DEV Community

Asher-ish
Asher-ish

Posted on • Originally published at zenn.dev

Fixing Ubuntu Desktop Freezing at the Login Screen

#ubuntu #linux #nvidia #gpu

When installing Ubuntu Desktop, the system may freeze at login if the default graphics settings are incompatible with the hardware. This article explains how to resolve this issue.

What Is Ubuntu Desktop?

Ubuntu comes in two varieties: "Ubuntu Server" for server use, and "Ubuntu Desktop" for personal and office use.

Ubuntu Server is designed primarily for server operations and is intended to be operated via command line (CUI). It does not include a GUI.

Ubuntu Desktop is designed for personal and office use, with an intuitive GUI included as standard.

Why It Freezes

Normally, the kernel initializes the framebuffer (the display area using the GPU) during boot and sets the optimal resolution. However, when this operation fails, the following problems can occur:

  • The screen goes black
  • The boot process freezes
  • The login screen doesn't appear

The main cause of this failure is that the open-source driver is not compatible with the installed GPU.

Note: Open-source drivers are the drivers installed by default on Ubuntu, such as nouveau (for NVIDIA), amdgpu (for AMD), and modesetting (a generic driver).

For example, the open-source driver may fail to initialize the framebuffer for the latest NVIDIA GPUs, causing a freeze at login. BIOS/UEFI settings or specific hardware configurations (e.g., multi-GPU environments) can also be the cause.

Installing a proprietary driver is required for NVIDIA GPUs to set the optimal resolution, but you can't install the proprietary driver without being able to log in first.

How to Log In

Using nomodeset disables automatic initialization and runs in low-resolution mode, allowing you to use the GUI environment. Note that this is a temporary fix — you'll need to install the proprietary driver as a permanent solution.

  1. Display the GRUB menu at boot (press the Shift key repeatedly)
  2. Press e before selecting "Ubuntu"
  3. Change quiet splash to quiet splash nomodeset
  4. Boot with Ctrl + X

This starts the GUI in low-resolution mode, allowing you to log in.

Install the Proprietary Driver

After logging in, install the proprietary driver to display the screen at the proper resolution. The following example is for NVIDIA GPUs.

Check the recommended driver:

ubuntu-drivers devices
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Install the recommended driver:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver-xxx
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The officially provided driver from the repository is recommended, but if needed, download and install the latest driver from the NVIDIA official website.

Remove nomodeset

After installing the proprietary driver, remove nomodeset from the GRUB configuration.

Edit the GRUB configuration (e.g., using nano):

sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Find the following line:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Change it to:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Save the settings and update GRUB:

sudo update-grub
sudo reboot
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

After rebooting, verify that the proprietary driver is working correctly with the following command:

nvidia-smi
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Note: For AMD or Intel GPUs

Even with AMD or Intel GPUs, similar issues can occur due to open-source drivers.

  • For AMD: Check if the amdgpu driver is applied, and install the proprietary driver if necessary.
  • For Intel: Check if the i915 driver is applied.

If the specific problem is not resolved, refer to official documentation or support forums.

Top comments (0)