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I'm unable to access my Ubuntu 14.04 or Win XP partitions. When I try to log in to Ubuntu sometimes I get to the password point and my mouse stops working, or I get a black screen before that and nothing happens, and once I was able to log in but got a black screen after that.

I've tried various options such as recovery mode, repair broken packages, repairing GRUB (via boot repair on a trial Ubuntu USB), and I'm unable to run it in low graphics recovery mode.

After boot repair the url given was: http://paste.ubuntu.com/11213026

The splash screen is visible but moves so fast I'm unable to identify what issues there might be.

If I'm able to access a terminal screen what command can I use to diagnose the problem (and then how to fix it)?

I've been unable to access my (smaller) Win XP partition since doing the boot repair, so presumably that damaged the XP system and needs to be fixed as well.

I'm currently accessing the net via a trial Ubuntu USB.

I would really appreciate any suggestions, thank you.

Nvidia G72M graphics card, Quadro NVS 110M/Geoforce Go 7300 video controller, Ubuntu 14.04, Xfce interface, 32-bit, Dell Latitude D620M, Intel Core 2 processor 1.83 GHz, 2GB RAM

UPDATE (20/5): I realised it must be a graphics issue so tried a new driver. The nouveau one sometimes worked but has frequently been faulty.

I installed nvidia-346 (via xorg ppa instructions I found), which is working but is also faulty; it doesn't recognise my external monitor so I have to use laptop screen. Also my external speakers weren't recognised initially (no sound unless I disconnect them), but are now going again, and the splash screen script is very large.

When I choose XP it starts loading and then after a bit goes to a black screen, without the desktop ever appearing. I have no idea how to fix that.

Lake
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  • The black screen issue seems like a graphics driver issue. I'm looking at the Noveau Feature Matrix page (Noveau is the open-source Nvidia driver) and it looks like your card should probably be supported (NV40 column). However, you could try with the official drivers instead. It looks like you should be able to get to XP just fine. os-proper/GRUB detects it just fine and it's in the GRUB menu. When you select it to boot Windows XP, what happens? – Chuck R May 19 '15 at 04:26
  • Thank you so much for your response. I've added an update to my question. I've tried switching between graphics drivers before (installed Ubuntu August last year) and keep coming back to these issues, whether with nouveau or nvidia, so wonder how I can find a driver that's compatible. Do I need to disable something in the BIOS before installing a driver? The Quadro NVS 110M video controller isn't changeable, and the only other thing I can see that might be relevant is a "PC Card" which can be turned off. I'm really glad the Win XP partition looks okay to you - how can I access it? – Lake May 19 '15 at 21:00
  • I've been reading these instructions http://askubuntu.com/questions/61396/how-do-i-install-the-nvidia-drivers but am still not sure what driver I should try. My laptop is very old (2004) but secondhand so I don't know if the graphics card and/or controller are very old also, and perhaps need an older driver? – Lake May 19 '15 at 21:42
  • For your card you'd want the 304 series of drivers. This is available in the repositories in the package "nvidia-304" (yesterday I attempted to install the 304.125 proprietary package from GeForce.com, but was unsuccessful). The only issue I've had with repo drivers is conflicts withe Wine. As far as accessing your XP install, you should be given the choice at the GRUB boot menu, is that not the case? If you don't see the menu, try holding the shift key at bootup. – Chuck R May 19 '15 at 22:33
  • Thanks, I'll try 304 then - do I need to purge nvidia-346 first? – Lake May 19 '15 at 22:41
  • XP is accessible (yay!) after Ubuntu nvidia install (before it was in the GRUB menu but would go to a black screen). I purged nvidia* then did sudo apt-get install nvidia-304. Following this with the command suggested in the post I linked to above, 'sudo apt-get install nvidia-graphics-drivers-304gave "unable to locate package". Now my external monitor is recognised but not used even though it's ticked as the output. Is some kind of tweak needed (for Xfce interface?)? I ransudo apt-get update`. Trying to install nvidia-304-updates got "invalid operation" (I didn't purge anything first). – Lake May 19 '15 at 23:33
  • "sudo apt-get get install nvidia-304-updates" should be what you need. Try enabling the trusty-updates (or [insert your release here]-updates) repository in the Software Sources – Chuck R May 20 '15 at 02:43
  • I must've typed the command wrong as the next time installing 304-updates worked. However after a restart the situation is the same: my external screen is identified and ticked as the output, but not used. – Lake May 20 '15 at 03:31
  • Are you using the nvidia-settings utility to set your external monitor, or the built-in GNOME Displays from the system settings? – Chuck R May 21 '15 at 11:48
  • Both - both are set to use the external screen as the output. I can drag things onto the external screen, but my clock, desktop image, shortcuts, toolbar menu etc remain on the laptop. – Lake May 21 '15 at 21:09
  • Nvidia settings are: external screen selected & box ticked 'make this the primary display for the X screen'; configuration is 'X screen 0'. – Lake May 21 '15 at 22:51

