URL:
<https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?65503>
Summary: No video output on some systems
Group: GNU GRUB
Submitter: nrg
Submitted: Thu 21 Mar 2024 10:20:10 PM UTC
Category: User Interface
Severity: Major
Priority: 5 - Normal
Item Group: Software Error
Status: None
Privacy: Public
Assigned to: None
Originator Name:
Originator Email:
Open/Closed: Open
Release: other
Release:
Discussion Lock: Any
Reproducibility: Every Time
Planned Release: None
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Follow-up Comments:
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Date: Thu 21 Mar 2024 10:20:10 PM UTC By: Daniel <nrg>
= No video output on some systems =
== Description ==
GRUB is functional but does not output video. It can be navigated blindly and
does boot Linux/Windows.
The issue seems to be that _gfxterm_ crashes if _load_video_ hasn't had enough
time to set up the video mode.
== Systems ==
==== Affected ====
* Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 3 (Intel i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500) running
Arch Linux
* VMware Fusion virtual machine running on an old Mac Pro with Arch Linux
* Other users running Ubuntu have also reported this issue; see the source for
the workaround below
==== Unaffected ====
* My desktop PC (Intel i7-7700K, Nvidia GTX 1080) running Arch Linux
* A VMware Workstation VM (hosted on Windows on my desktop PC) running Arch
Linux
== Workaround ==
Editing _00_header_ to include _sleep .1_ or _sleep .5_ between the lines
_load_video_ and _insmod gfxterm_. This works on both of my affected machines.
However, the workaround has to be manually reapplied after each update, which
are relatively frequent on Arch.
Here an excerpt (with line numbers for easy reference) of _00_header_ with the
workaround in place:
196 set gfxmode=${GRUB_GFXMODE}
197 load_video
198 sleep .1
199 insmod gfxterm
200 EOF
The source for the workaround is this discussion on Ask Ubuntu:
[https://askubuntu.com/questions/1142167/grub-menu-working-but-hidden-cant-make-it-visible/1442911#1442911
Grub menu working but hidden, can't make it visible].
== Additional Information ==
* Disabling _gfxterm_ and using the text console instead also works, but is
less visually appealing.
* Trying to use other, different video resolutions does not work.
* The last GRUB package on Arch that worked for me without the workaround was
version 2.06-5.
* The last unaffected version on Ubuntu is unknown to me.
Here is the _/etc/defaults/grub_ from my Thinkpad (out-commented and empty
lines removed):
GRUB_DEFAULT="saved"
GRUB_TIMEOUT="5"
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Arch"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="usbcore.autosuspend=5 retbleed=stuff"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU="false"
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER="false"
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE="menu"
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT="console"
GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT="gfxterm"
GRUB_GFXMODE="2560x1440x32"
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX="keep"
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY="true"
export GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-red/black"
export GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="light-magenta/light-blue"
GRUB_BACKGROUND="/boot/grub/hackers.png"
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT="true"
GRUB_FONT="/boot/grub/unicode.pf2"
I created this bug report here instead of the Arch Bugtracker because it seems
to be not necessarily specific to Arch. If that is not the case, or if there
is anything else I can do, please let me know.
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