black screen in tty1

Graphics / Linux Linux
1

A few day ago, Ubuntu 16.04 repository released 4.4.0-66-generic kernel updates. Unfortunate for me, the updated kernel resulted in a purple screen after a reboot. I gathered it was because I had installed NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-375.39.run in linux 4.4.0-64-generic kernel and the updated kernel did not have the 375.39 driver. I managed to recover my system back to using linux 4.4.0-64-generic kernel. However, my present issue are:

  1. How do I install the 375.39 driver for linux 4.4.0-66-generic kernel when my system is updated?
  2. In my present system using 4.4.0-64-generic kernel, the recovery somehow resulted in tty1 to tty6 all covered by a black screen. The recovery procedures executed are described here https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2354955.. This black screen now prevents me from having command line access to linux, which is very problematic. Example, I can't stop lightdm to uninstall the 375.39 driver or even install any NVidia driver

Appreciate instructions that can resolve my 2 issues.

2

Regarding my 2nd question:

  • I clarify that my screen is not entirely black. Instead, at the top of the screen, there was a horizontal strip of purple having a thickness less than 1cm. The reset of the screen is blacked out.
  • After further testing, I certain the purple colored horizontal strip is an exposed portion of the splash. I came to this conclusion after having manipulated the appearance of the splash and would see that color of the horizontal strip match the splash. In short, each time I press to switch to tty1, I would see the splash mostly obstructed by misaligned/out-of-position black rectangle.

I notice that when the Nvidia driver boots up, my screen is blacked out with a black screen. I don’t even get to see a screen with the NVidia logo anymore with driver 375.39. I suspect the black out screen used there is similar to the black out screen I am seeing when I switch to tty1-6.

    [b]
  • Can Nvidia advice me if it deployed the black out screens that I have described about?
  • If yes, how can it be removed?
    • [/b]
3

While scanning through past posts in this forum on tty, I came across this error.
https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/534599/linux/-304-84-when-switching-from-x-session-to-tty-1-6-display-gets-no-signal/post/3772818/#3772818

To avoid these warnings, I switched off Compatibility Support Module (CSM).
Now, I find myself in another situation. There is no signal to ttys (1 to 6). My monitor is plugged into NVIDIA’s graphic card via DVI.

I read from this post that a patch was needed to fix this problem. https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/946129/jetson-tx1/switching-to-tty1-6-/post/4914207/#4914207 Is a patch for 375.39 needed to fix my situation?

$ dmesg | grep nvidia
[   11.111540] nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.
[   11.113466] nvidia: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing - tainting kernel
[   11.116262] nvidia-nvlink: Nvlink Core is being initialized, major device number 242
[   11.144008] nvidia-modeset: Loading NVIDIA Kernel Mode Setting Driver for UNIX platforms  375.39  Tue Jan 31 19:41:48 PST 2017
[   11.154956] [drm] [nvidia-drm] [GPU ID 0x00000100] Loading driver
[   22.098336] nvidia-modeset: Allocated GPU:0 (GPU-0dec3f36-163a-bdde-bc4e-9270def3e58e) @ PCI:0000:01:00.0

$ dmesg | grep NVRM
[   11.116270] NVRM: loading NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module  375.39  Tue Jan 31 20:47:00 PST 2017 (using threaded interrupts)

Question: Why is there no signal to tty 1 to 6?

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