Every now and then I update Ubuntu, sip my coffee, install all-the-things… and everything looks fine.
Until I suspend.
Because of course the moment the PC suspends, NVIDIA decides to have an existential crisis. I start the machine again and black screen. GODDAMMIT!
This happened again today, and because Future Me will not remember any of this (ciao, Future Me 👋), here’s the quick fix that actually solved it.
The Symptom
- Machine suspends normally
- Wake up → black screen appears
Classic NVIDIA + Ubuntu combo.
The Fix That Works (Ubuntu 25.10 + NVIDIA 580 drivers)
The thing that saved my sanity:
👉 Disable NVIDIA DRM modeset
Edit your GRUB config:
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Find this line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
Mine has no “quiet splash” though because I like seeing the logs during boot: Matrix much.
Turn it into:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nvidia-drm.modeset=0"
Save, then:
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot
After reboot:
Suspend → Wake up → XFCE STILL THERE. 🎉
No more void of despair. No more relogging and reopening 27 windows.
Why This Helps
Modeset is theoretically great. In reality? On some kernel/NVIDIA combos it behaves like a cat: works when it feels like it, ignores you the rest of the time.
Setting nvidia-drm.modeset=0 basically tells it:
“Okay buddy, just don’t try anything fancy.”
And apparently that’s all it needed.
A Note for Future Me
If NVIDIA breaks again after some update (because it will), check this variable first before going down the reinstall-drivers-reboot-cry spiral.