This is starting to look very much like a kernel bug, although I'm still confused about several things. My main evidence is that I'm having similar problems with System Rescue CD, a Gentoo-based rescue distro that boots from CD or USB stick.
In particular, System Rescue CD 3.4.1 (kernel 3.4.32) works fine, but System Rescue CD 3.4.2 (kernel 3.4.35) does not. "Works fine" means that during boot, it switches from 80x25 text mode to high-res text mode just fine -- I presume this is kernel video mode setting in action? But System Rescue CD 3.4.2 fails that mode switch: the screen just goes black. That's not the exact same manifestation as I'm seeing in Ubuntu, but of course Ubuntu and System Rescue CD have different boot procedures. More data points: * if I boot System Rescue CD 3.4.2 (kernel 3.4.35) using its "framebuffer console in high resolution" option, everything is fine (although X is painfully slow) * if I boot System Rescue CD 3.4.2 using its "alt kernel" option (kernel 3.7.10), everything works fine Summary: * I'm seeing similar behaviour in two different distros (Ubuntu 12.10 and System Rescue CD 3.4.2) * I can dodge the bug with System Rescue CD either by a) using framebuffer console or b) booting a newer kernel This makes me strongly suspect that it's a kernel bug, specifically related to kernel video mode setting. The one thing that I don't understand: why is the bug still there if I boot an older Ubuntu kernel, e.g. 3.5.0-26 or 3.5.0-21 rather than 3.5.0-27? Very strange. It looks like there are no linux-image packages in quantal-backports, so trying a newer kernel will be tricky. I guess I'll repartition and try installing raring in the new partition. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop Packages, which is subscribed to xorg in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1168967 Title: regression: no video after upgrading kernel, mesa, libc, and several other packages (ThinkPad T500) Status in “xorg” package in Ubuntu: New Bug description: Steps to reproduce: 1) on 2013-03-31, shutdown laptop for a 2-week vacation 2) on 2013-04-13, return from vacation, boot laptop, and apply pending updates with update-manager 3) reboot laptop Expected result: Ubuntu boots just as it did before the update (it worked fine on 2013-03-31, and then again on 2013-04-13 before the update) Actual result: no video (black screen) -- no splash screen, no kernel log messages (which are normally suppressed anyways), no login screen, nothing. Just blackness. This is a Lenovo ThinkPad T500, which is slightly unusual in that it has two video chipsets, one nVIDIA and one ATI. I'm quite sure I disabled the nVIDIA chipset in the BIOS for the obvious reason that nVIDIA + Linux = pain. (But I did this when I bought the laptop in Sep 2012, and have not checked the BIOS settings recently. Will do that soon.) If I boot into recovery mode, things are a bit different. For starters, I get the traditional kernel boot logs that are normally suppressed by Ubuntu, but they're all in 80x25 text mode (I'm used to seeing a high-res text console, presumably at the screen's native resolution). Then I get the "Recovery Menu". The "root" option works as expected, i.e. I get a root shell in 80x25 text mode. If I select "failsafeX", at least X starts with a warning dialog: "The system is running in low-graphics mode". That's as far as I get; the failsafeX mode appears to have several unrelated bugs, which I'll report separately. From /var/lib/dpkg.log, I believe the list of packages upgraded by the bad update on 2013-04-13 was: libjack-jackd2-0:i386 1.9.8~dfsg.4+20120529git007cdc37-2ubuntu2 libjack-jackd2-0:amd64 1.9.8~dfsg.4+20120529git007cdc37-2ubuntu2 libc-bin:amd64 2.15-0ubuntu20 man-db:amd64 2.6.3-1 desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.20-0.1ubuntu1 gnome-menus:amd64 3.6.0-0ubuntu1 bamfdaemon:amd64 0.3.4-0ubuntu1 update-notifier-common:all 0.126 ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-12build1 libavutil51:amd64 6:0.8.6-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 libavcodec53:amd64 6:0.8.6-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 libavformat53:amd64 6:0.8.6-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 mesa-common-dev:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libglapi-mesa:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libgl1-mesa-glx:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libgl1-mesa-dev:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libgl1-mesa-dri:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libpoppler28:amd64 0.20.4-0ubuntu1.2 libpoppler-glib8:amd64 0.20.4-0ubuntu1.2 libpostproc52:amd64 6:0.8.6-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 libswscale2:amd64 6:0.8.6-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 libxatracker1:amd64 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.1 libxslt1.1:amd64 1.1.26-14ubuntu0.1 