Black screens with 2 monitors

Installing Zorin OS
1

Dear Community,

I'm getting started with Linux using Zorin, and I'm getting a little frustrated. I installed Zorin 18.1 Core on a new PC.

My main problem right now: I’m using two monitors (one via HDMI, one via VGA-to-HDMI). During installation, only one monitor was connected—that went smoothly. After connecting the second monitor, the problem arises that when I select “Zorin Desktop,” every-thing works fine, but when I select “Zorin Desktop on Xorg,” both monitors remain blank. The mouse pointer turns into an “X,” and I can move it across both dark (but not turned-off) monitors. I then performed a hard reset. I was able to reproduce the problem several times. What can I do?

2

I'm curious. Is there a specific reason that you want to move to Xorg rather than staying with the default - Wayland? Because Zorin 18 on Xorg doesn't play well with mixed display connections or adapters (like VGA-to-HDMI).

3

Hi,
I was having problems with Steam—it would briefly appear in the taskbar, then disappear again (an endless cycle). I had read that switching to Xorg might help. That’s why I made the switch. Then this error occurred as well:: Software Updater error . I was eventually able to fix the problem somehow.
Sorry for being so vague, but I've switched back and forth so many times between Xorg and the desktop, as well as between Steam Flatpak and SteamOS, that I've lost track of what worked where, when, and how…

I still had those two monitors left over from my old Windows desktop.

4

Welcome to the Forum!

Interesting User Name Choice.

I guess, You only have one HDMI Port on Your PC or the Monitor? Or can You use 2 Time HDMI to HDMI?

Also: Could You post Your Hardware Specs please? If You have a Nvidia Card the Driver Version, too please?

You mean with ''SteamOS'' the .deb Version of Steam? Did You use the one from the Repo's or the one from Steam directly?

5

Hi,

Thanks for the warm welcome. =) Since so many usernames are already taken, I'm making it easy on myself and choosing combinations of words that aren't used very often.

My PC build::

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, 6C/12T, 4.00-4.50GHz
  • Motherboard: ASRock B850 LiveMixer WiFi (AMD AM5)
  • SSD: Lexar NM790 2TB, M.2
  • GPU: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070, 16GB GDDR6
  • RAM: Crucial Pro Overclocking UDIMM 32GB Kit, DDR5-6000

I connect both monitors to the GPU (HDMI). One monitor only has a VGA port, so I use a VGA-to-HDMI cable for it. The other monitor has an HDMI port.

Regarding the installed Steam: I went to "Software," typed "Steam" into the search bar, and then selected ZorinOS—see the attached image

steamimage
steamimage879×329 95.8 KB

6

well as pretaing to steam it best to install it from this link. should be a debian or .deb all you have to do to install is click the file and it will guide you through the rest.. as for the monitor issue ill have to have someone with more knowledge help you in that area

but uninstall the one you have tho the flatpack

7

Do I need to manually install drivers for my AMD graphics card, or does Linux keep everything up to date automatically? I ran a benchmark using the 3DMark demo, and the result is below average (see attached image). Any idea what might be causing this? I've set the Power Mode to "Performance" in Zorin.

3dmre
3dmre1920×1043 237 KB

8

the amd drivers are built into the kernel and are updated as those come out

9

is your vid card getting hot durning the game? ah might be same problem i had with mine in the software store is an app called LACT install that then goto overclock area and enable it. you will have to restart computer for it to work then open the thermals area and setup a fan curve. then apply it on left side and run test again and see if it improves. it may ask permission to run at startup agree so it starts up at startup and now the fans should run on the card at whatever spin% you set in the curve and stay cooler and not throttle I set my minimum fan speed to 40% @ 35c heres what i set

image
image1093×750 64.9 KB

hotest the card has gotten is 50C when palying games used to get so hot you could cook an egg on it

10

The Drivers are in the Kernel. So, You don't have to install additional Drivers. Theoretically, You could but maybe You could try first install a newer Kernel. That could offer better Hardware support.

You could take the Liquorix Kernel. But before You install it, make sure that in Your BIOS Secure Boot is disabled because the Kernel only works with disabled Secure Boot. How to install the Kernel:

Open the Terminal and type

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:damentz/liquorix

When added the PPA type

sudo apt update

Then install the Kernel with

sudo apt install linux-headers-liquorix-amd64 linux-image-liquorix-amd64

When installed, reboot and on the GRUB Menu choose ''Advanced Options'' and there the Liquorix Kernel Option.

To get the GRUB Menu if You shouldn't have one, press on Start-Up Esc or Shift Key. When that shouldn't work, You can activate the GRUB Menu manually. To do that open the Terminal in Zorin and type

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Ithen You can work on the GRUB Configuration. there you should see a white Textblock:

grafik
grafik1815×279 18.5 KB

Here, you have to change the Lines 2 and 3 so that they look like this:

GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu
GRUB_TIMEOUT=20

The 20 makes that the GRUB Menu appears 20 Seconds. If that should be too long or too short for You, You can set another Value like 10, 30 or 50 if You wish. Or You can set it to -1 and then the GRUB Menu stays until You make an Input.

When You have make the Changes press ctrl+o to save, Enter to confirm and ctrl+x to exit. Back in the normal Terminal Overview type sudo update-grub to make the Changes affect. Don't forget that! Without it, it will not work.

I could imagine that the Adapter might not be liked. Can You use another Connection Method? DisplayPort maybe?

1 Like
11

What @Ponce-De-Leon suggests for the kernel is worth trying.. I do have that installed not only on zorin but on ubuntu 26.04 is preformance and optimized for gamers. still you should tryout the LACT app which will help with gpu temps massivly as the RX 9070 is a zero spin fan type and its spinup is to slow to control temps properly

image
kernel im currently using

12

Thank you very much for your suggestions—as a Linux newbie, I’m completely overwhelmed by them all. I’ll go through them one by one.

I've since uninstalled Steam and reinstalled it using the link from wesoliv429. What surprised me was that all my installed games were still on my PC even after the reinstallation. That's convenient. =)

I’ve now ordered a DVI-to-HDMI cable. But I’ve also found a way to launch Steam, at least indirectly: by starting it in Big Picture Mode. See this thread for the exact same problem: Steam client flashes briefly repeatedly and fails to load UI after reboot (Mint, Fedora, Zorin, Pop!_OS) · Issue #12241 · ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux · GitHub

13

I just wanted to point out that I've often had problems with VGA-to-HDMI adapters. The signal is converted from analog to digital, and I've frequently encountered issues with this even on Windows.

Either the resolution wasn't right, or the monitor wasn't recognized at all and remained black.

So you might have better luck with an HDMI-to-DVI adapter, since everything stays digital with that setup.

14

That's what I thought, too, but I had the same problem even with just one monitor connected. So I'm assuming the cable isn't the problem. :frowning: