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Fix “Failed to start gdm.service – GNOME Display Manager” on Ubuntu (Lenovo, Dell, HP & Others)
Last Updated: November 2025
Works for Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04, Pop!_OS, Debian, Mint, Zorin OS, etc.
Tested on: Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Inspiron/Latitude, HP ProBook/Envy, ASUS & Acer systems
Introduction
If your Ubuntu suddenly boots to a black screen or text-only console showing:
Failed to start gdm.service – GNOME Display Manager
Don’t worry—your system isn’t broken.
This error means your graphical login (GDM) failed to start—usually because of:
A blocked graphics driver (e.g., Secure Boot + NVIDIA)
Wrong BIOS storage mode (RAID/VMD instead of AHCI)
Corrupted GDM or GPU configuration
This guide explains how to fix it step-by-step on Lenovo, Dell, HP, and other laptops, even if you don’t have a USB flash drive.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you can:
Access a TTY terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F3 or F4
Log in with your username and password
Have an internet connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
Step 1—Enter BIOS/UEFI Settings
Different brands have slightly different BIOS access keys:
|
Brand |
BIOS Key |
Boot Menu Key |
|
Lenovo (ThinkPad / IdeaPad) |
F1 |
F12 |
|
Dell (Inspiron / Latitude / XPS) |
F2 |
F12 |
|
HP (Pavilion / ProBook / Envy) |
Esc → F10 |
Esc → F9 |
|
ASUS / Acer / MSI |
F2 |
F12 or Esc |
Power on your laptop and press the key repeatedly during startup.
Step 2—Disable Secure Boot
Reason: Secure Boot blocks unsigned GPU drivers (especially NVIDIA), preventing GDM from starting.
BIOS Navigation:
Lenovo: Security → Secure Boot → Disable
Dell: Boot Configuration → Secure Boot → Disabled
HP: Security → Secure Boot Configuration → Secure Boot → Disable
Save and exit (usually F10) and reboot.
Then, verify inside Ubuntu CLI:
sudo mokutil --sb-state
It should say:
Secure Boot disabled
Step 3—Change Storage Mode (RAID → AHCI / VMD → Disabled)
Reason: Ubuntu sometimes can’t boot properly or detect NVMe drives when Intel RST/VMD is enabled.
BIOS Path by Brand:
|
Brand |
Menu Path |
Change To |
|
Lenovo |
Config → Storage / VMD Controller → Disabled |
AHCI mode |
|
Dell |
Storage → SATA Operation → AHCI |
From “RAID On” |
|
HP |
Advanced → Storage Options → AHCI |
Disable Intel RST if shown |
If Windows was preinstalled with RAID/RST mode, switching may stop it from booting — backup first.
After saving BIOS changes, reboot back into Ubuntu CLI.
Step 4—Update & Repair Packages
In your Ubuntu terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F3):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --fix-broken -y
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt upgrade -y
This ensures all system components are synced before repairing GDM.
Step 5—Reinstall & Reconfigure GDM
sudo rm -f /etc/gdm3/custom.conf
sudo apt install --reinstall gdm3 -y
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm3
When asked, choose gdm3 (not lightdm).
Then try restarting the display manager:
sudo systemctl restart gdm
If it fails again:
sudo systemctl status gdm --no-pager
sudo journalctl -xeu gdm
Step 6—If GDM Still Fails, Use LightDM
Switching to a lighter login manager often bypasses GDM/driver bugs:
sudo apt install lightdm -y
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm
sudo reboot
Choose LightDM when prompted.
After reboot, your graphical login screen should return.
Step 7—Fix GPU Drivers (Intel / NVIDIA / AMD)
Check your GPU:
lspci | grep -E "VGA|3D"
Intel
Usually works out of the box. Just update:
sudo apt install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-intel -y
NVIDIA
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
sudo reboot
If GDM still fails, disable Secure Boot again in BIOS and repeat.
AMD
sudo apt install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-amdgpu -y
Step 8—Rebuild Initramfs & GRUB (after BIOS changes)
If you changed RAID → AHCI / VMD → Disabled:
sudo update-initramfs -u
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot
Step 9—Use GRUB Recovery (if the GUI won’t start at all)
Reboot → hold Shift or Esc → open GRUB menu.
Select Advanced options for Ubuntu → (recovery mode)
Choose root to open a repair shell.
Run the same repair commands from above.
Step 10—Verify & Troubleshoot
Check what’s working and what’s not:
sudo systemctl status gdm
sudo mokutil --sb-state
lspci | grep -E "VGA|3D"
df -h
lsblk -f
Step 11—Summary
|
Problem |
Fix |
|
GDM fails to start |
Reinstall gdm3 or switch to lightdm |
|
Black screen after boot |
Disable Secure Boot |
|
Disk not visible |
Switch BIOS from RAID/VMD → AHCI |
|
NVIDIA drivers not loading |
Run ubuntu-drivers autoinstall |
|
GUI still missing |
Rebuild initramfs + grub |
Final Thoughts
Most “Failed to start gdm.service” issues are caused by BIOS security or storage modes blocking Linux from initializing GPU drivers.
For Lenovo, Dell, and HP laptops, disabling Secure Boot, changing RAID to AHCI, and reinstalling gdm3 or lightdm usually fixes the issue completely — no USB or OS reinstall needed.
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