In all versions of ubuntu after Karmic, sony vaio CW series, ends up in a blank display when booted directly. The computer starts perfectly and the startup tone can be heard in speakers. This is possibly caused because the driver (nouveau) is not able to read the EDID information of the display attached to laptop. When I connect external display to my HDMI port, it works fine. But the laptop's built in display is not detected at all.
The primary reason of this problem is that of the EDID data. Even when I install Nvidia drivers in karmic, the same blank display can be reproduced. In lucid and maverick, this is due to maverick. However, the default drivers in case of karmic(NV or neva) happens to make the display appear.
In maverick or in lucid, I can boot into the computer using 'nomodeset' in boot options in grub(http://lemoney92.blogspot.com/2010/09/linux-blank-screen-problem.html). This possibly disables nouveau driver and boots up with the default display driver.
Also I can make the Nvidia driver work in karmic and in lucid, by forcing the driver use the edid exported from windows. This enables the 3D effects however I'm not able to switch to a VT.
Also the brightness of my display does not change at all. There is a workaround related to nvidia_bl module.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1420341
All these problems are linked and possibly the base it that kernel is not able fetch EDID information from the laptop's display.
Here are some of forums that discuss the issue
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=140482
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1470822
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1599728
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1393940
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic 2.6.35-22.33
Regression: Yes
Reproducible: Yes
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-22.33-generic 2.6.35.4
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-22-generic i686
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
Architecture: i386
ArecordDevices:
**** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC262 Analog [ALC262 Analog]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse:
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0: simar 1587 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xd8d00000 irq 48'
Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC262'
Components : 'HDA:10ec0262,104d3b00,00100302'
Controls : 12
Simple ctrls : 8
Card1.Amixer.info:
Card hw:1 'NVidia'/'HDA NVidia at 0xd3080000 irq 16'
Mixer name : 'Nvidia GT220 HDMI'
Components : 'HDA:10de000a,104d3b00,00100100'
Controls : 16
Simple ctrls : 4
Date: Sat Oct 30 02:18:09 2010
HibernationDevice: RESUME=/dev/sda6
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
MachineType: Sony Corporation VPCCW16FG
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic root=UUID=06ea1d28-da8e-4406-a4ae-dd173ff59244 ro quiet splash nomodeset
ProcEnviron:
LANG=en_IN
SHELL=/bin/bash
RelatedPackageVersions: linux-firmware 1.38
SourcePackage: linux
dmi.bios.date: 09/22/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: R0190Y5
dmi.board.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.board.name: VAIO
dmi.board.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrR0190Y5:bd09/22/2009:svnSonyCorporation:pnVPCCW16FG:pvrC602E0UF:rvnSonyCorporation:rnVAIO:rvrN/A:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: VPCCW16FG
dmi.product.version: C602E0UF
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
I have attached two video files showing how my laptop boots using two mainline daily build kernels linux-image-
Using the former it stucks in the middle of the boot process but in the later it boots up fine without 'nomodeset' in boot options.