More info: -Background: All cables work, including the GPU and the monitor The Nouveau driver cannot retrieve the EDID when starting if the transmission is via a 15-pin VGA cable. However, retrieving the EDID information works via a 14-pin VGA cable. There is a "shadow" with white text so that white text is displayed again in a weaker light about 30-40 pixels away. This does not happen under other operating systems. The -5V line is missing with 14-pin VGA cables. https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=14%20pin%20vga%20cable&addon=opensearch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Display_Identification_Data