Bill Gates caught me in a situation.

cpu_alpha
Junior Member

08-14-2020, 07:34 AM

Hi there. I’m facing a tricky issue. Bill Gates allegedly accessed my computer and blocked Linux installation. I can’t boot from any live USB right now. I’ve tried Manjaro, Endavouros, and Pop! OS, but none work. Here’s what I experience: the GUI loads fine, drivers are set to free, everything appears normal. I select free with my R9 390 and Linux loads without issues. However, when I switch to the desktop, the mouse shows up briefly before the screen goes completely black—sometimes pitch black. Occasionally, the display even displays a message saying there’s no input. I’ve tried the nomodeset option, but it just says “graphical interface something” and nothing changes. I’m really stuck and need help escaping Windows. Please let me know why this is happening. Thanks!

cpu_alpha

08-14-2020, 07:34 AM #1

jjmonkey13
Member

236

08-14-2020, 08:37 AM

It was similar to what happened to me last weekend. You captured my description well. The fix involved loading the Linux distribution as the MBR in Rufus rather than using GPT... This approach might be worth exploring, or there could be other factors at play.

jjmonkey13

08-14-2020, 08:37 AM #2

Vichoflo
Senior Member

396

08-15-2020, 07:34 PM

I formatted my drive 15 times each hour to simplify things, but I usually work in MBR because Rufus handles it automatically. Also, after installing Manjaro, the settings are hidden so I can’t adjust them.

Vichoflo

08-15-2020, 07:34 PM #3

dnomg001
Junior Member

08-17-2020, 07:06 PM

It seems the graphics card isn't initializing properly. Have you considered using a more common distribution such as Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Fedora? Would it help if you provided your precise hardware details?

dnomg001

08-17-2020, 07:06 PM #4

farazofbuscus
Member

212

08-18-2020, 03:11 AM

I considered pop OS but decided to try Manjaro KDE and Kubuntu. My setup includes an Intel e5-1650 Radeon r9 390 with 16 GB DDR3 ECC SSD, and I know the 390 model can have issues with free AMD drivers.

farazofbuscus

08-18-2020, 03:11 AM #5

SimYooh
Junior Member

08-28-2020, 11:24 AM

Tried rufus and etcher, results were identical, though etcher occasionally produced errors without clear cause.

SimYooh

08-28-2020, 11:24 AM #6

Tried rufus and etcher, results were identical, though etcher occasionally produced errors without clear cause.

Seinaru
Junior Member

08-30-2020, 07:54 PM

I also used Kubuntu, but got a black screen again. Manjaro KDE worked a bit longer, and the screen had some shaky movements similar to old CRTs, which suggests a GPU issue.

Seinaru

08-30-2020, 07:54 PM #7

I also used Kubuntu, but got a black screen again. Manjaro KDE worked a bit longer, and the screen had some shaky movements similar to old CRTs, which suggests a GPU issue.

OKNK
Member

231

08-30-2020, 10:05 PM

It's fully verified. The GPU is the issue on Windows—it functions perfectly, but it won't work on Linux after booting from Pop-OS. The installation process succeeded in no-mode settings, yet the desktop remains unresponsive. Here’s what my screen displays.

OKNK

08-30-2020, 10:05 PM #8

sidyfan
Member

151

08-31-2020, 05:40 PM

Hey, you had way more problems than I did! My machine is an R9 290, and I managed to install a fresh OS without any issues. The main challenges were getting Vulkan/DXVK working because my cards needed those special drivers. Here are the points that came to mind:

1. The USB setup might be slightly broken or damaged—use a brand-new USB drive and double-check the OS for compatibility (you could try installing via a virtual machine if you want).
2. Consider using an older distribution and updating later. 19.04 worked for me.
3. Disconnect the GPU, unplug the power, then reinstall. This lets the built-in GPU boot and allows manual driver installation afterward. After that, take a snapshot and try installing drivers yourself.

Hope this helps!

sidyfan

08-31-2020, 05:40 PM #9