Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

[metro2003]

Hi everyone,

(I'm new to linux)

I am trying to install Kubuntu 7.10 on my laptop and when I run the LiveCD I just get a blank screen. I tried every single option to change the screen resolution when asked at the first menu (by hitting F4) and same results.

I even tried the safe mode and with the same results. eventually I installed it using the command line, however, when I boot I get the blank screen again. the only access is when I boot in recovery (text) mode. That's as far as I got to have access to the system.

and by the way, when I try a "sudo aptitude update" it says the address can not be resolved. so I think that my network card is down as well. but I have no clue how to even check that or how to bring it up online.

What should I do to get my install working?? PLEASE HELP !!

system:
Asus G2S laptop - Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4. 17" screen.
nvidia geforce 8600M GT 256MB
max screen resolution: 1920 x 1200

Thank you !

-m

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Boot into Safe Mode. At the prompt, type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Choose VESA as your video driver. This will get you a functional (640x480) desktop. Not ideal, but working. As you have an nVidia card, you will most likely want to run the envy script installer to get and install the proper driver for you card. Of course, before you do that, you do need to ensure that you have a working Internet connection.

Welcome to the Kubuntu Forums!

[metro2003]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

hi...thank you for the info.

I managed to load the vesa display and eventually the network was enabled as well.

I downloaded and installed envy and after the installation w/o any error it still doesn't work. I even tried the "sudo envy -t" to remove any nvidia drivers and re-install them.

now, when I boot normally, I get a text prompt and my server name and login:

SERVER login:

the error messages above this line are as follow (can't copy/paste so I'll have to write them out)

=================================

Starting up:
[ 15.543729] PCI: Cannot allocate resources region 9 of bridge 0000:00:01.1
[ 15.543809] PCI: Cannot allocate resources region 1 of bridge 0000:01:00.1
[ 15.543729] PCI: Failed to allocate mem resources #9:10000000@0 for 0000:00:01.0
[ 15.543261] PCI: Failed to allocate mem resources #1:10000000@0 for 0000:01:00.0

Loading, please wait...
usplash: setting mode 1920x1440 failed
usplash: Using mode 1600x1200
kinit: name_to_dev_t(/dev/disk/by-uuid/158570aa-f8ea-410a-b454-1fda2766cb04) = sda6(8,6)
kinit: trying to resume from /dev/disk/by-uuid/158570aa-f8ea-410a-b454-1fda2766cb04
kinit: No resume image, doing normal boot...

Ubuntu 7.10 SERVER tty1

SERVER login.

=========================

thanks

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

From the SERVER login prompt, what happens if you type startx

[metro2003]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

ok, I tried startx and a whole page of text stuff came up. too much to type but I'll type what looks strange to me:

==================================

(==) using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
(II) Module already built-in
(WW) ****INVALID MEM ALLOCATION**** b: 0xc0000000 e: 0xc000000 correcting
FATAL: Error inserting nvidia (/lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/nvidia/nvidia.ko): no such device
(EE) NVIDIA: Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module!
(EE) NVIDIA: *** Aborting ***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal server error:
no screens found
XIO: Fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X Server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

=======================

thanks

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Watch for a reply from dibl - he's an nVidia user. I think that you may have set something wrong with the envy script installer.

[metro2003]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

cool. hope he gets to read this. actually dibl helped me before with another issue I was having with another build. I just got into this linux stuff now. wanted to learn something new.

thanks though.

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Linux is a double-edged sword - it cuts both ways. It can be fun and frustrating at the same time. One thing that you need to put in your Linux toolbox that will be of great help, is patience! This Forum provides help to posters quite quickly. So, hang loose and wait for the assistance that will be coming your way.

[dibl]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

I read this thread from top to bottom twice. We're having a blizzard and I just came in from shoveling out the driveway for the second time today -- maybe it's affecting my brain, because seems like quite a tangle.

OK, I think there are multiple issues, and maybe we need to try to knock them down one at a time.

I THINK this one is a non-issue -- let's just ignore it for the moment.

Starting up:
[ 15.543729] PCI: Cannot allocate resources region 9 of bridge 0000:00:01.1
[ 15.543809] PCI: Cannot allocate resources region 1 of bridge 0000:01:00.1
[ 15.543729] PCI: Failed to allocate mem resources #9:10000000@0 for 0000:00:01.0
[ 15.543261] PCI: Failed to allocate mem resources #1:10000000@0 for 0000:01:00.0

I get an "error" similar to that upon every boot -- there is a known "failure to communicate" issue between Intel and the Linux kernel on the subject of reserved PCI memory. It does not affect performance in any way.


