Blank screen when updating nvidia drivers - 'Apply Changes' in Software Sources greyed out

didgewind

7/15/24, 6:36 PM

I was using Lubuntu 20.04 (Ubuntu with LXQT) and NVidia drivers (GeForce 940MX card). Last few times I run an upgrade with

sudo apt full-upgrade

my screen went blank if nvidia drivers where upgrading. I just waited for some time to ensure the upgrade was completed, and then rebooted my laptop (pressing the shutdown / start button for some seconds).

Yesterday I upgraded the distro to Lubuntu 22.04, and again the screen went black (and I know it involved nvidia drivers because when pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1 there was a frozen screen of my last view and it showed the terminal doing something with nvidia drivers). So I breathed in, went on pressing enter or tab - enter from time to time, then rebooted and run

sudo dpkg --configure -a

to finish the upgrading procedure. And now I cannot change nvidia driver in Software Sources (I can choose any other option but the Apply Changes button is always greyed out), and I don't know if next time NVidia drivers get upgraded my screen will become blank again.

Any help with this?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE 16th JULY: here is the output of inxi -G command, as requested in the comments:

Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 530 driver: i915 v: kernel
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM108M [GeForce 940MX] driver: nvidia v: 535.54.03
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa gpu: i915
    resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 530 (SKL GT2)
    v: 4.6 Mesa 22.2.5-0ubuntu0.1~22.04.3

I also need to add that I've been using this computer for about 6 years now, and the frozen screen problem happened randomly a few times, a known problem that happens sometimes with certain configurations. But it had never happened to me when upgrading the drivers.

132

0 + 4

upgrade

nvidia

nvidia-geforce

22.04

kanehekili

7/15/24, 7:43 PM

Strange, I don't have that problem with xfce.(GTX 760) Could you paste the outpunt of `inxi -G` into your question? Thus we know which driver you're using.

mchid

7/16/24, 12:43 AM

How did you install the nvidia drivers?

didgewind

7/16/24, 12:15 PM

The ouput with the drivers info is now in the question. About the installing of the drivers, I think they installed by themselves with the so (new fresh install from dec' 22) and then I chose the proprietary version in Software Sources - Additional Drivers.

Arigion

8/23/24, 8:47 AM

Have the same problem getting a black screen when upgrading drivers under Ubuntu 23.04/RTX4090. Haven't found a solution yet.

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: Blank screen when updating nvidia drivers - 'Apply Changes' in Software Sources greyed out

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