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I've looked at several other posts on here, this one (Can't log in to Ubuntu 19.10, freezes upon Ctrl+Alt+F3) is closest to what I'm experiencing but none of the answers/comments have solved my issue.

This is a brand new install of ubuntu 20.04. The install went fine up until I got prompted to remove my usb and reboot to complete the install.

When the machine rebooted the splash page loaded and I was presented with the login UI. I entered my credentials, but it just spins back to the login screen again.

I have tried using both ctrl + alt + F2 and ctrl + alt + F3 to enter a shell from the login UI. When I do so, the whole screen freezes and becomes unresponsive. Using the mouse and/or the keyboard does nothing.

I have tried accessing GRUB on reboot. When I hold ESC during reboot, the keyboard and mouse both come online but the display does not (yellow indicator light as opposed to blue) and the screen is just blank.

I have also tried rebooting with my usb in a slot to try to reinstall. But again, without any interference from me (i.e. using ESC to enter GRUB) the machine just boots to ubuntu again, where I get the log in loop and inability to get a shell. And again if I try to use ESC to get a boot menu, my display goes dark with the yellow indicator.

So, I can't login. I can't get a shell to try to correct the issue that's preventing me from logging in. And I can't reinstall. I don't know what to try next.

Tony Tuttle
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  • Is your system dualbooted ??? – Error404 Oct 26 '21 at 14:42
  • No, this is the only OS currently installed. – Tony Tuttle Oct 26 '21 at 14:44
  • Do you know what graphics card you have? – Adam Selker Oct 26 '21 at 18:47
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 – Tony Tuttle Oct 26 '21 at 19:51
  • I struggle to see how you can try a different distro as per the other answer, if you can’t get it to do anything other than boot directly into the nonfunctional Ubuntu. Seems to me you really need to boot into a live usb session to reinstall (I note the difficulties you’ve had with that) … if Esc isn’t working, try hitting f2 or f10 or f12 repeatedly (all have worked for me at different times with Dell) as soon as you turn the computer on - to set boot order to use the usb first. Your spec is certainly good enough for Ubuntu. – Will Oct 27 '21 at 08:28
  • I’m assuming Windows 10 was working fine right up until the change of os? That makes hardware issue less likely. – Will Oct 27 '21 at 08:31
  • Yeah Windows was working with no issues. – Tony Tuttle Oct 27 '21 at 10:25
  • It's a fresh install right ? Have you tried ubuntu before installing ubuntu ? – Error404 Oct 27 '21 at 10:47
  • Sounds like there is some hardware issue.
    to better understand the issue I need a few more details.
    Please provide the below information. - Laptop or Desktop - brand and model name - purchase year (any close guess will work) - Number of Cores and generation - HDD or SDD (mention free space) - RAM [size & type (ddr2, ddr3, ddr4)] - Name of OS running previously - Did you select 'Use Entire Disk' (Y/N)     – Vineet Singh Oct 26 '21 at 18:25
  • 1) Desktop; 2) Dell XPS 8930; 3) 2019; 4) 6 cores, 8th gen; 5) 1 TB HDD + 16 GB Intel Optane Memory; 6) 32GB DDR4; 7) Windows 10; 8) Yes – Tony Tuttle Oct 26 '21 at 19:51
  • What about the BIOS settings? You can boot from the live disk from there. You said you tried grub, but the factory BIOS menu should still be available as well. And that loads before anything else even tries to do so. Even Grub. – Nate T Oct 30 '21 at 11:56

3 Answers3

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I went through the fresh installation process on my device. I installed ubuntu on HDD and SDD. Logging into HDD took 2 minutes after entering the password. There was a black screen for more than 1 minute. There is a gear icon at the bottom right-click on it and select the 'ubuntu on Wayland' option on that. It might work for you. enter image description here SSD took 10-15 seconds and the device was ready to use.

Other Possibilities:

  • feeding incorrect credentials ( don't get offended but at times we keep on using credentials of other os assuming that we set the same for this one)

  • if this machine is built by assembling different parts then there is a compatibility issue of a motherboard with other parts. Contact Dell support or any hardware expert. (ignore if purchased the pre-assembled machine directly from Dell)

  • Try any lighter Linux distro and check if still facing the same issue. Ubuntu is not as fast as Linux is claimed for.

  • Upgrade to SSD.

I hope these suggestions would help you. Freeze screen is becoming a common issue these days for HDD users.

Vineet Singh
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I had the same issue recently with fresh install on 2 PCs, it was a problem with the NVidia driver. If you have NVidia GPU and if you can get to terminal, just run the command below, otherwise you could try and untick Install third-party software and Download updates while installing Ubuntu during install, that should let you get into terminal post install boot. Then install 470 driver.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-470

As for reinstalling Ubuntu,

  1. usually its F8 or F10 to get into your boot menu.
  2. If that doesn't work, you might need to tweak the boot order in your BIOS/UEFI (F2 or Del during boot).
  3. If that still doesn't work, you might need to disable Fast Boot if Ubuntu boots without prompt.
  4. If that STILL doesn't work, clearing CMOS (via UI / button on MB / removing battery / shorting pins) is probably guaranteed to help you get into boot menu but it would reset your whole UEFI/Bios, I would recommend to create a backup of your Bios (if you or your OEM has tinkered with it) first onto a spare USB flash drive or record a video of all the settings on your phone, just in case.
  5. Using Rufus to get a fresh copy of Ubuntu ISO install on your USB might help.
  6. Using USB 2 or 3 (try both) ports on the back of the motherboard might also help.

Good luck

Pavel Diptan
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Do you have

secure boot

disabled in your Bios? If it is enabled your Linux distro will not boot.

Edit21-11-13
1 If you have another HDD laying around, try that one.
2 If you have another stystem hook your HDD up with that system and install Ubuntu, transfer your HDD back and see what happens.
3 With the install use the NVidia 470 drivers ( third party ) drivers.
4 Try a different USB-stick.
5 Disable 'Fast Boot' in your BIOS/Uefi.

Joepie Es
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