I’m using 16.04 64-bit on an encrypted LVM installation. The machine has an nvidia video card, if that matters at all. This machine has been running fine for quite a while. However, when I updated last night, the machine is unbootable. It will either ask me for my luks passphrase (but the keyboard is inoperable) or it will not ask for the passphrase and show a blinking white cursor.
Today, I tried wiping my drive and reinstalling Ubuntu MATE. I again opted for an encrypted LVM installation. The machine worked great, but when I installed all the updates, it’s unbootable again.
Has anyone seen this yet? I may need to create a bug report if not. This is 100% reproducible on this machine. Update the system, install the nvidia driver, then it’s unbootable.
I have another PC with Ubuntu MATE, but without encrypted LVM. Even with the latest updates, the non-encrypted PC is running great.
I did a bit more troubleshooting. It turns out, this is most-likely related to the proprietary nvidia driver. I tested this by reinstalling Ubuntu MATE again, and installing all updates. After a reboot, no issue. But as soon as I install the proprietary nvidia driver and reboot, I cannot type my passphrase or boot my system. Oddly, choosing an older kernel at the GRUB menu has the same problem.
Normally I stay away from closed-source drivers, but this is a gaming PC, and I’m playing Linux games on it. I’ve never had a problem on this machine before though - it was encrypted with proprietary drivers installed before, and updated fine each week.
Mine got to default nouvou drivers by itself after an update on the drivers (it had nVidia so it shouldn’t have happened) yesterday. I change to the previous nvidia drivers, so it started to work everything fine.
I find it very very odd that a video driver messes up with your LVM/encryption confirmation. I actually do not see how that is possible but, as mentionned in a previous post, I am not a Linux God (yet) hence I will stop it right there.
However I do also have some (good/bad) experience with Nvidia products on Linux and those are generally painful.
Have you looked at:
More practically speaking, if that would be my computer, I would definately be tempted to yank that nvidia card out AFTER that I did the upgrade and my system stopped working and see how that behaves.
Of course, you would then need to either replace that card with another cheaper one or default onto your on-board video controller given that you do have one.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any other video cards to use for testing. The motherboard does not have onboard video. For me, the video card messing up the system does make sense. If you think about it, if the video driver is messed up, it may prevent the system from asking for the passphrase, or booting the system that far. in my case. I’ll either see a blinking cursor other than the passphrase prompt, or I’ll see the passphrase screen but the system will lock.
For now, I have reinstalled without full-disk encryption, and I chose to encrypt my home folder. I installed the nvidia driver, fully updated my system, and there have been no issues whatsoever. This is not ideal, though.
I agree that Nvidia drivers are generally painful, but one of the use-cases for this machine is gaming, so it’s required for the performance I expect.
Is it solved? the day after it removed an nVidia optimus from my system (which I actually don’t know what it is), so it might be the problem with an incorrect driver.
It’s not using UEFI. Those links seem to be pertaining to Plymouth not appearing. I see it, and it asks for the passphrase, but keyboard input does not work.
Is it wireless? No idea then but won’t be get any luck with Nvidia support probably… There’s a new kernel, try to update to this last one and see if it fixes it.
LMAO