linux-image-3.5.0-27-generic:amd64 3.5.0-27.46 firefox:amd64 20.0+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.3 firefox-globalmenu:amd64 20.0+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.3 firefox-gnome-support:amd64 20.0+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.3 firefox-locale-en:amd64 20.0+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.3 flashplugin-installer:amd64 11.2.202.280ubuntu0.12.10.1 libufe-xidgetter0:amd64 2.4.4-0ubuntu0.2 xul-ext-unity:all 2.4.4-0ubuntu0.2 linux-image-extra-3.5.0-27-generic:amd64 3.5.0-27.46 linux-image-generic:amd64 3.5.0.27.43 linux-headers-3.5.0-27:all 3.5.0-27.46 linux-headers-3.5.0-27-generic:amd64 3.5.0-27.46 linux-headers-generic:amd64 3.5.0.27.43 linux-generic:amd64 3.5.0.27.43 linux-libc-dev:amd64 3.5.0-27.46 poppler-utils:amd64 0.20.4-0ubuntu1.2 thunderbird:amd64 17.0.5+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 thunderbird-globalmenu:amd64 17.0.5+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 thunderbird-locale-en:amd64 1:17.0.5+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 thunderbird-gnome-support:amd64 17.0.5+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 thunderbird-locale-en-us:all 1:17.0.5+build1-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 xdiagnose:all 3.2.3 libc-bin:amd64 2.15-0ubuntu20 (I just grep'ed for "status: installed" in /var/lib/dpkg.log.) I don't think the kernel is at fault: I've tried booting into recovery mode with 3.5.0-26 (which was running before the update) and 3.5.0-21 (the oldest kernel still on this machine, from Dec 2012) and got the exact same behaviour. I don't think mesa is at fault: I dug up the 9.0 packages (shipped with 12.10 release), downgraded to them, and still have the same behaviour. (The actual upgrade from was mesa 9.0.2 to 9.0.3, but I couldn't find the 9.0.2 packages on archive.ubuntu.com.) I haven't tried downgrading any of the other upgraded packages. If anyone can suggest likely candidates to downgrade first, I'm all ears. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10 Package: xorg 1:7.7+1ubuntu4 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-27.46-generic 3.5.7.7 Uname: Linux 3.5.0-27-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu10 Architecture: amd64 CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins' Date: Sun Apr 14 16:38:04 2013 DistUpgraded: 2012-11-22 16:59:36,329 ERROR got error from PostInstallScript ./xorg_fix_proprietary.py (Failed to execute child process "./xorg_fix_proprietary.py" (No such file or directory)) DistroCodename: quantal DistroVariant: ubuntu ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes GraphicsCard: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a42] (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:2115] Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV635 [Mobility Radeon HD 3650] [1002:9591] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:2116] InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-09-30 (196 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120823.1) MachineType: LENOVO 20552CU MarkForUpload: True PccardctlIdent: Socket 0: no product info available PccardctlStatus: Socket 0: no card ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-27-generic root=UUID=92edda48-9aa3-4a68-8cea-d57fa7ca469a ro recovery nomodeset SourcePackage: xorg UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2012-11-22 (142 days ago) dmi.bios.date: 12/14/2011 dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO dmi.bios.version: 6FET92WW (3.22 ) dmi.board.name: 20552CU dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO dmi.board.version: Not Available dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information dmi.chassis.type: 10 dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO dmi.chassis.version: Not Available dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr6FET92WW(3.22):bd12/14/2011:svnLENOVO:pn20552CU:pvrThinkPadT500:rvnLENOVO:rn20552CU:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable: dmi.product.name: 20552CU dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T500 dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.6-0ubuntu1 version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1 version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0-0ubuntu1 version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0-0ubuntu1 version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6.1 version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu2 version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1 version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2 version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu3 To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1168967/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages Post to : desktop-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
