Graphics fails on Dell XPS 8930 (with nvidia GeForce GTX 1080)

[devisions]

Dear all,

I just installed Zorin 15 Core (more than willing to buy the Ultimate if I’d have this issue solved) on a Dell XPS 8930 desktop model that includes an NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5X graphics card (details here).

Although running from USB (the try option) runs great, after installing it, the graphics startup fails.

I managed to log into the text mode (the old school way: ctrl+alt+F2…), ran as found in this forum:

$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
$ sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
$ sudo update-grub

But the following package could not be installed:
libnvidia-common-450-server_450.80.02-0ubuntu0-18.04.3_all.deb
And sudo apt --fix-broken install fails with the same reason.

I’ll keep looking for an option, but please tell me that it’s doable and I’ll be a happy owner and supporter of the Ultimate edition of this lovely distro!

Any help, please?
Thanks.

[zabadabadoo]

@devisions. Hi and welcome to the Forum. Whilst I have Z15.3 Core, it is on a laptop and I don't have Nvidia graphics to contend with. The subject of Nvidia and Zorin (and therefore Ubuntu) crop up here from time to time, but from searching this Forum and the old Forum have found nothing previous ref your graphics card.

I did find this which may possibly give you a pointer:
https://zoringroup.com/forum/5/14536/

What are the symptoms when you try an install?
What installation method are you using? e.g. "Something else" method.

Also see @swarfendor437 's unofficial manual for Zorin 15 here:

Unofficial Manual for Zorin 15

Hi everyone, This is the English version of the Unofficial Zorin 15 manual available to view, download - pdf = 67.1 Mb: LibreOffice .odt file 30 Mb for those with low bandwidth:

Edit:
Just found this on here:

Nvidia drivers not listed

I have just installed Zorin os 15.2 core version on a hp pavilion dv6500 laptop. It has an nvidia geforce 8400gs video card and an amd turion64 X2 cpu. The only version of install that would work was the one with nvidia graphics included. However, after install I’m stuck at 1024x768 resolution and washed out colors, and trying to update drivers through the software update does nothing as no nvidia drivers are listed. The only drivers listed are for the wireless card. I know appropriate drivers e…

[devisions]

Thanks @zabadabadoo for the hints.
I guess I’ll give it a try this weekend.
For now, just installed Xubuntu 20.04.1 and all went fine.

[zabadabadoo]

This was posted by @carmar with regard to Keyboard driver question, but could be useful to you:

@carmar

also check under Zorin menu -> System Tools -> Software Updater -> Settings -> Additional Drivers. If any device drivers are present here, it may make the process a little easier since then you just have to select them.

[carmar]

Also. this may help: https://medium.com/@jeharul07/overcome-nvidia-gpu-driver-installation-issues-on-ubuntu-18-04-38a15aa60af0

[devisions]

Hi @zabadabadoo,

As yesterday while applying updates to my Xubuntu 20.04.1 I noticed in one of those updates for 5.4.0.54 that support for nVidia 455 (this number if I remember correctly) is included. So, today, got curious enough to test it again: switching from nouveau to nvidia-driver-455:

which - by the way - it was also recommended by ubuntu-drivers devices:

$ ubuntu-drivers devices                                                                                                                                              ✔ 
== /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0 ==
modalias : pci:v000010DEd00001B80sv00001028sd00003366bc03sc00i00
vendor   : NVIDIA Corporation
model    : GP104 [GeForce GTX 1080]
driver   : nvidia-driver-390 - distro non-free
driver   : nvidia-driver-440-server - distro non-free
driver   : nvidia-driver-418-server - distro non-free
driver   : nvidia-driver-450 - distro non-free
driver   : nvidia-driver-455 - distro non-free recommended
driver   : nvidia-driver-450-server - distro non-free
driver   : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin
$ 

It all went ok after restart. The monitor (an LG model 31MU97Z-B) is shown as “LG 27” and resolution 3840x2160 is the default, but it runs great at 4K.

So, I’m all ok with it. I just wanted to test the nvidia as I saw is better than X.Org’s nouveau, although nouveau worked great for now in my case, therefore, I don’t even know what improvements are relevant for my usage (no games or special graphics, just software development, youtube, and some movies).

Now, my next curiosity is whether shall I try again installing Zorin OS 15.3 Lite Edition that comes with XFCE and eventually switch to Ultimate, just to support your lovely distro.

Remember before that I started playing with it, live mode went ok, but the installation (btw, just a standard one, using the whole disk, nothing special) failed at the graphics, due to that older nvidia. And at that time I don’t remember trying the nouveau driver.

But now, I would do a backup of my system (using install it, I’ll try to manage using the nouveau, or simply try to apply the latest updates and hope that it works.

Meanwhile, I just took a ZorinOS theme and customize it to my linking (see sample in the screens above). I’m also thinking to contribute it back to the community. The only thing that I don’t like in the current setup is that I don’t get rounded corners at the bottom also. The (maybe the) only app that shows like this is Nautilus, a file manager that I like more than Thunar:

So, shall I try?
If I buy the Ultimate license would I get enough support?

Thanks again for the feedback!

[devisions]

@carmar
Thanks for the reference! Quite interesting and useful.

[devisions]

And maybe I am too picky about L&F, but just playing with it again in live mode, I see that there are some obvious differences on the rounded corners:

[zabadabadoo]

Ah, round corners v square corners
Well I prefer square corners to my windows, but rounded tops as per Gnome, are not enough for me to change the desktop environment that I’m now used to.
Glad to hear you are making positive progress after your initial graphics headaches.