Graphics Kernel update problem on LMDE

[meddyuk]

Hiya,

I've just installed LMDE on my laptop (details in my signature). Everything was peachy when i installed it and infact it was the only distro that would accept my VIA Unichrome VN800 onboard graphics card. (Ubuntu just wouldn't play) Having read many gripes on Google i noticed that many people suffered the same thing. Anyway, my video driver was updated in the last update and now it seems that the new kernel doesnt play well.

This would explain why i have to keep moving the mouse to prompt the laptop to shift its backside and load up. Whenever i enter a command into terminal, that also freezes until i move the mouse. How do i revert back to the old video driver?

i've noticed that boot up takes an age now after i did my first update. I get a black screen initially and sometimes i can do Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to trigger some kind of response, but other times i just have to power off and back on. Nothing happens really until i move the mouse.

when i do get a decent boot up i have to move the mouse constantly to get any kind of response.

I didnt have this problem until updating, infact it was lightning fast before hand. Can anyone help?

[MaddogF16]

Isn't the older kernel available at boot up screen? If so does it do the same thing? Or are you referring to xorg driver specifically? The latest kernel should be 2.6.38, run "uname -r" in a terminal and post please.

[meddyuk]

Maddog,

Yeah on the grub i get two options and if i select the bottom option then the problem doesnt happen. Do i have to keep selecting this option or is there away of altering the grub so that it automatically selects this? Also if i do another update will it try to keep updating this kernel?

[MaddogF16]

Well there are ways to make synaptic not upgrade packages, but then you'd not get another kernel update unless you removed the lock. You could install startupmanager ("sudo apt-get install startupmanager") and run that program and choose the default, or you could do it manually in /etc/default/grub file (I prefer to cheat with Startup Manager). Then once a new working version of a kernel comes out you could sudo apt-get remove this non-functioning version (up to you).

[thomasmc]

Maddog,

Yeah on the grub i get two options and if i select the bottom option then the problem doesnt happen. Do i have to keep selecting this option or is there away of altering the grub so that it automatically selects this?

If it's not already installed, use Synaptic to install StartUp-Manager. It will let you pick the default boot option in Grub.