Ubuntu Version:
Xubuntu 26.04 LTS
Desktop Environment (if applicable):
XFCE
Problem Description:
I crated a bootable stick with the new Xubuntu 26.04 Desktop image and tried to install it, but when the screen launches I am observing the following:
- Clicking the Install icon just opens a black window and nothing else happens
- Software and Updates opens the window normally, but Xubuntu freezes completely afterwards. I could reproduce it with other windows from the application menu too, but I can’t tell which now.
- Other windows, i.e. browser open with smeared colors.
Relevant System Information:
GeForce RTX 4080
Screenshots or Error Messages:
What I’ve Tried:
- Both Desktop and Minimal Images –> same results
- Different stick –> same results
- Ubuntu –> No problems there
- “safe graphics” or “nomedeset” in Grub lead to Xubuntu not even loading. In the loading log there is no error, it just stops loading.
I suspect a problem with graphic card driver that is being loaded, I had similar problems already with Xubuntu 24.04, though not severe. But there I could install the proprietary NVIDIA driver afterwards which solved the problems.
1 Like
There is definitely something going on with graphics on Xubuntu 26.04, I installed the system just fine last night, no bugs or issues at all, but from time to time noticed very tiny artifacts on screen (I’m on an old Samsung monitor and an old AMD Radeon graphics card), which never before happened to me. I thought it was because of my old hardware.
I opened Hardinfo2 to get some system and hardware information and it said something about missing glxinfo / mesa-utils, which I installed and seems to have made it barely noticeable, but of course this is only possible because I was able to install the system in the first place. Enabling or disabling the compositor didn’t make any difference. Glxgears runs fine.
Can you disable compositing on your live session, to see if the installer works? (I don’t know if this is possible, just thinking aloud here). I can’t try it right now as I’m not at home on my own computer, but I was able to find this and this regarding this issue that apparently only affects XFCE.
2 Likes
Did you verify the ISO you downloaded (or use torrents)? A bad ISO will give a bad install experience
I did, sha256sums are same.
Check the links I provided on my previous post. This is an actual XFCE issue. It happened to me too even on a minimal install ISO. Doesn’t affect other flavors.
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I do not know if this will help since I have a very standard integrated Intel graphic card.
But, as a test do this before you click on the desktop installer icon.
Open a terminal and run this command:
snap run ubuntu-desktop-bootstrap
Does the graphical installer start properly now?
Keep the terminal open and look for error messages that might give us more clues.
Post the terminal output here wrapped with code tags (highlight text and click on </> in the composer).
It’s good to check, just as a matter of course. It’s the first thing I always ask with install issues
Post the terminal output here wrapped with code tags (highlight text and click on </> in the composer).
Yeah, that was impossible, no browser or thunderbird works. USB or SSD are mounted but won’t open, any any window can just freeze the system. So I did the best I could, I printed the errors as text and scanned them again.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/117VWitY4J_4I-EXoRyQ9kVYllbslyx7Q/view?usp=drive_link
Can you disable compositing on your live session, to see if the installer works?
I tried like they suggested in the NVIDIA forum, deactivated it in windows setting tweaks, but it did nothing.
Next thing to try (note that this is a temporary workaround):
Start the live USB installer and when you get to the Try or Install Xubuntu press e on the keyboard.
Use the keyboard arrows and find the line that starts with linux
Add these two parameters after quiet splash nomodeset nouveau.modeset=0
Press Ctrl+X or F10 to boot.
If this works and the installer starts then you should be able to add the Nvidia drivers post-install.
Fingers crossed 
No, same result as in my initial post. It just freezes during the Xubuntu logo.