1 Answers1

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From the looks of your paste, it seems like there shouldn't be any issue booting Windows XP. Nevertheless, a sudo update-grub may help out.

As far as the blank/frozen screen at the login, this seems like a graphics/driver issue. Apparently, Noveau (the open source Nvidia driver) doesn't work well with your card. So, the proprietary drivers may be needed.

By going to Geforce.com, you can determine the specific proprietary driver version for your card by doing a search for your card. In your case, the correct driver is the 304 series. This can be installed from the repositories via the command: sudo apt-get install nvidia-304.

After this has been done, reboot the computer and you should have a fully functioning display.

In the comments of your question, it appears that you're still having issues setting the "primary" monitor that displays the window manager (i.e. Unity, Gnome Shell, etc.) If I understand correctly, you want to use your external monitor as the primary display so that it shows the Unity launcher, Gnome Shell Activities bar, etc.

Luckily, I have a little bit of experience with this and I remember most of it! First though, let me explain the issue that I had.

I would leave my HDMI cable plugged into my laptop. If I started up my laptop with the HDMI cable plugged in, X would always place my external monitor to the right of my laptop's LVDS monitor. This is not what I wanted since my external monitor was physically to the left of my laptop and lead to some confusion. No matter how I configured the monitor in the Gnome Display or Nvidia configurations, it would always default to this behavior if I entered the login screen with the HDMI cabled plugged in. It seemed that the Gnome/Nvidia settings would only apply if the cable were plugged in after X started.

However, I found that if I left the HDMI cable unplugged until I got past the login screen, that my settings from nvidia-settings/GNOME would be applied correctly. At least, I think this was the case (it's been quite a while, honestly). However, I do remember setting something up for OpenBox specifically. In the file ~/.config/openbox/autostart I added the following lines:

xrandr --output HDMI-0 --left-of LVDS-0
xrandr --output HDMI-0 --primary #Make sure the desktop is on the HDMI monitor

Essentially, what this does is force my configuration no matter how it was originally loaded. In order to find your specific monitor names, use the command xrandr -q. I believe you can place the same lines above (modified to your own display names from xrandr -q) into ~/.config/xdg/autostart to have the settings apply to all desktop environments as soon as they are loaded and force your preferred configuration.

Chuck R
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  • Original problem: Got to the password point & mouse froze, or got a black screen before that. XP didn't load after updating GRUB. XP & Ubuntu loaded after nvidia driver install. Monitor is identified correctly in display settings; to right of laptop, so configuration seems fine. xrandr -q gives Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8... VGA-0 connected primary... (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)... TV-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)... LVDS-0 connected... (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)...DVI-I-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis). Thanks – Lake May 22 '15 at 04:05
  • OK, so then you'd just need something like xrandr --output DVI-I-0 --primary to get the desktop to render on external display. The actual monitor to use depends on which output you're using, but nvidia-settings should give you this name as well. – Chuck R May 22 '15 at 05:37
  • Githlar if you delete all of your answer and change it to just the recommendation to install the nvidia-304 driver with updates, I can tick that (but not any of the other suggestions as they weren't what helped). Might be good to include how to install the driver and how you were able to know or find out which driver was the best one for my system. Thanks – Lake May 23 '15 at 21:09
  • After fiddling with nvidia settings external monitor now working, cept config now wrong and causing minor issues. Don't know what helped as settings look the same as before. Chunks of nvidia settings seem to be blacked out (cos of Xfce display?) & programmes disappeared off screen when it set to metascreen for awhile. But thanks v much for your help, really appreciate things working better. Could we shift to chat for brief bit of nvidia settings advice? – Lake May 23 '15 at 21:34
  • I've been battling with some backup issues, sorry I didn't get back with you sooner. I created a room for us. I'll just hang out quietly until you arrive =) – Chuck R May 24 '15 at 12:47