Bug#775981: nvidia-graphics-drivers: nVidia bin drivers - Blank screen after install (EE: No screens found)

[Vincent Cheng]

Control: found -1 340.65-1
Control: notfound -1 340.65

Hi Borislav,

On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 1:27 AM, Borislav Sabev <borislavsabev at gmail.com> wrote:
> Source: nvidia-graphics-drivers
> Version: 340.65
> Severity: important
>
> After trying to install the nVidia binary driver (340.65) from the Debian
> repositories (or even the installable package from the nVidia web site).
> The graphics card is nVidia NVS 5200M.
>
> uname -a:
> Linux 3.16.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.16.7-ckt2-1 (2014-12-08) x86_64 GNU/Linux
>
> Install goes OK - apt-get install logs:
> http://pastebin.com/86zZPbQn
>
> Install suggests reboot to enable the driver.
> I ran 'nvidia-xconfig' just before so I have a good xorg.conf.
> NOTE that even deleting the xorg.conf will not startx.
>
> The nvidia-xconfig generated xorg.conf:
> http://pastebin.com/jgnXTggt (seems totally fine)
>
> After reboot Xorg won't start. Error in Xorg.log is: "[6.102] (EE) no screens
> found(EE)"
> Full Xorg.0.log:
> http://pastebin.com/3kVwLxAZ
>
> /var/log/nvidia-installer.log:
> http://pastebin.com/aWyi9DSv (seems totally fine)
>
> System will default to the nouveau driver and I have graphics but from the
> Intel HD graphics. I cannot run the
>
> lspci | grep -i vga:
> 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor
> Graphics Controller (rev 09)
> 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF108GLM [NVS 5200M] (rev
> a1)

That sounds like you have an Nvidia Optimus-enabled system. Unless you
are able to disable your intel or nvidia gpu via a BIOS setting,
you'll have both your intel and nvidia gpu enabled, but your intel gpu
will be the one driving your main display, not nvidia. Installing the
proprietary driver (with no additional configuration) will not change
this (and a nvidia-xconfig generated xorg.conf would be broken for
you).

Your options include:
- just using your intel gpu and forgetting about your nvidia card
because optimus is still kind of a mess on linux
- installing and using bumblebee [1] - perhaps the easiest because
Debian has bumblebee packages
- sticking with nouveau and using PRIME [2]
- using nvidia-prime [3]

Regards,
Vincent

[1] https://wiki.debian.org/Bumblebee
[2] http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/Optimus/
[3] http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/340.32/README/randr14.html