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LMDE X grief
New hd in box so did a new install of latest LMDE followed by an apt-get -d dist-upgrade overnight (my free access period) to get over 680 Mb of files, then an smxi dist-upgrade, all happy and nice. Can't leave well enough alone!
Next came the latest liquorix kernel and that went fine too so I figured it was time for a new graphics driver too. I have an Nvidai 6200 card on this box and I want eventually to run mythtv so I tried for the newest nvidia driver hoping to get vidpau support. I had an error message telling me that the nouveau driver removal failed and that I should investigate (like what?) because it might have screwed up my video driver. I got a black screen on reboot so I booted again into recovery and did another smxi and tried to load the nouveau driver again. Result was black screen again. I am too old and stupid to be doing this shtuff, I guess. Any way to recover short of a fresh install? Edit: I just read an earlier post about LMDE problems...will go and try some of the solutions there ...understand the frustration on your end H2. I'll post results here. Back to top |
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Ran sgfxi -! 32...still no joy
I still get a locked up system...cant get to the console with Ctl+Alt+F1 so have to go back and do a recovery login. I'm running from the live disk to post this. This is a bit of ugliness about Mint LMDE that just may send me back to Straight Debian!
For anyone who is running LMDE on an nvidia card, DO NOT CHANGE THE DEFAULT VIDEO DRIVER!!! It will cause no end of grief! Here is my sgfxi log fyi: :: Quote :: =========================================================
START sgfxi LOGGING: ========================================================= Script started: 2011-03-20-15:13:40 Video Card Information: nVidia Corporation NV44 [GeForce 6200 TurboCache(TM)] (rev a1) Video Card Type: 10de Video Card Number: Xorg Version: 1.7 Installing driver to kernel: 2.6.36-3.dmz.2-liquorix-686 sgfxi script version: 4.17.09 sgfxi start options: -! 32 SYSTEM_BASE: debian SYSTEM_CODENAME: testing DISTRIB_CODENAME: debian DISTRIB_ID: linuxmint DISTRIB_RELEASE: 1 FG_DISTRIB_CODENAME: sid FG_DISTRIB_ID: Debian APT_TYPE: apt-get ========================================================= X is Running: false Current Runlevel: unknown Connection is live (0=true): 4 ========================================================= INSTALL_TO_KERNEL: KERNEL_VERSION: 2.6.36-3.dmz.2-liquorix-686 KERNEL_BASE: 2.6 KERNEL_THREE: 2.6.36 KERNEL_THIRD: 36 B_IS_XEN: false Function: move_x_conf - Utility: Start Function: x_is_running - Utility: Start xIsRunning: false Function: x_is_running - Utility: End Function: move_x_conf - Utility: End Function: check_package_manager_updated - Utility: Start sizeWorking: 14 Function: check_package_manager_updated - Utility: End Function: install_native_driver - Primary: Start Function: install_native_driver - Primary: Start Function: check_package_status - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau c Package Version: 1:0.0.15+git20100329+7858345-5 Function: check_package_status - Utility: End Function: print_information_continue - Utility: Start Args: standard The graphics installer will be cleaning out all previous drivers moving /etc/X11/xorg.conf to /etc/X11/xorg.conf-bu-2011-03-20-15:13:43 It will remove all nouveau nomodeset and blacklists in grub and /etc/modules, and will install Free xorg driver: nouveau This should more or less restore your system to the native, no xorg.conf state. Function: print_information_continue - Utility: End Function: x_start_stop_master - Primary: Start Args: stop Function: start_stop_x - Utility: Start Args: stop default runlevel: 2 current runlevel: unknown dmanCommand: service gdm3 stop Function: x_is_running - Utility: Start xIsRunning: false Function: x_is_running - Utility: End Function: start_stop_x - Utility: End Function: x_start_stop_master - Primary: End Function: pre_extract_clean_set_up - Utility: Start Function: pre_extract_clean_set_up - Utility: End Function: preinstall_cleanup - Primary: Start nvidia.ko files: Function: list_installed_packages - Utility: Start Args: nvidia (modalias|libvdpau|nvidia-bl-dkms|nvidia-cg-toolkit) packageList: Function: list_installed_packages - Utility: End Function: