Installer/Live X/Gnome Shows Black Screen with two monitors nvidia 9600

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please attach your X server configuration file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) and X server log file (/var/log/Xorg.0.log) to the bug report as individual uncompressed file attachments using the "Attachment:" box below.

Also, this happens when you run the live CD? does it happen after the install is finished? Are you running the binary drivers from the restricted manager?

I think than should give us a good start on debugging. After attaching the information requested above, set the bug status to 'new' to signify that it is ready for triage / review. Thanks in advance.

Is there a way to get the xorg.conf or log file off of a live cd boot when you can't get to a terminal or XServer?

Everything from livecd/installer is either hardcoded on the cd or in volatile storage, so I don't see how I can post these things...

If you think of a way I would be more than glad to help out :).

Ok, I was unsure what 'When trying to install' was meaning precisely, but I'm on the same page now. :) Thanks for such a quick reply by the way.

Have you tried the alternative installer iso? If you are able to install using that image, I think we can get the info needed to continue.

Hmm, I'll take a look when I get a chance. I never had to try since I got
it to work just by unplugging the second monitor...

Another, perhaps more useful tactic would be to boot it up in to the live cd, then ssh in to it. That way we know the exact problem is recurring.

Is there a command line option from the boot menu on a livecd to start up an ssh server? Or is that a pain in the ass? (This is one thing I loved about the gentoo livecd - built in ssh so you can do remote installs :p )

> Is there a command line option from the boot menu on a livecd to start up an ssh server?

Not that I am aware of. I could have used such a feature a few times myself. Xepra, you might consider taking credit for the idea at brainstorm. :)

What is brainstorm?

Update:

This is still broken in 8.04.1. It boots up, but the screen simply goes black. Ctrl-alt-del will eject the live cd, and then enter will reboot the computer. Nothing else seems to respond.

Fix:

Using the standard install CD (8.04.1 AMD64) then pushing F4->Safe Graphics Mode in the boot menu works perfectly though. It even goes to the full 1600x1200 resolution (on just the primary monitor, the secondary is black - as expected). I will try the alternate install cd and see what happens. I actually have never used the alternate install... I am assuming that will work fine. Would you like any xorg logs from this live session?

Hmmm, some interesting things:

The alternate install cd installed just fine - it didn't need X, and the terminal ui went smoothly.

However, since it configured Xorg and such with both monitors plugged in, when it rebooted it had the exact same problem as the live cd. This is good and bad - bad that it doesn't work, but good because it makes it easier to get at logs and confs to debug.

Anyway attached are all the logs and the etc for your perusal - I glanced through them and didn't see anything. There is, obviously, a lot more than you should need, but I wanted to make sure to get everything because I am going to wipe it.

I am going to try to install from that F4->safe graphics to see if it causes the same problem after installing.

Here is the same thing for the F4->safe graphics which works great (ie this is a working conf)

Update:

The F4->Safe Graphics Mode installed fine and then ran fine with full resolution on one monitor. That should be the recommended solution for now.

Unfortunately it will not detect the other monitor and the nvidia binary driver is still fubar (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-meta/+bug/238034). Sigh.

If you can get to the terminal now could you provide the output of:

sudo ddcprobe
xrandr

Thanks!

Hrm... I already put in the nvidia binary driver. It may be a while before
I can get it back to the broken state. Maybe if I have time this weekend.
I'll let you know.

Will X use nv by default? I'm not sure that this should have been moved to xserver-xorg-video-nv, as the problem occurs before, not after, installing the binary driver.

Sorry for the delay, but I do not have a good way to reinstall via the alternate install disk without wiping a bunch of necessary data. I will let you know when I get a chance.

just boot a livecd.

and yes, -nv is used by default. it's the open driver without opengl support.

The problem is that if I boot a livecd then I have no terminal or X running, and thus I have no way to run ddcprobe or xrandr. I have to install via alternate install to be able to run anything while it is broken.

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue for you. Can you try with the latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

We're closing this bug since it is has been some time with no response from the original reporter. However, if the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. Also, if you could, please test against the latest development version of Ubuntu, since this confirms the bug is one we may be able to pass upstream for help.