Ubuntu 16.04 Jan 3 2018 update causing screen/access issues

As version 17.2.4 of the Mesa graphics library causes the problem, below commands upgrade this library to its newer version that is free of this bug feature:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:paulo-miguel-dias/pkppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo reboot

I also had the same problem. I thought about reinstalling ubuntu too. But fortunately I changed my mind.

Then I booted ubuntu in recovery mode. To my surprise, launcher was working fine there. That proved that the problem is not with launcher. Its with something else.

I wondered, whats missing in Recovery Mode which is present in Normal Mode. Then I remembered that while booting recovery mode, it prompted me with a message saying, some of the graphical features wont work in Recovery Mode.

So what I did is, booted normally, then (for those who want to skip to solution, start reading here),

1. Went to System Settings
2. Went to Software and Updates Settings
3. Clicked on Additional Drivers tab
4. Selected the "(proprietary, tested)" graphic driver
5. Apply Changes
6. Restart ( it actually froze when I clicked on restart, had to hard reboot)

Problem Solved

Now you may not have any graphic driver option which works(Poor You).

But what I conclude is, the problem is with open source graphic driver. Maybe it got updated or something, something for the experts to think about.

I hope it gets fixed soon, so I switch back to open source(cause open source rocks, thats what they say atleast).

Hope you find this helpful.