ZED Box Orin NX show black screen after upgrade, but working by ssh

Hardware ZED Box
1

My new ZED Box Orin NX arrived. After turning it on, I couldn’t find a way to connect to the network via Wi-Fi, so I decided to run the Software Updater. After the update, it prompted me to restart the system (I had connected an Ethernet cable for the update and then removed it).

Upon reboot, the standard Ubuntu setup dialog appeared, asking for a username, computer name, etc. When it asked me to install a browser, I decided to plug in the Ethernet cable. However, I accidentally touched the secured power cable, and the computer turned off. I turned it back on, and after the main boot screen and system logs, instead of the desktop GUI, I now see a black screen with a blinking underscore in the top left corner.

It is quite likely that this is related to the update, but it could also be due to the unexpected shutdown during data registration, though that seems less likely.

I don’t really want to reflash the computer, so I tried looking for a solution. Here are the results of my attempts, but everything I found ultimately ended up being resolved by reflashing the system.

dmesg (started the PC without HDMI, but then connected it, and the problem remained)
dmesg.txt (55.5 KB)

Restart gdm3

user@kora-desktop:~$ sudo systemctl restart gdm3.service
user@kora-desktop:~$ sudo modprobe nvidia
user@kora-desktop:~$ sudo modprobe nvidia.ko
modprobe: FATAL: Module nvidia.ko not found in directory /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra
user@kora-desktop:~$ sudo modprobe nvidia-drm
user@kora-desktop:~$ sudo modprobe nvidia-modeset
user@kora-desktop:~$ systemctl status gdm3.service
● gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; static)
    Drop-In: /etc/systemd/system/gdm.service.d
             └─override.conf
     Active: active (running) since Tue 2025-03-04 22:41:46 +07; 12min ago
   Main PID: 1870 (gdm3)
      Tasks: 3 (limit: 18457)
     Memory: 2.5M
        CPU: 42ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
             └─1870 /usr/sbin/gdm3

мар 04 22:41:46 kora-desktop systemd[1]: Starting GNOME Display Manager...
мар 04 22:41:46 kora-desktop systemd[1]: Started GNOME Display Manager.
мар 04 22:41:46 kora-desktop gdm-launch-environment][1874]: pam_unix(gdm-launch-environment:session): session opened for user gdm(uid=128) by (uid=0)

The status on the working PC.

user@GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5:~$ systemctl status gdm3.service
● gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; static)
    Drop-In: /etc/systemd/system/gdm.service.d
             └─override.conf
     Active: active (running) since Mon 2025-03-03 10:42:56 +07; 1 day 10h ago
   Main PID: 1132 (gdm3)
      Tasks: 3 (limit: 18457)
     Memory: 3.9M
        CPU: 95ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
             └─1132 /usr/sbin/gdm3

мар 03 10:42:56 GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5 systemd[1]: Starting GNOME Display Manager...
мар 03 10:42:56 GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5 systemd[1]: Started GNOME Display Manager.
мар 03 10:42:56 GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5 gdm-autologin][1195]: gkr-pam: no password is available for user
мар 03 10:42:58 GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5 gdm-autologin][1195]: pam_unix(gdm-autologin:session): session opened for user user(uid=1000) by (uid=0)
мар 03 10:42:58 GTW-ONX1-D1BVCME5 gdm-autologin][1195]: gkr-pam: gnome-keyring-daemon started properly

Xorg
I checked the errors in Xorg, but the same error appears on a working PC where everything functions correctly.

user@kora-desktop:~$ grep "(EE)" /var/log/Xorg.0.log
        (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[  3692.943] (EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to allocate NVIDIA Error Handler

Logs
Xorg.0.log (14.7 KB)

2

Hi @DGDarkKing
probably the file system of your device is now in a not consistent status and it’s hard to understand where’s the problem and how to fix it.
As a quick solution, I advise you to use our factory reset script following the online documentation here:

3

Thanks for your answer. I have already started reading the article and might begin following its instructions tomorrow.
However, I have one question.
If the command lsusb -d '0955:' returns VID:PID 0955:7020 or nothing, using a USB flash drive is required. But my ZedBox has the serial number GTW-ONX1, and the article includes the following warning:

If your serial number starts with GTW-ONX1- or GTW-ONX2-, do not do this.

As I understand it, in extreme cases, I might have no choice but to follow this part of the article. However, I would like to know why this warning exists and what potential issues could arise from such a reflashing process.

4

If you cannot put the ZED Box in force recovery mode, then you can create a USB bootable key and force the recovery mode following this guide that is normally not required for your type of device

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