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Asked: 2024-09-24T20:46:58+05:30 In:

How can I resolve the issue of having only half of my screen displaying properly on Ubuntu?

I’ve been having this really frustrating issue with my Ubuntu setup, and I’m hoping some of you might have faced something similar and found a solution. So, here’s the deal: I was working away on my laptop, all was fine, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, I noticed that only half of my screen is displaying properly! The left side looks good, but the right side is just a jumbled mess of colors and artifacts. I have no idea what triggered it; it just happened while I was using an application.

I tried rebooting my machine, thinking maybe it was just a temporary glitch, but nope! Same problem when I boot back up. I even plugged in an external monitor to see if the issue was with my laptop screen itself, but surprisingly, the external monitor mirrored the same half-screen problem. It’s so weird!

I’ve checked some basic stuff; the cables are fine, and I’ve made sure that all my drivers are updated. I also did some digging around online and found a few threads that suggested issues with graphics drivers, but I’m not really sure where to begin with that. I’m not a complete novice when it comes to tech, but I’m definitely not an expert either.

Some people recommended using the terminal to check for any driver issues or to reinstall the graphics drivers, but I’m worried I might mess something up, especially if I need to get my work done soon. I’m currently running Ubuntu 20.04, and I’m using an NVIDIA graphics card—don’t ask which model, I’m not sure.

If anyone has had a similar issue or knows how I can go about troubleshooting this without tearing my hair out, I would seriously appreciate any advice or step-by-step guidance. I’m kind of at my wit’s end here, and all I want is for my screen to be normal again! Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

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    2 Answers



    1. Ubuntu Screen Issue Help

      Frustrated with Half-Screen Display on Ubuntu

      Sounds super annoying! I’ve had a weird experience with my screen before too. Here are a few things you could try out:

      1. Check Graphics Drivers

      Since you’ve got an NVIDIA card, it’s probably driver-related. You can open the Terminal (just search for it in your apps) and try the following commands:

      sudo ubuntu-drivers devices

      This will list available drivers for your graphics card. You might see something like nvidia-driver-xxx.

      2. Install Recommended Drivers

      If there’s a recommended driver, you can install it using:

      sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

      After that, reboot your computer:

      sudo reboot

      3. Check Your X Configuration

      Sometimes the X server settings get messed up. To check your current configuration, type:

      cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf

      Look for any strange settings; if you’re unsure about them, you could just back up the file and try renaming it to see if it helps:

      sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup

      4. Look for Display Settings

      Check your display settings (Settings > Displays) to see if they’re set up correctly. Sometimes resolution settings go haywire.

      5. Safe Graphics Mode

      If you can’t figure it out, try booting in safe graphics mode. When you boot up, hold Shift right after your BIOS screen to access the GRUB menu. Select the recovery mode and then try safe graphics option.

      6. Backup Important Data

      If you’re really concerned about messing things up, make sure you back everything up first. You can use an external drive or a cloud service.

      Good luck! I hope one of these steps gets you back to normal. If it helps, remember, you’re not alone in this tech struggle!


    2. The issue you’re experiencing with your Ubuntu setup, where half of your screen is displaying incorrectly, is likely related to the graphics drivers, especially since you’re using an NVIDIA card. First, to troubleshoot, you can confirm if the drivers are indeed the culprit. Open a terminal and run the command nvidia-smi, which will report the current state of your NVIDIA drivers. If this produces errors or indicates that the driver isn’t loaded, you may need to install or update your graphics drivers. You can do this by using the Software & Updates application, navigating to the Additional Drivers tab, and selecting the recommended NVIDIA driver. After applying the changes, reboot your system to see if the issue persists.

      If the problem continues, it may also help to reset your display settings. You can do this by running sudo service gdm restart (if you’re using Gnome) from the terminal. This will restart your graphical interface without needing to reboot. If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider creating a backup of your current driver configuration just in case you would need to revert later. To reinstall the drivers, follow up by executing sudo apt-get purge nvidia* to remove existing drivers, and then reinstall with sudo apt-get install nvidia-driver-, replacing with the appropriate version number. Remember to perform these actions with caution, and if possible, create a system restore point before making significant changes to your drivers or system configuration.

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