Hardware works in kernel 6.14, doesn't work in 6.08 or 6.17

Support and Help
1

Ubuntu Version:
24.04.4 LTS

Desktop Environment (if applicable):
GNOME, I believe

Problem Description:
(Note: This is in the hopes of getting the system up and running under the 6.8 kernel, instead of my current kernel, as I’m told that the former is the appropriate one for my system.)

Under some kernels, graphics appears to function in the most basic mode, and networking seems to not function at all.

As to the graphics, what I see there is that, of my two monitors, only the built-in monitor is used, and the resolution is extremely low.

As to the networking, wifi doesn’t even show up as an option, and a cable connecting PC to router doesn’t seem to be detected (or at least doesn’t automatically result in a connection appearing). There are no entries under “networking” in the settings.

Relevant System Information:
Computer: Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series
CPU: Core i7 2.4GHz (4-core)
Memory: 8GB
Graphics: GeForce 840M, 2GB (+Intel integrated)
Firmware version: A06
OS Type: 64-bit
Gnome Version: 46
Windowing System: X11
Kernel Version: Linux 6.14.0-37-generic (Current working kernel; the idea is to get 6.8 working…)

Screenshots or Error Messages:
I’m not sure of what logs are called for; please advise (including their locations)!

What I’ve Tried:

  • I’ve attempted booting into “recovery mode”, to no apparent avail
    • (Hoping that the networking was working at the recovery command-line, I tried an apt-get update and upgrade. The former seemed unable to find any packages–presumably due to the lack of the internet connection–and the latter of course just stated that there were no upgrades to be had.
  • I’ve tried plugging in a network cable in the hopes that a hard connection would be detected where a wifi connection was unavailable. It was not detected–that I saw.
  • I’ve tried switching over to the Nouveau driver, thinking that perhaps a conflict with the NVidia driver was the problem. (And rebooted after the switch-over.) No change was observed.

Closing thoughts:

I have a suspicion that, if I could just update the system while running such a kernel, the problem might be resolved. Indeed, I seem to recall that I have gotten the problem resolved in the past–but alas, I don’t recall how. I think that I may have managed to get a network connection running somehow, and then updated.

Is there perhaps some way to download the relevant updates under my current kernel, and then switch over and install them in the target kernel…?

2

It’s not clear from your post if you were able to select the 6.8 kernel via the GRUB menu. In the original thread you mentioned that it might have been an option. Was that the case? Are the troubles you describe here (no network, low-res display) occurring with the 6.8 kernel?

You should be able to get this to work … your setup is quite similar to mine right down to the geriatric video card. (My 750 being a desktop card while your 840 is for the laptop, but they were released within a couple weeks of one another in 2014.)

3

Ah, sorry that I wasn’t clear!

The 6.8 kernel is indeed available in the GRUB menu–in fact, it’s the very bottom-most of several kernels, with 6.17 at the top, if I recall correctly.

And indeed, this issue is happening with the 6.8 kernel.

More broadly, I get the feeling that the hardware on this laptop is unusually… resistant to Ubuntu. For example, the WiFi system requires a proprietary driver. And Bluetooth seems to require an external dongle (despite the system having Bluetooth built-in), and is a little finicky even then.

The fact that I have things working with the 6.14 kernel suggests that it can be done. It’s a matter of “how”…

4

You should file bug which will give us some logs to look at:

ubuntu-bug linux

Also, 6.14 is not really supported anymore. The first thing that happens is you’ll be asked to try the latest supported kernel for your release. You should file the bug while running that kernel.

3 Likes
5

Will do, I intend!

But see the below:

Indeed, so I’ve been told in my previous thread.

Well, that has already happened–sort of.

You see, some time ago the updater installed a new kernel–6.17.

But in the abovementioned thread, I was told–in no uncertain terms–that 6.17 is also an unsupported kernel, one that I should not be using. I was told that my only valid options were dropping down to 6.8, or some special-hardware kernel–and nothing else.

So… which kernel should I be using…? 6.8? 6.14? 6.17?

In the meanwhile, I tried the command that you posted in 6.8–but received the following error message:

20260807_102501
20260807_1025011920×1440 161 KB

6

Can that work without an internet connection?

Unfortunately, some hardware is simply incompatible with Linux. Dell explicitly supports Linux (Ubuntu in particular), but only with some models, not with all of them. I have read other posts from people who had problems with Inspiron.

Good luck

7

On the subject of fixing troubles in certain kernels I would recommend one topic for each trouble.

I see at least four “troubles” mentioned in this topic. With possibly a fifth and a sixth trouble related to lack of understanding. Which “trouble” do we work on first? In what order do we work on these “troubles?”

My understanding increased greatly when I became familiar with Recovery Mode and the Recovery menu. For instance, when we select Resume from the Recovery menu the operating system loads to the desktop using an open source video driver and not the proprietary video driver. That could explain low resolution.

I also learned that at some point Nvidia drops support for its older video adapters = no driver. This means that open source video drivers is all we have left to use. These can be quite capable if we have kept up to date.

Regards

Edit: I now see that problems reporting bugs has now been added to the list of troubles. This topic is going to become very confusing.

1 Like
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I mean, it works under the 6.14 kernel. And with the graphics driver that I was using, before the events of my previous thread.

It can be done. But it might probably help if Ubuntu just left my drivers alone once I had them working…

Thank you! That is appreciated! :slight_smile:

I mean, I’m not expert enough in Ubuntu to tease apart which are separate “troubles”. That, in a sense, is part of what I’m here for: to get advice from people who know the OS better than I do.

That, again, I leave to the discernment of those who know Ubuntu well.

Except that this happens regardless of whether I load into Recovery Mode.

Could the OS be silently switching to Recovery Mode when I select normal booting from the GRUB menu?

The Nouveau drivers have never worked well for me, I’m afraid. :/

And I mean, I had a sold, working driver, on a solid, working kernel. If the former hadn’t been unloaded without my consent, things would presumably still be working perfectly well.

And yes, I know, I know, NVidia dropped support for that driver, etc. etc. But that’s no comfort to me if the drivers that they insist on

To be clear: I care far less about which drivers receive support than which drivers work. A supported driver that doesn’t work with my system is near-useless to me.

Now, to be clear again: if we can get the supported drivers to work on my system, then that’s a bonus! Support is generally good to have!

But again: It’s a working system that I’m after; I care about the system functioning effectively.

[edit] Sorry if the above is a bit ranty. This is a very frustrating problem for me, especially with the issue of getting a different kernel to work having been added onto the original problem of just getting a working graphics driver back.

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In that case, you are seeing a regression. This is where a driver in the Linux kernel has somehow been either removed or made buggy. This definitely should be reported as @juergh suggested.

Have you tried using a later kernel? The latest available for Ubuntu 24.04 is version 7.0.0-28. To get this, can you connect to the internet using whichever version does work?

  1. Create an account on Ubuntu Pro if you don’t already have one. It’s free for up to five personal devices.
  2. Enable Ubuntu Pro: In the terminal, enter sudo pro enable and follow the instructions. More details.
  3. Run full updates: sudo apt --update upgrade, which should install kernel 7.0.0-28.
  4. Reboot.

Let me know if this makes any difference.

10

I was told in the previous thread that the removal was due to NVidia dropping support for the driver. Is that not the case…?

And indeed, I think that I saw a log message somewhere indicating an intentional drive to transition users over to the 580 driver…

6.17 is the latest that I’ve installed, as far as I recall.

(My experience with new kernels hasn’t really encouraged me to experiment with them… ^^; )

I can look to that. I don’t yet have Ubuntu Pro, so that means a signup, which means that I’ll do so later today, if that’s okay–I’m somewhat busy at the moment.

But I’ll report back later once I’ve looked to what you suggest, I intend!

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Oh… Maybe. In that case, I don’t know, as NVIDIA has transitioned to open source.

Super!

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As I understand it, the 535 driver “aged out” in June 2026 after being supported for three years prior. The 580 driver that’s currently available/recommended reaches end of life in August 2028. Importantly for @arsthaumaturgis and me, that’s the last driver that will support the Maxwell architecture GPUs that are in our aging systems.

