Screen goes black, but computer still running (Linux)

[jreynaud1]

I am using the HP 17-g121wm Notebook. The screen will randomly shut off 2-5 minutes after booting up, sometimes sooner. The computer will still be running, but the screen itself will be black (the backlight seems to remain on, though). No matter what buttons I press, nothing makes the screen come back on, so I have to push the power button to shut the laptop  off and back on. 

This problem does not occur when I boot into Windows, but when I boot into Linux (I have tried Ubuntu and Arch linux), this problem persists. 

I have tried starting grub with the kernel parameter "nomodeset", but when I do this I am unable to enter a graphical environment because the amdgpu driver depends on Kernal Mode Set (KMS) without nomodeset.

I would prefer to use Linux on this laptop for programming and development, preferably Arch Linux. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

jreynaud1

I run Linux distros on my desktop PC and from your description, the problem is almost certainly the lack of video drivers, especially in the case of AMD video chipsets.

I'm not familiar with Arch, but I do know with Ubuntu, that I have been having AMD driver problems for several versions now, and with the latest, Xenial 16.04, the fglrx drivers simply will NOT work as they are not supported with the newer kernel version, and are not going to be -- as AMD is working on a new open-source driver to replace fglrx.

The HP forums does not provide detailed support for Linux problems, so my suggestion is to check with the appropriate Linux forums for each distro.

Also, since you're using an AMD video chipset, you might find the info you need at the Phoronix forums: AMD/ATI Linux - Phoronix Forums

Good Luck
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[jreynaud1]

Yes, it looks like kernel 4.7 is going to have better support for AMD Carrizo, which is what I have.