Linux Mint Cinnamon HDMI Issue

[Cloudy]

I am new to Linux but just installed Linux Mint 19.1 Cinnamon onto my laptop, and made to sure check on the option to also install 3rd party drivers when I was doing so. I tried to update it and now seem to be running version 4.0.10 of Cinnamon and Linux Kernel 4.15.0-55-generic.
I am using a HP Pavilion dv7 notebook that has an AMD Radeon HD 5650/5750 / 6530M/6550M GPU.

My problem is that when I plug a HDMI cable into my TV it only works for about 30 seconds before loses signal. Then after another short amount of time it pops back up again. I have tried going to Driver Manager but the only option is allows me to apply is "bcmwl-kernel-source version 6.30.223.271+bdcom-0ubuntu4". (I also restarted the PC after applying, but still having the same problem.)

[Omega]

You should leave " install 3rd party software and drivers" enabled unless you want to run a free system. otherwise you will have to jump through hoops to get stuff like Steam installed.

GPU drivers are in the kernel. The HD 5000/6000 series doesn't work with the modern AMDGPU driver and instead uses Radeon. These drivers are included in the kernel you don't have to install any drivers yourself. Drivers for OpenGL, Vulkan etc.. (Your card doesn't support Vulkan) are included in MESA which should be installed by default since it's free software and usually a dependency of the desktop environment.


My first guess would be that the screen might simply not be configured correctly. Make sure the resolutions and refresh rate are set correctly.

[Cloudy]

Omega님이 먼저 게시:

You should leave " install 3rd party software and drivers" enabled unless you want to run a free system. otherwise you will have to jump through hoops to get stuff like Steam installed.

Sorry I worded it poorly, I meant that I DID enable that option when I installed the OS.

[Cloudy]

Omega님이 먼저 게시:

My first guess would be that the screen might simply not be configured correctly. Make sure the resolutions and refresh rate are set correctly.

I checked and all of that seems to be correct, I feel like I am running out of options not getting much help online.

[Omega]

Try asking here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/

And on the Linux Mint forums: https://forums.linuxmint.com/

[SeriousCCIE]

I had the same issue and it turned out to be immature AMD video/gpu driver support for the family of cards I was trying to use. Other versions of linux that were not Mint (such as say Debian or Knoppix or Ubuntu) never experienced the issue.

I had to change video cards to resolve it. Unfortunately, for a laptop, I do not expect this to be simple.

[Omega]

SeriousCCIE님이 먼저 게시:

I had the same issue and it turned out to be immature AMD video/gpu driver support for the family of cards I was trying to use. Other versions of linux that were not Mint (such as say Debian or Knoppix or Ubuntu) never experienced the issue.

I had to change video cards to resolve it. Unfortunately, for a laptop, I do not expect this to be simple.

I doubt it's an older GPU driver which causing this.

- This card is 10 years old, any still supported distro will have full support for it.
- Ubuntu, Debian and Mint, they all run the same GPU drivers. Support for these cards on any distro will be equal.
- Debian is ancient compared to other distros such as Ubuntu and Mint.

You were most likely running in to an issue with the DE, compositor or X server.

[SeriousCCIE]

Omega, I want to think you had tried to help back then. Maybe march or so.

I ended up having to use an older card, an X1950XTX, which worked fine.

Using a r7-250, or r9-270, or HD5450 or HD6450 -- all ended in it losing its display after a few minutes, even if the desktop itself was still functional and responsive, there was no display ("functional" being via remote management. It didn't crash. It just stopped displaying entirely and the monitor would go to sleep.)

I have an R9-290 that wouldn't fit in the system with the drive cage installed--that also worked fine. I was left between the choices of the integrated video, diminishment of the purpose I was using the machine by removal of the storage cage, or that ancient 1950xtx card.

That ancient card can play relatively modern games still at 1920x1200, so I stuck with that. I didn't have any more time to commit to resolving the driver issues. I tried *everything* I could, printed out directions, typed in lots of stuff... (keep in mind I'm one of those weird CCIE types, so the command line is not a problem--it's not knowing the commands...)

It may be helping with the performance that the processor is a xeon 1286v3. Its integrated video stunk in comparison to that old card.

Anyway it is fulfilling its purpose as a sort of steam machine and plays a lot of things without a problem provided I don't exceed 1920x1200 or so.

[Cloudy]

I tried to use Ubuntu instead and the same thing is happening, it is automatically toggling to the other options... As if I am clicking Win+P but instead by itself... 

[Snow]

Cloudy Canadian님이 먼저 게시:

I tried to use Ubuntu instead and the same thing is happening, it is automatically toggling to the other options... As if I am clicking Win+P but instead by itself...

So you're using pretty much the same OS with the same drivers and somehow it should lead to a different result? So far it sounds like it's either driver-related issue, or has nothing to do with software at all, rather than with loose connection or something.

[Cloudy]

Snow님이 먼저 게시:

Cloudy Canadian님이 먼저 게시:

I tried to use Ubuntu instead and the same thing is happening, it is automatically toggling to the other options... As if I am clicking Win+P but instead by itself...

So you're using pretty much the same OS with the same drivers and somehow it should lead to a different result?

Look man, I don't know much about Linux and I thought it was worth a shot... No need to be condescending... I'm just trying to tell everyone what I find is happening.

[Cloudy]

Will this issue happen no matter what distro I use? Is there any others that are user friendly for a noob that would maybe work to solve this issue?

[Snow]

Cloudy Canadian님이 먼저 게시:

Snow님이 먼저 게시:

So you're using pretty much the same OS with the same drivers and somehow it should lead to a different result?

Look man, I don't know much about Linux and I thought it was worth a shot... No need to be condescending... I'm just trying to tell everyone what I find is happening.

I didn't mean to sound mean or offend you anyhow, and I doubt I know much than you do about Linux. It's just that Omega has already said Ubuntu, Debian and Mint all run the same drivers as all of them are based on Debian.

Cloudy Canadian님이 먼저 게시:

Will this issue happen no matter what distro I use? Is there any others that are user friendly for a noob that would maybe work to solve this issue?

Well, so far it's hard to tell what exactly is causing the issue, if it is indeed software-related. I'd say try something way different, like Fedora with KDE you can download here[spins.fedoraproject.org].

[Cloudy]

Seems like it was fixed by going into Driver Manager and setting the GPU driver to "Do not use the device".

[Omega]

Interesting, so it was trying to switch between the GPU and I-GPU?

Linux usually doesn't do that on it's own. Idk if Mint and Ubuntu have something installed by default which automatically does GPU offloading.

[Cloudy]

Omega님이 먼저 게시:

Interesting, so it was trying to switch between the GPU and I-GPU?

Linux usually doesn't do that on it's own. Idk if Mint and Ubuntu have something installed by default which automatically does GPU offloading.

By default it was on the "Do not use this device", but I was having the issue so I switch it to the other one. But I was still having issues, so I left it on that option but I did a bunch of updates and also updated it to 19.2. Only then did I switch the driver option back to "Do not use this device" which then solved it. So I think it was the updates I did as well that helped fixed the problem I was having.