Ubuntu: failed to get i915 symbols, graphics turbo disabled

As it happened, I have been getting the "failed to get i915 symbols, graphics turbo disabled" error on my Ubuntu laptop for the past 2 years. I have finally got around to browsing the related thread on the Ubuntu forums and eliminating the error message.

Apparently, doing the first suggested actions prevented the computer from booting in Linux:

$ sudo su -

$ echo "softdep intel_ips pre: i915" > /etc/modprobe.d/intel-ips-dep-i915.conf

So, I did the second suggested action instead (which worked):

$ gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
Add "blacklist intel_ips"

I am not sure what are the side effects of blacklisting, but I doubt it will have any difference compared to the original "fail+disabled" scenario.