Black screen on the second monitor since the last update

General system Kernel, boot, graphics & hardware
1

Hello,

I have a GTX 970, and since upgrading to the new driver, my second monitor no longer displays anything. I tried switching to the nouveau driver, but that didn’t help. I then installed the nvidia-580xx-dkms driver, but the same thing happened. In the end, I don’t even know which driver is active anymore…
Can you tell me how to be sure that I have activated the nvidia-580xx-dkms driver?

Is it enough ? yay -S nvidia-580xx-dkms nvidia-580xx-utils nvidia-580xx-settings lib32-nvidia-580xx-utils

When I run

xrandr --listmonitors
Monitors: 1
0: +*Unknown-1 2560/677x1440/381+0+0 Unknown-1

It does not detect the second monitor. However, when I boot from a live USB, everything works normally.

Thanks !

2

What does the output show for inxi -Gaz

3 
inxi -Gaz
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM204 [GeForce GTX 970] driver: N/A alternate: nouveau
    non-free: 550-580.xx+ status: current (as of 2025-11; EOL~2026-12-xx)
    arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx process: TSMC 28nm built: 2014-2019 pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s bus-ID: 09:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:13c2 class-ID: 0300
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.21 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.9
    compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv,vesa gpu: N/A display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: Unknown-1 res: mode: 2560x1440 hz: 60 scale: 100% (1) dpi: 96
    size: 677x381mm (26.65x15") diag: 777mm (30.58") modes: 2560x1440
  API: EGL v: 1.5 platforms: device: 0 drv: swrast surfaceless: drv: swrast
    wayland: drv: swrast x11: drv: swrast inactive: gbm
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 25.3.2-arch1.1 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 21.1.6 256 bits)
    device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 15.13 GiB unified: yes
    display-ID: :1.0
  API: Vulkan Message: No Vulkan data available.
  Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
    de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: nvidia-settings,nvidia-smi
    wl: wayland-info x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
4

There’s no driver loaded.

Edit: When you installed the drivers did you reboot?

5

Obviously every time (and clenching my buttocks! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: )

If I understand correctly, the GPU driver is installed but not active. How to activate it, is my first question.

6

Did you reboot after the install is how it gets loaded?

Edit:

Sorry, I guess that’s what you meant! :rofl:

7

I guess we could try again. You could run nvidia-inst -n and it should revert to nouveau and then reboot. After reboot check with inxi -Ga and post. Then we will install the nvidia 580xx drivers again a little differently.

:index_pointing_up:

8

I wanted to say yes, every time I install a driver I reboot. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
As for clenching your buttocks, it’s a French expression that describes Clenching your buttocks can combat the fear of defecating when you’re scared. In colloquial language, it simply means being afraid.

9 
nvidia-inst -n
2026-01-03 19:48:13: Info: nvidia-inst version 25.12-1
2026-01-03 19:48:13: Info: Command line: nvidia-inst -n
2026-01-03 19:48:13: Info: Selected mode: nouveau
2026-01-03 19:48:13: Note: Package vulkan-nouveau is set for install but it is installed already.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMMANDS TO RUN:
    ==> Looks like all requested packages and settings are already OK!

inxi -Ga
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM204 [GeForce GTX 970] driver: N/A alternate: nouveau
    non-free: 550-580.xx+ status: current (as of 2025-11; EOL~2026-12-xx)
    arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx process: TSMC 28nm built: 2014-2019 pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s bus-ID: 09:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:13c2 class-ID: 0300
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.21 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.9
    compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv,vesa gpu: N/A display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: Unknown-1 res: mode: 2560x1440 hz: 60 scale: 100% (1) dpi: 96
    size: 677x381mm (26.65x15") diag: 777mm (30.58") modes: 2560x1440
  API: EGL v: 1.5 platforms: device: 0 drv: swrast surfaceless: drv: swrast
    wayland: drv: swrast x11: drv: swrast inactive: gbm
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 25.3.2-arch1.1 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 21.1.6 256 bits)
    device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 15.13 GiB unified: yes
    display-ID: :1.0
  API: Vulkan Message: No Vulkan data available.
  Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
    de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: nvidia-settings,nvidia-smi
    wl: wayland-info x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
10

For some reason It’s showing no driver. N/A It’s showing nouveau as an alternate. Okay please run an update first. sudo pacman -Syu

11

Is this a laptop with a second monitor or a desktop with two monitors?

Edi: Can you post the whole hardware output. Post the url

inxi -Faz | eos-sendlog

12

I have already placed all the commands you are suggesting. I am repeating them for the sake of thoroughness and to remove any doubt on your part. Otherwise, it is a desktop PC with two monitors.

13

https://dpaste.com/57EFFH5SU

14

So right now there is no driver loaded which is weird. So it’s not rendering on the nvidia gpu.

API: OpenGL v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 25.3.3-arch1.1 glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 21.1.6 256 bits) device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 15.13 GiB unified: yes display-ID: :1.0

Lets try to install the drivers again. Start with this and then reboot when finished.

yay -S nvidia-580xx-dkms nvidia-580xx-utils

15

After the install and reboot can you show inxi -Ga again

16 
inxi -Ga
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM204 [GeForce GTX 970] driver: N/A alternate: nouveau
    non-free: 550-580.xx+ status: current (as of 2025-11; EOL~2026-12-xx)
    arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx process: TSMC 28nm built: 2014-2019 pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s bus-ID: 09:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:13c2 class-ID: 0300
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.21 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.9
    compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv,vesa gpu: N/A display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: Unknown-1 res: mode: 2560x1440 hz: 60 scale: 100% (1) dpi: 96
    size: 677x381mm (26.65x15") diag: 777mm (30.58") modes: 2560x1440
  API: EGL v: 1.5 platforms: device: 0 drv: swrast surfaceless: drv: swrast
    wayland: drv: swrast x11: drv: swrast inactive: gbm
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 25.3.3-arch1.1 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 21.1.6 256 bits)
    device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 15.13 GiB unified: yes
    display-ID: :1.0
  API: Vulkan Message: No Vulkan data available.
  Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
    de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: nvidia-settings,nvidia-smi
    wl: wayland-info x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
17

I notice from the hardware output that your UEFI Bios is way out of date. There are 10 newer versions with the last two being beta. I think i would update the bios to version 4632 which would leave the latest two beta versions yet.

18

The 580xx version are the correct drivers for this card.

Screenshot 2026-01-03 192726
Screenshot 2026-01-03 192726789×137 15 KB

19

This was working up until the latest update? Did you do that yesterday? Or when?

20

@frant

There are a couple of things we could do. You could use eos-shifttime which will revert to a different date back before you did the update that caused this issue. I would try that. It reverts everything back to a date you select but only packages that are in the pacman repos. Not any AUR packages. The AUR packages currently are installed it’s just not showing them loaded.

Edit: The other thing you could check is what updates it did on the date and time this happened if you can remember. You just need to look in /var/log/pacman.log This may or may not help. Not sure?

The third thing I think i would do is update the Bios for sure.