,
then flick back to X with CTRL-ALT-F7.

-- 
upgrade breaks graphic drivers and x, preventing login or startx
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/464591
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