No GUI login screen after NVIDIA driver installed

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hello,

I am new to Linux. My dell windows 10 upgrade started giving me BSOD so I installed openSUSE 42.1 to dual boot. Install went well, everything was working fine but was not happy with the graphics and installed Nvidia driver per https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_drivers#Easy_way_to_get_NVIDIA_drivers ]. Restarted the laptop and now I get no GUI login screen. I can login only through command line interface. I can login with my normal login name/password…also as root.

How do I get GUI to work? Or how do I remove Nvidia driver to go back to default installation, ok to have crappy graphics than no graphics!?

I have Nvidia GeForce 520M [It is a dell xps 14z laptop]

I googled and also did : usermod -a -G video my_username [no luck :(]

Output of of " ls -a /dev/nvidia*"
/dev/nvidia0 /dev/nvidiactl /dev/nvidia0uvm

output of " getfacl /dev/nvidia* "
this lists my username under “user” as “rw-” for video group

Output of “rpm -qa | grep nvidia”
x11-video-nvidiaG03-340.93-36.1.x86_64
nvidia-uvm-gfxG03-kmp-default-340.93_k4.1.12_1-36.7.x86_64
nvidia-gfxG03-kmp-default-340.93_k4.1.12_1-36.7.x86_64
nvidia-glG03-340.93-36.1.x86_64
nvidia-computeG03-340.93-36.1.x86_64

Again:
Dell XPS 14z
Display adapters are:
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Nvidia GeForce GT 520M

Help !

Thank you.

2

That’s not necessary since years.

Dell XPS 14z
Display adapters are:
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Nvidia GeForce GT 520M

Well, that’s a so-called “Optimus” system, i.e. hybrid intel and nvidia graphics.
You cannot use the standard nvidia packages on such a system.

The system runs on the intel chip by default, installing nvidia breaks that and you might get no graphics at all.

If possible, turn off the intel graphics in the BIOS settings, then the nvidia driver should work.

Or remove the driver again:

sudo rpm -e x11-video-nvidiaG03 nvidia-uvm-gfxG03-kmp-default nvidia-gfxG03-kmp-default nvidia-glG03 nvidia-computeG03

It it’s not possible to disable the intel chip, you need other stuff to be able to use your nvidia chip in Linux, Bumblebee e.g.:
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Bumblebee

3

Thank you Thank you !!:slight_smile:
It worked, uninstalled Nvidia drivers as instructed and rebooted. Now back to normal (I think).

I will leave the thread open for a day or two to make sure everything is working fine.

4

I have the same video card in my Dell XPS laptop, i was using Linux Mint 17.2 with nvidia drivers and the isntallation was pretty simple and i was able to switch from intel to nvidia using the nvidia control panel.

now i wanted to try Leap 42.1 using the same laptop , so i ereased MINT and im having the same problems as the user mentions here.

how is possible that the hardware works fine using MINT and not Opensuse?

thanks.

5

I never heard or saw that this is possible in nvidia-settings.

What “nvidia control panel” do you mean?
Something Mint specific maybe?

how is possible that the hardware works fine using MINT and not Opensuse?

The nvidia driver does not support Optimus systems, or at least not in a way you describe.
And in particular a standard nvidia installation breaks the intel driver, which is used by default.

Maybe on Mint you were actually using something like nvidia-prime to switch to nvidia. Have a look here for something similar for openSUSE, maybe it helps you:
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/511230-NVIDIA-Optimus-without-bumbleebee

The other option to use the nvidia card is Bumblebee as already mentioned.

6

There is an equivalent Intel + AMD set up where the setting program allows switches. But NVIDA does not support this. There is a recent thread here about switching the Optimus set up with out bumblebee but I think it is is still vary experimental

https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/511230-NVIDIA-Optimus-without-bumbleebee?highlight=bumblebee

7

I dont know how it was possible but it was.

here’s the pictuer of what i was able to do. http://i.stack.imgur.com/ovYdQ.png

using leap 42.1 i did zypper inr but that just broke the Xserver gonna try bumblebee and see if that works.

I really want to keep Leap as my daily use, but i need nvidia to work, i just wish wasn’t this complicate.

8

Okay I am having the same problem again ! I uninstalled NVIDIA drivers as instructed and it was working fine. Now since this morning, laptop is not giving me GUI for login. I can login with command line just like initial problem.

Any idea? :question:

9

Try adding “nomodeset” to the kernel command line (press ‘e’ at the boot menu and append it to the line starting with “linux” or “linuxefi”, then press F10 to boot). The GUI should start then.
Please post the file /var/log/Xorg.0.log.old afterwards.

Or, alternatively, login as root in text mode, run “startx” and post the output.

You could also try to switch to the more simple “xdm” by settings DISPLAYMANAGER=“xdm” in /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager and see if you get a GUI then.

10

I did nomodset but it did not give me GUI. Below is the output of startx command.
http://i65.tinypic.com/i4fur6.jpg

11

It should be “nomodeset”, not “nomodset”.
But if that doesn’t help, it cannot really be a graphics driver problem.

Below is the output of startx command.

Hm, it says an Xserver is already running.

Try to kill X before running “startx”, or prevent the GUI from being started in the first place by adding the digit ‘3’ to the kernel command line.

12

Sorry but I am not an experienced user of Linux. Couldn’t do what you suggested but, I am currently logged into my laptop after I selected old snapshot to boot from GRUB boot menu.
Now that I am in the system…*Are there any log files I can post that can help diagnose the problem(s)?
*
some random problems I am seeing are:

(1) When I start Dolphin as Root (opened to edit DISPLAYMANAGER settings), it errors out-
Configuration file “/root/.kde4/share/config/knotifyrc” not writable.
Please contact your system administrator.

Configuration file “/root/.config/dolphinrc” not writable.
Please contact your system administrator.

Could not start process Cannot talk to klauncher: The name org.kde.klauncher5 was not provided by any .service files.

(2) Open and close “Software Repo…” without making any changes - error –
Can’t open file ‘/etc/zypp/repos.d/java.repo’ for writing. Try again?

(3) Of course, I am not sure if I restart my laptop, I will get the login GUI.

Last but not least…Thank you for your help :slight_smile:

13

Well, if you boot a snapshot, the root file system (which is the snapshot actually) will be read-only. So those errors are “normal”.

You could roll back your system to the snapshot you chose and then reboot and everything should be fine.
See SUSE Documentation