Black screen after Zorin 8 install

Before you flame me, let me explain a few things about my situation:

1. I'm a noob with Zorin.
2. I'm trying to upgrade a XP machine. I tried Ubuntu on it and it loaded just fine, but wanted to install Zorin instead because the XP-like interface will be less distressing to the person who will eventually use this machine.
3. I downloaded Zorin 8, verified the checksums, burned it to a DVD using the slowest speed, and verified the burn is okay.
4. I installed Zorin using the same disk on a VMware virtual machine on a different platform and it worked perfectly, so I know the disk is good.
5. Both the Zorin live version and the full install on the XP machine produce the same result - after booting, the screen is totally black except for the mouse pointer. I can see it, move it around, and click it all day long but nothing happens.
6. I have tried the "press Tab at the Zorin menu and type 'nomodeset acpi=off' ' suggestion, but all I get in return is the message "command not found" or something similar and it still boots to a blank screen. Obviously there's more to typing this in than is being explained for someone who doesn't use a Linux command line often enough to follow.
7. If I let the machine sit for a few minutes, the session locks...when I press a key or move the mouse, the unlock screen *does* appear and allow me to enter the user password. After that, it immediately goes back to a blank screen.
8. I tried using the search function on this forum to look for a similar problem, but every search term I use comes back with no results.

I really like the look of this OS, and as I said it runs great on my VMware session on a different machine. But that doesn't help me here. I know Ubuntu itself works on the machine, so there's got to be some tiny something I'm missing. If I have to use Ubuntu, I will, but I'd much rather use Zorin.

Here's the hardware I'm working with:
P4 2.8GHz
1Gb RAM
80Gb hard drive
DVD-ROM drive
Nvidia MX400 video card (64Mb AGP 8X)
USB keyboard and mouse
19-inch LCD monitor

Any suggestions?

Hi,

start your PC in recovery mode and activate "Network" (NETWORK CABLE REQUIRED) then drop to "root shell" and enter the following command:

Code:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-current nvidia-settings

Restart with Ctrl + Alt + Del and then update and restart again.

See also:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2490

Regards Wolfman

Hi Wolfman,

Thanks for your suggestion. I let the packages install and ran the restart, and now I'm getting a window on the screen during boot that says "The system is running in low-graphics mode. Your screen, graphics card, and input device settings could not be detected correctly. You will need to configure these yourself." When I click on OK, I get another window that asks me what I want to do: "Run in low-graphics mode for just one session; Reconfigure graphics; Troubleshoot the error; or Exit to console login" If I try to reconfigure graphics, it asks me to select the default or backup configuration; but if I select either one nothing happens. The other options are equally non-responsive. If I Cancel out of the window, the screen stays black and the mouse pointer is not visible.

Is there anything else I can try, or should I start looking at a replacement graphics card?

EDIT: I found the latest Nvidia driver that supports this card is version 96.43.23 - how do I install it?

Mike

Hi Mike,

install as instructed above, start in recovery mode again and this do the updates then the low graphics message will vanish.

Recovery mode > Activate Network (Network Cable required) > Then run "DPKG" and restart with Ctrl + Alt + Del, do not click on "Resume"!.

Regards Wolfman

Hi Wolfman,

I followed your directions exactly as you stated, but the result is the same. The machine tells me it's in low-graphics mode.

I believe the problem is with the Nvidia driver package you're asking me to install. It's the 304 series, and during the boot into recovery mode there is a message that flashes up for just a couple of seconds about the driver. I had to reboot it several times to read it all, but basically it says my graphics card (a Geforce4 MX 440 AGP8X) is not supported by that driver, and refers me to the Nvidia website to get the last driver that did support it, which is in the 96 series. I was able to locate the Linux 32-bit driver 96.43.23 on the Nvidia site, but I have no clue how to install it.

This is getting very discouraging. I thought Linux was supposedly friendlier toward supporting older hardware, but at this rate I'm starting to think otherwise.

Mike

Hi Mike, and welcome to the Zorin forum by the way!

I can truly appreciate where you are coming from - that has always the mantra I have believed in that GNU/Linux should be able to breathe new life into old kit - bearing in mind Zorin is a 'junior' distro it has put a lot of work into both Core and Lite versions to accommodate as many users as possible - but the great thing about GNU/Linux in general is the wealth of choice out there!