While there are -open versions of the NVidia driver, I don’t believe they can be used with these Maxwell architecture GPU’s. See Clarification on GPU support for Maxwell/Pascal archs and binary/OS relationship · Issue #19 · NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules · GitHub

1 Like
13

Pro is not required for anything suggested so far.

The instructions by @paddylandau are intended to make it easier for you. But there are other ways to accomplish it. Since networking is a problem, Pro might be more onerous that other methods (like creating a LiveUSB)

You have not made clear which problem you want help with first. You will get better and faster help if you do that. I suggest you begin using a supported kernel, and work from there.

  • Pro Tip: Take a few minutes to think about any advice given. Avoid hurried responses, and avoid vague pronouns (“it”).
2 Likes
14

A few posts above, paddylandau specifically indicated that I should install Pro in order to get the newer kernel that they recommended that I try.

Are you saying that Pro is not required to get that kernel, or that I shouldn’t try to install said kernel…?

15

How does DKMS play with the switching between kernel versions and driver versions? Is the boot process smart enough to load the right kernel modules for the Nvidia driver when different kernels are selected in the GRUB menu?

An aside to @arsthaumaturgis I’ve experienced the kind of thing you’re going through here and my memories of the frustration level are raising my BP even now. Hang in there, you’re getting really good advice in this thread.

16

I see–thank you for the clarification!

Because it’s not clear to me what the various problems are, precisely. That’s part of what I’m asking here. (As I mentioned above.)

From my point of view, it’s not clear whether we’re dealing with a driver that’s causing some cascade of failures, or an OS update that multiple things rely on, or… what.

I mean, I tried that, as I mentioned above: From what I’ve been told previously, there are only two supported kernels for my system: 6.8 and “HWE”.

I don’t have HWE, and from what I gather, it doesn’t seem applicable to my system.

I do have 6.8–and it exhibits the issues described in this thread.

So, until we have a means to fix 6.8, I’m not in a position to make any real use of it. I’m happy to boot into 6.8 to do fixes based on instructions given here, but posting and reading this forum, downloading new drivers/kernels/updates, and general computer usage should remain on 6.14 until 6.8 is fixed.

(Note: “Fix” here doesn’t mean “make work perfectly”. It just means “make functional so that I can attend to more-specific problems, like which NVidia driver to use”.)

I feel like I by-and-large have been? I do appreciate the advice, however.

As far as I’m aware, I’ve primarily used the pronoun “it” where there was a fairly clear referent.

But I apologise if there have been cases in which I have been unclear!

I appreciate that, thank you!

And I do appreciate the time and effort that people are putting into attempting to help me here!

17

As @ian-weisser says, there are other ways to test a kernel. Using Pro is (in my opinion) the easiest way to get the latest kernel, plus Pro gives you other benefits.

Or you can try a different method. For example, you could boot Ubuntu 26.04 from a USB to see how it works; it won’t have the latest kernel for 26.04 (that’s 7.0.0-28), but it does have 7.0.0.14.

It’s your choice, whichever you prefer.

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I really like this recommendation. Question, though, does a live USB typically allow direct access to the GPU at a level required for the proprietary driver install/use? In any case, though, booting a live USB and evaluating the subsequent system performance would be interesting information.

19

Hmm, that’s an interesting idea…

But would it be a valid test…?

After all, I doubt that it’s the kernel itself that’s the problem.

Although it does suggest a related idea: What if I were to live-boot from a 6.8-kernel USB, and see whether that works? That might allow us to at least test whether the issue is indeed the kernel…

On a related note, if that were to work, would it allow me to update the on-disk 6.8-kernel installation…? If so, then that could be a useful way to approach this…

(And which version of Ubuntu should I live-boot from to get that 6.8 kernel?)

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But would it be a valid test…?

After all, I doubt that it’s the kernel itself that’s the problem.

Booting a live USB - maybe a tested, stable one like Ubuntu 24.04 - would provide interesting information. And it won’t affect the current installs at all. Sounds like a winner to me.

if that were to work, would it allow me to update the on-disk 6.8-kernel installation…?

It’s been quite some time since I tried a live USB but as I recall they typically give you the option to install the entire distribution. So it would be more like starting over with a clean install, in my experience.