I've been struggling to get Linux running on my old HP EliteBook 745 equipped with a Ryzen 5 3500U PRO. Initially, I tried installing plain Ubuntu, which booted successfully just once before going completely black on subsequent attempts. I switched to Arch, thinking I could manage drivers better and troubleshoot more effectively. It worked a few times, but I could only get it to boot reliably using the 'nomodeset' option. Now I'm giving Linux Mint a shot, but after one successful boot, I'm back to failure. I can't figure out what's going wrong since it has worked intermittently.
2 Answers
For some troubleshooting steps, check out these links for reporting bugs and common issues with Linux Mint: [Reporting Bugs](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs) and [Troubleshooting Guide](https://linuxmint-troubleshooting-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/why.html). But keep in mind, you might get a message that says the issue isn’t with an official package. If you're fresh out of the box with Mint, it can be confusing – don’t hesitate to ask for clarification!
Xorg is the display server used for most Linux distributions. Updating package indexes is just refreshing your list of software. But I get it, it can be overwhelming at first!
Sounds like you're having a tough time! It’s common for issues like this to crop up due to Secure Boot settings or driver conflicts, especially if you're using integrated graphics. First off, have you tried disabling Secure Boot in the BIOS? That could possibly solve your black screen problem. Also, providing more details about your Linux distro and if you're seeing any error messages could help us narrow it down further. Hang in there!
I’m using Linux Mint 22.1 XFCE, so I hope that helps shed some light!
I’m on legacy boot mode too; going in circles!
I tried that! It mentioned a problem with xorg, but I'm lost on what that even means.