Right, back to basics, let's give this a whirl one more time! I had EXACTLY the same experience as you when recycling a machine for disposal at work - I had used DBAN (Darik's Boot And Nuke) for wiping the hard drive clean and after work day had finished I tried Zorin 8 RC - first I got the black screen with a panel but where the notification area (indicator applet on right) should be I got a cross, and where the Zorin menu button should be I got a square with a cross in it on the panel. I tried 'acpi = off nomodeset' and ended up with a mouse that disappeared off screen - the machine was a Geforce with n-Force 3 chipset with on-board graphics and formerly XP OS. This is how I got the desktop in live mode but could not get an install from there.

When you boot the machine with the (DVD?) and the Zorin/GRUB Menu comes on screen, press the 'Tab' key and add at the end of the boot command:

Code:

forcevesa acpi=off nomodeset

If the old machine has an acpi/noapic option in the BIOS - set this to 'Disabled' which will avoid the need for 'acpi=off'

Keep us posted!

Hi Swarfendor437,

Thanks for the welcome and the encouragement!

I had tried pressing "Tab" on the boot screen, but it was not responding. Then I realized you and Wolfman were wanting me to do it using the live DVD instead of during a boot from the hard drive, which is where he and I had been working from to get the Nvidia driver to install. After trying to load this on the hard drive 5 separate times, I guess it's time to RTFI and try again

First, I checked the BIOS and ACPI is already turned off, so that's not a factor.
Next, I wiped the drive clean *again* so as not to interfere with the DVD.
Third, I started up with the DVD in the drive. When I got to the menu and pressed the tab key, I finally got the boot command line you both had mentioned. I typed in "forcevesa nomodeset" and pressed Enter, and let the system start up.
Voila! I got the Zorin OS screen at long last!

I checked the system properties after that and found it had identified the graphics as "VESA: NV18 Board - c116dnz" which is a far cry from a Nvidia MX 440 AGP8X card.

Okay, now that it "appears" (no pun intended) that Zorin does work on the machine, how do I add those options to the startup on the hard disk when I install it? And, is there any way to get the correct Nvidia drivers (which I mentioned earlier in my posts) installed?

Mike

Hi Mike, I will try and get back to you on the last permanent bit. Now I do know that the Nvidia MX440 did cause quite a few issues in the past (and I am talking in the days of Sabayon 3.3 which is quite a while ago now!) and used to be the one nVidia card that caused issues with GNU/Linux - that code of NV is GNU/Linux code in that it recognises that card against one in its GNU/Linux database. The nVidia MX440 (to use our managed services parlance at work! ) is that it is 'legacy' graphics which won't necessarily run with the latest nVidia drivers. I much prefer the nouveau experimental drivers of GNU/Linux on Zorin - more stable than proprietary but that is just my experience.

I will come back in due course.

OK, here is what I would do, I would try and run the installer directly menu but see if it will let you use the tab commands. After installation you could try a reboot and then be sure to update the OS by opening a terminal (Accessories | Terminal or Ctrl+ Alt+ T) and enter:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Basically, GNU/Linux used to have a separate piece of software called X-org which intern had a .conf (configuration file) for the graphics card in use - these days it is buried in the kernel (that means all graphics code is hidden inside the OS's kernel).

Keep us posted!

The installer did let me run the tab command and I was able to get through the installation, which really wasn't much different than the previous times I had tried to install to the hard disk. The reboot, however, didn't change the situation and put me right back to the black screen.

I did, however, discover a "workaround" of sorts. If I start from the hard disk and enter Recovery mode, then tell it to continue with a normal boot, it appears to bypass the troublesome bit and loads the screens normally. So, all I think I need is to insert the "nomodeset" command into grub and it should work...I think.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I didn't know you had an older card, stick with the "Nouveau Drivers" and you should be okay.

Start in recovery mode and activate network (Network Cable Required) then drop to root and type the following command:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove nvidia-current && sudo apt-get install nouveau-firmware

Then restart with Ctrl + Alt + Del and update again.

Let us know if that helps.

Regards Wolfman