remove_module - Primary: Start Args: nvidia operation outcome: unset Function: remove_module - Primary: End Function: list_installed_packages - Utility: Start Args: fglrx modalias packageList: Function: list_installed_packages - Utility: End Function: remove_module - Primary: Start Args: fglrx operation outcome: unset Function: remove_module - Primary: End Function: clean_dkms - Primary: Start Function: clean_dkms - Primary: End Function: preinstall_cleanup - Primary: End Function: native_driver_install_keep - Utility: Start Function: native_driver_install_keep - Utility: End Function: install_package - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-core Function: update_package_manager - Utility: Start Args: update Update apt-get successful Function: update_package_manager - Utility: End Install command for apt-get: install - Extra args: Function: install_package - Utility: End Function: install_package - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-core reinstall Function: update_package_manager - Utility: Start Args: update Function: update_package_manager - Utility: End Function: check_package_status - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-core i Package Version: 2:1.7.7-13 Function: check_package_status - Utility: End Install command for apt-get: install - Extra args: --reinstall Function: install_package - Utility: End Function: install_package - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau Function: update_package_manager - Utility: Start Args: update Function: update_package_manager - Utility: End Install command for apt-get: install - Extra args: Function: install_package - Utility: End Function: install_package - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau reinstall Function: update_package_manager - Utility: Start Args: update Function: update_package_manager - Utility: End Function: check_package_status - Utility: Start Args: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau i Package Version: 1:0.0.15+git20100329+7858345-5 Function: check_package_status - Utility: End Install command for apt-get: install - Extra args: --reinstall Function: install_package - Utility: End Function: process_xvmc - Utility: Start Function: process_xvmc - Utility: End Function: add_module - Primary: Start Args: nouveau operation outcome: added Function: set_modesetting_on - Primary: Start Args: nouveau added Function: remove_grub_nomodeset_blacklist_item - Utility: Start Args: nouveau Function: get_active_grub_files - Utility: Start grub files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/default/grub Function: get_active_grub_files - Utility: End file updated to remove nouveau blacklist: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/default/grub Function: remove_grub_nomodeset_blacklist_item - Utility: End Function: remove_modprobe_d_blacklist_item - Utility: Start Args: nouveau Function: remove_modprobe_d_blacklist_item - Utility: End Function: update_initramfs - Primary: Start Args: add-nouveau Function: update_initramfs - Primary: End Function: set_modesetting_on - Primary: End Function: add_module - Primary: End Function: set_modesetting_on - Primary: Start Args: nouveau Function: remove_grub_nomodeset_blacklist_item - Utility: Start Args: nouveau Function: get_active_grub_files - Utility: Start grub files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/default/grub Function: get_active_grub_files - Utility: End file updated to remove nouveau blacklist: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/default/grub Function: remove_grub_nomodeset_blacklist_item - Utility: End Function: remove_modprobe_d_blacklist_item - Utility: Start Args: nouveau Function: remove_modprobe_d_blacklist_item - Utility: End Function: update_initramfs - Primary: Start Args: add-nouveau Function: update_initramfs - Primary: End Function: set_modesetting_on - Primary: End Function: install_native_driver - Primary: End Function: x_start_stop_master - Primary: Start Args: start Function: start_x_question - Primary: Start Final Step: start-desktop Function: start_stop_x - Utility: Start Args: start default runlevel: 2 current runlevel: unknown dmanCommand: service gdm3 start Back to top |
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This problem is caused by a mix of factors, we've been chasing them down one by one.
