Broke Stretch Dell XPS15-9560 with Nvidia/Bumble

[stardotstar]

Hi all,

I have made a perfectly running Stretch install on my Dell XPS15 9560 from network installer and ultimately setting up in Cinnamon via Gnome Shell.

As expected the default install setup X.org with the Nouveau Nvidia video drivers and I found that things were working nicely but wanted to experiment with Bumblebee and switching.

I think I got in over my head as I installed Nvidia-kernel-dkms nvidia-glx and bumblebee with the packages that attend it.

After install the Gnome shell login would prompt me to log in - and entering password and selecting options etc with mouse was fine.

As soon as I hit enter on login the system would freeze on a root window with mouse in middle. The system at this point is hung - no ability to switch to another terminal. Prior to this I could enter F2 terminal and log in as user/root.

I tried various X sessions but all the same.

I did much reading and found such leads as:
https://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers
https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/20 ... 00605.html

and tried the kernel command line acpi settings to no avail.

I also found that X would start if I stopped bumblebeed before logging in, and then found it would work with bumblebeed started *after* logging into X,

But in the end, not being able to fix this so it was satisfactory I decided to back out and try the prop drivers and bumblebee down the track.

Unfortunately I have stuffed the system trying to purge/remove nvidia-kernel-dkms and glx, bumblebee etc and readding nouveau.

Currently I can only get to a terminal in rescue mode.

I am not completely unfamiliar with Debian but come from many varied distros and would appreciate some helpful direction in untangling my current system so I don't end up just going back to a clean install (which, incidentally I could still do as it was a very new install) but I would rather not if I can take some straightforward methods to roll back my system.

TIA
Will

[loki]

I have the same Dell XPS 15 9560 machine and experienced the same (or at least very similar) symptoms after installing the Nvidia drivers with Bumblebee in that the systems appears to hang after (graphical) login.

and tried the kernel command line acpi settings to no avail.

Exactly which kernel command line acpi settings have you tried and how did you add/define them?

For my system the issue was resolved by simply adding...

Code: Select all

acpi_rev_override

...to the boot parameters.

if I can take some straightforward methods to roll back my system.

If you can only access your system via rescue mode terminal then you may have passed the point of 'straightforward methods', unless you've kept a detailed trace of the steps you taken thus far it may not be easy to get back to the start point. However...

Code: Select all

# apt-get autoremove nvidia* bumblebee*

...should hose the system of all things Nvidia and Bumblebee, after that I'd double check that the Nouveau module is not blacklisted.

[stardotstar]

Thank you for the reply Loki, I tried what you suggested and ended up without improvement - in the end due to pressing requirement for a working system I just blew the whole thing away after backing my home part.

Sorry I couldn't follow your helpful advice further - I appreciate the reply!

The acpi commands were from one of those threads but I can't put my finger on it now.

I'll have another crack at my Nvidia setup down the track. Thanks again