[Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

myurko · 2012-01-17 00:29:22

I recently installed arch on my desktop for the first time, after running arch on my laptop for a few months. The initial install worked fine and I was able to boot normally. However, I then installed a number of packages (including nvidia and nvidia-utils since I have a GTX480) to try and get a graphical desktop up and rebooted. The system started to boot normally, but after ":: Loading keymap...done." the screen went blank, And it stayed that way. It wasn't trying to load X or anything, the screen went blank trying to bring up a commandline. I eventually booted into the installer, and chrooted into my new install and removed nvidia and nvidia-utils. On reboot it worked, so my conclusion is that the nvidia module must be causing the display problems. Any ideas on what is going wrong? I know there is noveau, but I need to use CUDA, so I assume that nvidia is my only option.

Last edited by myurko (2012-01-19 09:58:43)

myurko · 2012-01-17 00:42:29

Just a quick update. I reinstalled the nvidia driver and reporduced the behavior again, but I was able to read text a little closer to the screen going blank. It looks like the last line on the screen before it goes blank was "Waiting for udev events" or something similar.

nexus7 · 2012-01-17 00:51:21

Did you upgrade your system after isntallation to the latest kernel? If not, do it so:

# pacman -Syu

What WM or DE do you have installed?

Also, you may post your /var/log/Xorg.0.log here for more detail.

myurko · 2012-01-17 01:02:13

I have updated the system since installation. I have gnome installed. As for /var/log/Xorg.0.log, that file doesn't exist on my machine. I have never run X, and I am not trying to run X during the boot process (/etc/inittab is set to run level 3). It at least appears that the screen is going blank before X is involved at all. Thanks for the ideas though.

nexus7 · 2012-01-17 10:53:00

Ehm, I don't know actually what you are really talking about...

Did you ever properly boot your system (after updating); meanwhile it seems to me you couldn't? Then something else is wrong, not your graphics driver (at first). -- In this case pls post your rc.conf.

So you installed gnome? I don't use it, but ntl of course X must be installed and running for this, at least for your nvidia drivers. If you don't have a /var/log/Xorg.0.log, then create one by doing startx from console, which requires a ~/.xinitrc (look here); you can use gdm later. -- Of course for this, you must be able to boot.

Finally, consulting the Xorg- and the Gnome-wikis (again) would not be the worst idea.

myurko · 2012-01-17 11:02:54

To clarify, my problem has nothing to do with X, but with the nvidia kernel module. I uninstalled X and gnome, and was able to reproduce the same behavior: when the nvidia kernel module is installed, I cannot boot all the way since the screen goes blank. When I uninstall the nvidia driver, I am able to boot.

nexus7 · 2012-01-17 11:35:43

...kinda strange...

btw if you can't boot, how you'd be able to uninstall nvidia...?
While booting, does your screen show sth when you press F2?

So, if you can, post your /etc/rc.conf and the output of dmesg. If you can't get into your system directly use your live cd, copy rc.conf (probably on /mnt/etc/rc.conf) and (/mnt)/var/log/dmesg.log, and paste them here.

myurko · 2012-01-18 00:32:00

Yeah, this is a strange issue.

In order to uninstall nvidia, I booted into an arch install cd, mounted the root partition from my drive, and then chrooted into it. I was then able to run 'pacman -R nvidia' from the chroot. I'm away from my desktop now, so I'll post those files shortly.

cfr · 2012-01-18 01:10:06

Many kernel modules for graphics cards kick in for the console regardless of whether X is involved. This enables native resolution during boot etc.

For example, with intel integrated graphics, I get to a certain point in the boot and the display disappears for a second before returning. Before it disappears, the resolution is much lower than native (640x480? not sure). After it reappears, it is native (1366x768). This happened long before I got around to installing X. I think it is the point when the i915 module is loaded. (It's possible to load it earlier to get native resolution throughout but I haven't done this yet.)

I see the same thing with the nouveau driver on another machine. Once I got nouveau to load at all, it affected the display pre-X.

For many graphics modules this must happen automatically because they're included with the kernel package. As I understand it, installing nvidia involves installing (at least) a kernel module *and* the video drivers for X. So installing it changes things which have nothing to do with X.

Can nvidia load if you pass nomodeset on the kernel command line? If not, you could at least avoid having to uninstall and reinstall. If so, it might enable you to boot even if it does load and, again, at least avoid having to keep reinstalling or chrooting. You might also be able to temporarily blacklist nvidia.

myurko · 2012-01-19 00:35:27

Thanks for the tip. If I pass nomodeset, it doesn't load the nvidia module, and the screen works. However, I still really need to use the nvidia module (I want to get rid of my Ubuntu 10.04 setup). Here are some links to potentially relevent logs/config files: ugcs.caltech.edu/~myurko/rc.conf and ugcs.caltech.edu/~myurko/dmesg.log

Durden · 2012-01-19 01:51:08

Hmm, never had that problem with the drivers before. Do you have the radeon or nv drivers listed anywhere in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf ? Have you manually done anything with that file at all? Maybe playing with Plymouth from AUR?

You can try one of the kernels from AUR like linux-ck with the nvidia-ck drivers and see if it happens with them.

rebootl · 2012-01-19 03:47:56

Just had a similar problem, I installed the nvidia drivers and then X didn't start anymore.

I think it should be mentioned in the wiki that "nouveau" has to be removed from the /etc/mkinitcpio.conf and then mkinitcpio -p linux has to be run. That solved the problem for me.
(Cause with KMS blacklisting the nouveau module isn't enough.)

Last edited by rebootl (2012-01-19 03:49:14)

myurko · 2012-01-19 09:57:59

I never had nouveau installed. However, my desktop is working roughly the way I want it. The solution that I used was to add 'nomodeset' to the kernel line in GRUB and to then add the 'nvidia' to the modules line in rc.conf. Not he prettiest solution, but it works.

Arch Linux

#1 2012-01-17 00:29:22

[Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#2 2012-01-17 00:42:29

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#3 2012-01-17 00:51:21

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#4 2012-01-17 01:02:13

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#5 2012-01-17 10:53:00

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#6 2012-01-17 11:02:54

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#7 2012-01-17 11:35:43

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#8 2012-01-18 00:32:00

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#9 2012-01-18 01:10:06

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#10 2012-01-19 00:35:27

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#11 2012-01-19 01:51:08

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#12 2012-01-19 03:47:56

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

#13 2012-01-19 09:57:59

Re: [Solved] Problem with Nvidia driver

Board footer