The next one is video-related -- I believe it is a failure to handle the splash:

Loading, please wait...
usplash: setting mode 1920x1440 failed
usplash: Using mode 1600x1200

Then there is a disk mounting problem -- I think it may relate to a swap partition (or lack thereof):

kinit: name_to_dev_t(/dev/disk/by-uuid/158570aa-f8ea-410a-b454-1fda2766cb04) = sda6(8,6)
kinit: trying to resume from /dev/disk/by-uuid/158570aa-f8ea-410a-b454-1fda2766cb04
kinit: No resume image, doing normal boot...

I'm not sure exactly where to start -- did you choose the 32-bit or the 64-bit Live CD?

I'd say this mounting issue is the most serious -- did you make a swap space during installation? Can you open the Konsole and do

blkid

and post the results here. It would also be interesting to see the contents of /etc/fstab posted.

Meanwhile I'll look up the boot options for Nvidia cards and see if I can turn up anything useful.

[metro2003]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Hi Dibl, thanks for the response...we're having pretty bad weather in NY as well..well, mostly downpours but still don't want to get out of the house..

so, I chose the 32bit version of the LiveCD. and yes, I created the swap partition as well.

when I type blkid I get the following:
===========

/dev/sda2: UUID="12AADAAAAADA8A1D" LABEL="Disk_1" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda3: UUID="85282AB52829CD6" LABEL="Disk_2" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda5: UUID="<very long sequence>" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda6: TYPE="swap" UUID="<very long sequence>"
/dev/sda7: UUID="<very long sequence>" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"

===========

I don't know if this is useful but I have Windows Vista installed as well and I'm trying to have a dual boot. sorry if I missed to say this earlier and it's useful info.

thanks

-m

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

... I have Windows Vista installed as well and I'm trying to have a dual boot.

That's an important piece of information. You have a single HD in the laptop? I'm assuming yes. You shrank the Vista Volume on C: before you attempted to install Kubuntu? I have to assume you did, because you can't install any other OS on a HD that has Windoze Vista already installed.

/dev/sda5: UUID="<very long sequence>" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda6: TYPE="swap" UUID="<very long sequence>"
/dev/sda7: UUID="<very long sequence>" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"

Not providing the UUID identifiers isn't helpful - we need to know what those identifiers are. Understanding that you have to write them out, but please do and re-post.

[dibl]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Interesting that we see no /dev/sda1. I suppose that is a Vista "secret reserve" partition or something. I have no experience sharing a drive with Vista (and I hope to keep it that way!)

Beyond the mysteriously-missing /dev/sda1, I don't see anything in fstab that explains the mount error during booting.

What was the size of the root partition for Kubuntu, and also the swap space? If you want to run

fdisk -lu

and post the output, that may tell us more about the drive allocation setup.

[metro2003]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

shoot..yes, I did shrink the HD because I wanted to separate my system files from my saved data in case something went wrong. I think I screwed this whole laptop up didn't I, huh?? and yes, only one HD.

ok, here are the sequences:

===========

/dev/sda5: UUID="31301cd8-fd9c-437c-8223-700977478184" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda6: TYPE="swap" UUID="158570aa-f8ea-410a-b454-1fda2766cb04"
/dev/sda7: UUID="867e0a4d-85e6-40c8-95b3-0097586b680f" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="

===========

thanks for having patience...

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

Windoze Vista does have two partitions. The first is a smallish (1G??) and the second is the main one used by the OS. If my memory serves, the smaller one is a recovery partition, and if one intends to keep Windoze Vista, you must leave this partition alone!

Vista also, by default, has Restore Points set active. This has to be turned off, and any restore points deleted prior to shrinking the Vista Volume in order to recover the maximum amount of HD space for use with another OS.

[Snowhog]

Re: Blank screen when installing Live CD - using ASUS laptop, nvidia 8600m GT

I'm sure you didn't screw up your laptop. You are still able to boot into Vista, yes?

You shrank the volume. Good. You did your research. Did you use the separate GParted LiveCD to setup the unused space you created on the HD, or did you use the utility on the LiveCD. Either one is okay, although many prefer to use the separate LiveCD of GParted to setup the partitions before installing from the Kubuntu LiveCD.

Follow dibl's suggestion and open a console and type:

sudo fdisk -lu

Carefully copy and the report back the results.

Our patience isn't what counts here - yours does. Patience is a tool that many new to Linux don't pick up, even though it is a tool that will serve them well.