I've just installed Debian 12.8 with KDE DTE from the standard netinstall USB key (to a new SSD, dual boot with Kubuntu 22.04.5). Once completed and rebooted, I attempted to install nVidia driver 535. After adding the appropriate "contrib" entry to the proper line in /etc/apt/sources.list, and installing the Synaptic package manager I've used since 2011, I installed the nVidia 535 meta-package. During the process, I was warned that this driver conflicts with the "nouveau" package that was already installed, and that to correct the conflict I would need to restart the computer after installation completed.
I did so, and now I get a normal-looking boot to the greeter screen, but after entering my user password, I see a few seconds of black screen and am then returned to the greeter/login screen.
I also note that although GRUB is showing me an option to load Kubuntu, attempting to do so results in a hang at a black screen with flashing text cursor in the upper left (this used to be a sign of a mismatch between x-server and nVidia driver).
The Debian greeter screen reports I'm on Wayland, with which I have zero experience; Kubuntu ought to be running x-server, and was working find less than two hours ago before rebooting into the USB installer.
How can I either restore login to Debian (either with nVidia or with Nouveau so I can start over installing nVidia) or restore the ability to log into Kubuntu so I can use my computer (including using it to fix itself)?
AMD fx8350, 32 GB RAM, Gigabyte P97 series motherboard, RTx2070 video. I have a working laptop, so I can burn a copy of Debian KDE Live to use for repairs, but until I know what to do, that doesn't help me much. Please not that despite using Linux for a long time, I'm not a system guru; my ability to fix a broken system depends on finding an answer on line, and the answers I find are often the fifth or eighth solution I attempt because so much information online is years out of date.
Edit: I did discover the display server selection in the lower left of the login screen, and was able to select X11 and get a successful login to desktop. Does this mean I'll be stuck with X11 if I want to use nVidia video acceleration and CUDA drivers (I've been running BOINC for many years).
Second Edit: I started Kubuntu with "nosplash" and without "quiet" and it started up normally. I suppose it may have been a one-time issue. I'll see if it repeats when I don't tickle it from the GRUB menu...
I did so, and now I get a normal-looking boot to the greeter screen, but after entering my user password, I see a few seconds of black screen and am then returned to the greeter/login screen.
I also note that although GRUB is showing me an option to load Kubuntu, attempting to do so results in a hang at a black screen with flashing text cursor in the upper left (this used to be a sign of a mismatch between x-server and nVidia driver).
The Debian greeter screen reports I'm on Wayland, with which I have zero experience; Kubuntu ought to be running x-server, and was working find less than two hours ago before rebooting into the USB installer.
How can I either restore login to Debian (either with nVidia or with Nouveau so I can start over installing nVidia) or restore the ability to log into Kubuntu so I can use my computer (including using it to fix itself)?
AMD fx8350, 32 GB RAM, Gigabyte P97 series motherboard, RTx2070 video. I have a working laptop, so I can burn a copy of Debian KDE Live to use for repairs, but until I know what to do, that doesn't help me much. Please not that despite using Linux for a long time, I'm not a system guru; my ability to fix a broken system depends on finding an answer on line, and the answers I find are often the fifth or eighth solution I attempt because so much information online is years out of date.
Edit: I did discover the display server selection in the lower left of the login screen, and was able to select X11 and get a successful login to desktop. Does this mean I'll be stuck with X11 if I want to use nVidia video acceleration and CUDA drivers (I've been running BOINC for many years).
Second Edit: I started Kubuntu with "nosplash" and without "quiet" and it started up normally. I suppose it may have been a one-time issue. I'll see if it repeats when I don't tickle it from the GRUB menu...
Statistics: Posted by Silent Observer — 2025-01-20 23:33 — Replies 0 — Views 11