The best thing you can do is to initially do this: smxi -G then use the post upgrade options and advanced misc tweaks, and then set runlevel to 3 as default. Do that so you have an easy to boot into non X environment, which saves you from the crashed x issue. I have no idea why this happens to some lmde users, it's not happening to anyone else, and it's not happening to most lmde users as far as I can tell. There's an obscure issue which I sadly have no way to discover. We've gone through the nouveau blacklist tools and modified them to be even more robust. Once nouveau is blacklisted it runs vesa, it appears that vesa is failing on some cards for an unknown reason, older ones, I've seen this on a user 5500 card, might be the same. If you set default runlevel for gdm start as 3, then boot into 2 using grub args, which is a pain with non-gfx mode grub, but then you start in 2, no gnome/desktop, and install the nvidia driver. I have no idea why vesa isn't working, I've gotten logs from another case and nothing is going wrong that I can see, so I have to conclude a bug in vesa. nvidia will of course work fine in most cases for most users. When you see this, all you have to do is boot into runlevel 1, single user mode, then do: mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-bu-temp then do : service gdm3 restart and it should start with whatever generic driver xorg offers. That's all I can tell you, it's something but nobody knows what, I don't either. Ideally distros that are going to support non free video drivers really really should have default desktop runlevels set at either 3 or 5, makes no actual difference, so users can then fix it with full net and user privileges. Unless you can offer other logs that show failure or whatever from Xorg.0.log it's really hard to know what is going wrong, and so far only lmde users are reporting this issue. Back to top |
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I'll give this a try...wrote it all down from the other box but you lost me here:
:: Quote :: If you set default runlevel for gdm start as 3, then boot into 2 using grub args, which is a pain with non-gfx mode grub, but then you start in 2, no gnome/desktop, and install the nvidia driver.
Appreciate all your efforts...been riding with you since the transition from kanotix. I'll dump mint rather than give up smxi. Maybe antiX or... Back to top |
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yes, an edit from grub screen, go to kernel options line, edi add 2 to end, then do the boot command, don't remember, ctrl b or something.
Obviously the gfxboot way was a lot better, just type the 2 after the kernel args and hit enter, but maybe one day a few years from now grub2 will have that feature, it was actually never official in grub 1 either, was just a suse package that all the distros used if I remember, including sidux, mepis, and most of the other ones. Back to top |
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hi
I never used LMDE but I suspect you need to go from graphical grub2 to text mode grub2 if so you do that at the grub menu screen by pressing the Escape key good luck 2) Does your normal LMDE entry have a kernel parameter or cheatcode of nouveau.modeset=0? 3) Do you have a "recovery" entry as well? Back to top |
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Got it. Yes to 2) and 3)
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Two tries as above but no joy. All I get is a flickering cursor and some flickering text if I do Ctrl+Alt+F1. This is getting old and I am thinking that the install won't be any more maintainable even if I did succeed. Maybe time to do a deb testing install and get it the way I want it...late night labors again during the witching hours while my ISP doesn't cap my usage.
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hi
well not sure if its too late to mention but you could always boot up a live cd and chroot to run sgfxi chroot instructions.....follow this advice modified for our purpose -----change sda1 to where your system is installed and if you have /usr and / and /boot on different partitions we need to mod it again :: Code :: mount /dev/sda1 /media/sda1
mount --bind /proc /media/sda1/proc mount --bind /dev /media/sda1/dev mount --bind /sys /media/sda1/sys chroot /media/sda1 mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-bu-temp (from http://smxi.org/docs/sgfxi-manual.htm) sgfxi-z (if that fails just run) smxi (and go thru to closed source nvidia please) umount /media/sda1/sys umount /media/sda1/dev umount /media/sda1/proc exit Back to top |
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Most users had luck in recovery mode mv (moving) xorg.conf to somewhere else, then restarting x, which allows native x driver to run.
Since nouveau is blacklisted, unless you run -! 32 I believe, that means vesa is running it. That's what all the logs from /var/log/Xorg.0.log showed me from the other case, see here: techpatterns.com/forums/about1732.html Ignore the 'no longer boots' thing, that's how regular users interpret a crashed / failed x start, with runlevel 2 gdm3 start as default, making no gui runlevel 2 impossible to access. Always hated this about debian, and lmde is sticking to debian defaults here. Back to top |
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