Help! - screen goes very dark trying initial boot from USB

[RobinL]

Hello

I have a Windows 11 PC (custom from PC Specialist). I want to try / install Kubuntu (no real experience with Linux up to now). I have created a USB boot disk, and can boot into the text screen with options. When I select Try / Install Kubuntu, the next screen is very very dark. I can just about make out a couple of icons which I think are the options to try or install. But it's so dark I can't see the cursor or carry on from there. I can't find any way to increase the screen brightness - e.g. Fn F8 / F9 that I used with Windows. I have tried setting the brightness to max in Windows before rebooting, but makes no difference. Any ideas?

thanks
Robin

[Schwarzer Kater]

Laptop or desktop computer?
CPU/GPU?

[RobinL]

Thanks for the reply, sorry I've been away for a day. It's a laptop with AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3060

But sorry, I realised after posting that I had left my LG monitor plugged in, and that was causing the issue. Whether I can get the monitor working later I don't know yet, but hopefully if I can get Kubuntu installed properly I can sort that out.

[kc1di]

Glad you found it

[Schwarzer Kater]

If not, the problem might be the Nvidia card.
You could try booting the life USB with the "safe graphics" option.

Otherwise you probably will have to install (K)ubuntu and install the proprietary Nvidia drivers afterwards from the Ubuntu repositories, meaning: don't download Nvidia drivers from somewhere - always use the ones your distribution provides.

[RobinL]

If not, the problem might be the Nvidia card.
You could try booting the life USB with the "safe graphics" option.

Otherwise you probably will have to install (K)ubuntu and install the proprietary Nvidia drivers afterwards from the Ubuntu repositories, meaning: don't download Nvidia drivers from somewhere - always use the ones your distribution provides.

Thanks, I don't think it was the monitor, so probably is this. I installed Kubuntu and then used the USB boot again to change the partition sizes, and lost the visibility again (no monitor attached this time). I'll install those drivers once I'm confident the re-partition has finished...