# [Solved] No VCs after latest nvidia driver update

## Princess Nell

After updating to 290.40, I can no longer switch to a text console after logging into X/Gnome. I can do so from the gdm login screen, but only right after system boot. When I log out of Gnome and try to switch to a text console from gdm then, it no longer works. But I can switch back to the gdm or Gnome screen.

The symptom is a black screen, as if the backlight was turned off. I'm not sure if anything else is going on because I can't reboot properly either and usually end up hitting the power button.

I first thought the problem was caused by the kernel upgrade from 3.2.1-gentoo-r2 to 3.2.12-gentoo, or hibernation, but I've now gone back to nvidia-driver 290.10 and everything works as it should.Last edited by Princess Nell on Wed May 30, 2012 7:48 am; edited 1 time in total

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## Martux

Hi!

That driver version caused havoc too on my parents 32bit machine... KDE went totally nuts and in the end, I masked it in /etc/package.mask.

If ever your machine won't reboot/shutdown anymore, instead of hitting the power button, just try to switch to a Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F1-F12) and press Ctrl+Alt+Del, maybe that works.

If it doesn't, there is still a chance that a "Magic System Request" will work, even if the machine is unresponsive: Invoke with "Ctrl+Alt+Print" and I personally then press "esub" in addition to that. e - exits all processes, s - does an emergency sync, u - unmounts everything and b - reboots...

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## Princess Nell

Someone out there is trying very hard to render my desktop system unusable. They have nearly succeeded.

I went back to 290.10 and masked all versions >290.10. After today's round of emerges, I get this:

```

[ebuild     UD ] x11-base/xorg-server-1.10.4-r1 [1.11.2-r2]

[ebuild     UD ] x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-173.14.31 [295.10] USE="-custom-cflags% -gtk%" 

```

WTH?

Then I went ahead and unmasked the nvidia driver, which gave me 295.53. Now, I would have expected any version > 290.40 to fix the problem I described originally, but not so. The no VC problem is back, and on top of that I get a canberra-gtk-play process burning up cpu and sending the fans into overdrive.

Now I'm stuck because there no longer is a 295.10 ebuild, and I don't quite see the point of being forced back to an older xorg-server and nvidia-driver.

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## jburns

Using 

```
x11-base/xorg-server-1.12.1.902

x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-295.53
```

 I can switch from Gnome to a text console and back to Gnome.

There is an old report of the problem at https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-756899.html

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## Princess Nell

At least it looks like I have a solution for the canberra-gtk-play problem. Something made me try run it from the command line, which led to the problem and solution described here: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-6931362.html.

I find it surprising I ran into this problem just now because the most recent emerge of libcanberra was back in October.

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## Princess Nell

And I was able to fix nvidia as well - downloaded the 290.10 ebuild from cvs, put it into local overlay and masked higher versions. Back to having a functional system!

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## Princess Nell

Of course, the update to xorg-server 1.12.2 required a newer nvidia driver ... I unmasked it and the build pulled in version 302.17.

The VC problem is back in full force.

This sucks. If compiz worked with nouveau I would switch right away.

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## Princess Nell

Anyone seen this before? These lines are logged when switching VCs.

```

Jun 26 20:52:55 localhost kernel: uvesafb: mode switch failed (eax=0x4f02, err=1)

Jun 26 20:52:55 localhost kernel: detected fb_set_par error, error code: -22

```

Here's the kernel boot line from grub.conf:

```

kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda5 video=uvesafb:ywrap,mtrr:3,1024x768-32@60

```

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## Ant P.

Does it work if you use the nVidia-supported configuration (disable vesafb entirely)?

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## Princess Nell

I've removed the video line and am able to switch to a text console once, right after the desktop session has loaded. When I try it again later , it no longer works. Disabling uvesafb does also not solve the problem that any time the screen goes dark, for any reason (suspend, hibernate, screensaver), the only comeback is the power button.

What a horrible, broken, bleeding mess. I will mask xorg 1.12 and go back to 1.11 with nvidia driver 290.10.

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## Thistled

Yep, you have been hit with this regression

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-925156-highlight-.html

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