Blocking nvidia drivers from loading via live USB stick

DHOC_TAZH

I want to try out the latest GhostBSD release via USB, but it loads the nvidia drivers on bootup. That somehow leads to a black screen, with the mouse pointer stuck and the PC ending up frozen. Is there a way for me to edit the bootloader so the PC runs on the Intel's iGPU instead, or something I can enter in the terminal before the DE boots up?

I remember testing GhostBSD on the previous release (24.01.1), and that one didn't have this issue for me.

There is no option available from my PC's BIOS that can deactivate the GPU. I have Win11 and Linux installed on this PC; in Linux, it uses the nvidia-optimus switcher to switch between the GPU's or run in hybrid mode.

PC spec (partial list):
Intel 8th gen i7 8750H CPU
Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU
32 GB DDR4 RAM

vimanuelt

DHOC_TAZH

You might try this.

When you reach the GhostBSD boot menu:

 Hit `ESC` to enter the loader prompt.

At the OK prompt, enter the following to disable NVIDIA and force Intel mode:

set hint.nvidia.0.disabled="1"
set i915kms_load="YES"
unset nvidia_load
boot

DHOC_TAZH

vimanuelt

Thanks! Is this mentioned anywhere in the GhostBSD manual? I'm guessing I missed that... need to RTFM some more I suppose. Again, appreciate it, I'll try this later today.

DHOC_TAZH

All right, got around to it a moment ago and the Intel driver doesn't load. Any other ideas?

vimanuelt

Change to root privileges: su -

Load Intel driver: kldload /boot/modules/i915kms.ko

Setup xorg.conf:
xconfig
copy ~/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/

Launch X11: startx

vimanuelt

You might try this.

When you reach the GhostBSD boot menu:

 Hit `ESC` to enter the loader prompt.

At the OK prompt, enter the following to disable NVIDIA and force Intel mode:

set hint.nvidia.0.disabled="1"
unset nvidia_load
boot

If X11 does not start, Change to root privileges: su -

Load Intel driver: kldload /boot/modules/i915kms.ko

Setup xorg.conf:
xconfig
cp ~/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/

Launch X11: startx

DHOC_TAZH

I've tried all of these fixes and none of them work at all! I really appreciate your effort in helping me out. BTW, also tried several older images which I acquired via Distrowatch and they don't work for me, either. I think the oldest one I tried was from October, 2023. Anyway...

Maybe I need to manually configure the xorg.conf file when the Live USB fails to boot, after it's loaded in RAM? It's been a while since I've had to dissect that file.

vimanuelt

Yes, you can modify xorg.conf in the Live environment. However, after installation, you will need to make the same corrections. Keep note of your changes.

When running xconfig, you may have seen an option to select scfb. If presented the option, give that a go.

Also, only use the latest GhostBSD ISO. Earlier ISOs are deprecated and no longer supported.

DHOC_TAZH

All right, then! The scfb option worked, thanks!

I'm in the Live USB install as I type this. A few problems... I can't find the GhostBSD icon on the desktop. How can I install GhostBSD via a terminal window? I suppose I have to use sudo for it.

EDIT: oh never mind, I am running as root... what's the command to run the installer, please?
Edit2: ok, figured out the command, it's gbi. Wish me luck, see ya later!

vimanuelt

Glad to hear X11 is working!
Next, open a terminal and run su to switch to the root user, then enter gbi to launch the installer.