RTX 5090 + Ubuntu 22.04 LTS installation stuck at “Try / Install Ubuntu” (black screen) – iGPU-based install workaround verification

Graphics / Linux Linux
, , , , ,
1

Hello NVIDIA Team and Community,

I am facing consistent installation issues with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on a system equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 5090 (Blackwell), and I would like to verify a commonly suggested workaround with NVIDIA engineers and experienced users.

System Configuration

  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i9-14900KS

  • Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-A MAX WIFI

  • RAM: 64 GB DDR5 (2 × 32 GB, 5600 MHz)

  • GPU: ASUS TUF RTX 5090 O32G (Blackwell)

  • Storage: WD Black SN7100 NVMe Gen4 – 1 TB

  • PSU: Cooler Master 1250W ATX 3.0 Gold

  • Target OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Problem Description

When attempting to install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop using the official ISO:

  • The system boots to the GRUB menu successfully.

  • As soon as “Try Ubuntu” or “Install Ubuntu” is selected:

    • The screen turns completely black

    • The system appears stuck / frozen

    • No installer UI is shown

  • This happens consistently with the RTX 5090 installed.

  • Boot parameters such as nomodeset have been tried but are unreliable.

As far as we understand, this is due to:

  • The Ubuntu 22.04 installer using an older kernel (5.15)

  • Missing Blackwell PCI IDs / DRM paths at install time

  • Nouveau / early KMS failing to initialize the RTX 5090

Proposed Workaround (Requesting Verification)

We have found multiple community suggestions recommending a GPU-agnostic installation approach.
Could you please confirm whether the following method is officially safe and recommended for RTX 5090 systems?

Proposed Steps

  1. Physically remove the RTX 5090

  2. Use Intel iGPU for display

  3. Install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS normally

  4. After installation, update the kernel to HWE:

    sudo apt install --install-recommends linux-generic-hwe-22.04

    (Kernel ≥ 6.5)

  5. Install NVIDIA proprietary driver (R570+):

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

  6. Power off the system

  7. Reinsert the RTX 5090

  8. Boot the system → GPU should initialize correctly

Questions for NVIDIA

  1. Is the above iGPU-based installation workflow a valid and supported approach for RTX 5090 on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS?

  2. Is there any recommended alternative to avoid the black-screen installer issue?

  3. Is there a minimum kernel + driver combination you recommend for Blackwell GPUs on Ubuntu 22.04?

  4. Are there plans to update the Ubuntu installer stack or documentation for RTX 50-series GPUs?

This system is intended for production use in a controlled (hospital) environment, so stability and correctness are critical.

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

Best regards,

Siddhesh Narnavre,
AI India Innovations