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Asked: 2024-09-25T22:32:16+05:30 In:

I am experiencing issues with the vmwgfx driver when attempting to boot Ubuntu. The system fails to start properly, and I would like to understand the reasons behind this problem and how I can resolve it. Can anyone provide guidance on troubleshooting this issue?

I’ve been having a pretty frustrating time trying to get Ubuntu to boot on my system, and I’m hoping someone here can help me figure this out. So, here’s the deal: every time I try to start up, it gets stuck because of the vmwgfx driver. It’s like the system just freezes, and I can’t get past the boot screen. I’ve tried waiting it out, but it just won’t go any further.

I’ve been scouring forums and documentation but haven’t found anything that really gives me a clear answer about what exactly is causing this. I’m pretty sure this issue is related to the graphics drivers since vmwgfx is meant for managing graphics for virtual machines, but I’m not entirely sure how to troubleshoot or fix it.

I’m not a total newbie to Linux—I can do the basics and even have some experience with the command line—but this situation has me scratching my head. I’ve tried booting in recovery mode and using some of the options like ‘nomodeset’ and ‘safe graphics’ but they haven’t resolved the issue for me. I even considered reinstalling the driver, but I can’t even get into the system properly to do that. What a nightmare!

Could it be that my virtual machine settings are a part of the problem? I mean, I set everything up according to the guidelines, but perhaps I missed something? If anyone has dealt with this before or has any tips on how to bypass the vmwgfx hurdle so I can at least get into the system, I would really appreciate it. Perhaps there are some kernel parameters or config files I need to tweak?

I’m all ears for any advice, tricks, or even just general thoughts on what might be going wrong. I just want to get my system up and running again without having to wipe everything out. Thanks in advance for any help!

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    2 Answers



    1. Ubuntu Boot Issue Help

      Ubuntu Boot Issue: vmwgfx Driver Trouble

      Dealing with boot issues can be such a pain, especially when it’s all about that pesky vmwgfx driver! It sounds like you’re doing a lot of the right things already. Here are a few things you could try to get around this issue:

      1. Check Virtual Machine Settings

      Since you’re using a virtual machine, double-check your settings. Make sure that the graphics acceleration settings aren’t set to something that’s causing conflicts. You can try switching to a different graphics setting, like using Vulkan if supported, or even disabling 3D acceleration altogether to see if that helps.

      2. Booting Options

      When you’re at the GRUB boot menu, you can try modifying the boot options:

      • Highlight the Ubuntu entry and press e to edit.
      • Find the line starting with linux and add nomodeset at the end of that line. This tells the system to not load any graphics drivers until after booting.
      • Also, you could try adding nofb or vga=normal if nomodeset doesn’t work.
      • Press Ctrl + X or F10 to boot with those options.

      3. Recovery Mode

      If you can get into recovery mode, you can try to:

      • Drop into a root shell prompt.
      • Run apt-get update and then apt-get upgrade to make sure everything is up to date.
      • Consider reinstalling or removing the vmwgfx package if possible.

      4. Check Logs

      If you can get to a command line, check logs in /var/log/. Look for syslog or dmesg for any clues on what might be going wrong.

      5. Forums and Community Help

      Since you’ve already been browsing forums, you might want to post your issue on a dedicated Ubuntu forum or even Reddit. There are tons of helpful folks there who might have dealt with similar issues!

      Hang in there! Figuring out these glitches can be really frustrating, but once you get past it, you’ll have a better understanding of the system. Good luck!


    2. It sounds like you’re experiencing a common challenge when running Ubuntu in a virtualized environment, particularly related to the `vmwgfx` driver. This driver is specifically designed to handle graphics for VMWare virtual machines, but it can sometimes conflict with certain configurations or older hardware. Given that you’ve already attempted booting in recovery mode with options like ‘nomodeset’ and ‘safe graphics’ without success, it’s worth exploring additional kernel parameters that can help circumvent this issue. When you access the GRUB menu during boot, try adding the parameter `nomodeset` directly to the kernel options. This can often prevent those early graphics driver issues from freezing the system. You may also want to try `nouveau.modeset=0` or `radeon.modeset=0` if you’re using NVIDIA or AMD graphics, respectively.

      In terms of virtual machine settings, double-check the configuration to ensure that 3D acceleration is turned off, as this can often trigger problems with graphics drivers. Additionally, make sure that the virtual machine is allocated sufficient resources—specifically RAM and video memory—which can impact performance and stability. If you have access to another machine or live USB, you could use it to chroot into your Ubuntu installation and potentially reinstall or reconfigure the graphics drivers from there. Finally, if all else fails, consider booting with a minimal installation to see if you can get past the graphics driver issue, then gradually install necessary packages from there. This approach might just help you regain access to your system without the need for a complete wipe.

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