Cannot type CryptSetup password in Linux Mint boot screen

Question

So I have had this issue happen to me on many distros and have finally decided to reach out for help as I am fed up and feel this problem is simple and should of been fixed long ago.

The problem is when you want to select to encrypt your disk during install of Linux, in my case Linux Mint 18.3 with Kernel 4.10 64 bit.

So upon logging in, I head over to install my Nvidia drivers, restart and boom the issue starts. My keyboard lights up but I cannot type in my CryptSetup password to decrypt my hard drive at the Linux Mint logo screen...

I have had this experience on many other distros as well. The only "solution" I have come across is disabling the splash screen, but this is 2017 I do not want to see a wall of text to then type in my password. I mean how come this issue has not been addressed, what about all the people out there who are not very technical but end up running Linux for some reason and they cannot decrypt their OS to run?

I have read about that it may be something to do with installing Nvidia drivers? As I could type my password in when using Intel graphics, but I need my Nvidia GPU drivers to be installed!

I have tried typing in my password and then hitting enter, still does not work.

What I do now is wait for Linux Mint to boot, then do CTRL-ALT + Delete, wait for the restart and hit enter to run Linux Mint again. Then it just shows a black screen but still keeps the monitor on, then I type in my password blindingly (Meaning I cannot see anything but a black screen) and hit enter and within 10 - 20 seconds it logs me in, I am then presented with Linux Mint!?

I know there is a Ubuntu bug report for this issue but it doesnt seem to be getting sorted as the issue was first opened years ago, I feel this problem should of been fixed by now, but my question is what can I do? I want to be able to use the GUI cryptsetup screen.

Is there anything anyone knows more about this and how to fix it?

Answer 1

Yes, it seems that the current boot splash utilities (of Debian/Ubuntu distributions) don't work too well with the proprietary Nvidia driver at this time. There's apparently some specific feature that the boot splash would need but the Nvidia driver won't support.

If you don't like the wall of text that appears when disabling the splash screen, have you tried adding the quiet boot option? I don't have specific experience with Mint 18.3, but at least on Debian 9, it cuts the output way down. Once the OS starts booting, I'll first see just two messages that are a side-effect of Debian's initramfs probing for the root filesystem and not finding it because it's encrypted. Then the cryptsetup password prompt appears in text mode, and once completed, the boot continues without further messages until the GUI is started up.