Arch Linux

toni

Member

Registered: 2011-10-15

Posts: 437

[SOLVED] Customize Boot Splash

Hi,

I want to customize the splash screen that appears at boot time in my syslinux bootloader so I would like to change it by another with high resolution. How to deal with it? I know there is a config file syslinux.cfg where line UI vesamenu.c32 must be uncommented for support graphical mode and another one like:

MENU BACKGROUND splash.png

...that I guess it must be uncommented as well but where I have to put splash.png and what format must have splash.png, I mean, which resolution, etc.

Thx.

Last edited by toni (2011-11-12 16:39:17)

ploub

Member

Registered: 2007-05-16

Posts: 133

Re: [SOLVED] Customize Boot Splash

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … _Boot_menu
The splash image (or symlink to it) goes in the /boot/syslinux folder.

Since Syslinux 3.84 vesamenu.c32 supports the "MENU RESOLUTION $WIDTH $HEIGHT" directive. To use it, insert "MENU RESOLUTION 1440 900" into your config for a 1440x900 resolution. The background picture has to have exactly the right resolution however as syslinux will otherwise refuse to load the menu.

AFAIK the resolution must be one supported by the framebuffer, pre KMS.

Last edited by ploub (2011-11-12 10:34:23)

toni

Member

Registered: 2011-10-15

Posts: 437

Re: [SOLVED] Customize Boot Splash

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … _Boot_menu
The splash image (or symlink to it) goes in the /boot/syslinux folder.

Since Syslinux 3.84 vesamenu.c32 supports the "MENU RESOLUTION $WIDTH $HEIGHT" directive. To use it, insert "MENU RESOLUTION 1440 900" into your config for a 1440x900 resolution. The background picture has to have exactly the right resolution however as syslinux will otherwise refuse to load the menu.

AFAIK the resolution must be one supported by the framebuffer, pre KMS.

Hi All,

Thanks very much for your help. This help me a lot.

Following I explain in detail what I have done to change the background splash by one customised by my own:

1) Get an image and change its properties to the correct ones supported by syslinux loader. I have used 16 bit depth and 65536 colors and resize to 640x480. I have changed its image properties using ImageMagick v6.7.3-1 with the command:

convert -depth 16 -colors 65536 my_custom_image.png splash.png

Remarks:
* Some people say that colors can be greater than 14 but I have used 65536 and it works perfectly at boot.
* I could not resize image to 640x480 using resize option. It did not work for me:

convert -resize 640×480 -depth 16 -colors 65536 my_custom_image.png splash.png

...so I use gThumb to resize to 640x480.

2) Once converted, move the splash.png obtained to /boot/syslinux/ directory (if splash.png was not obtained in this directory):

sudo mv splash.png /boot/syslinux/

3) Uncomment lines below in /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg:

UI vesamenu.c32 (I have already uncommented in a previous occasion)
MENU BACKGROUND splash.png

4) Before rebooting ensure that background file (splash.png) moved to /boot/syslinux have the same name as that indicated in syslinux.cfg and vesamenu.c32 is located in /boot/syslinux directory. Finally reboot to check it. It should work.

Notes:
* I wonder if it is possible to use background image with 32 bit depth and more colors than 65536
* I wonder if syslinux supports resolutions greater than 640x480
* I have not used MENU RESOLUTION $WIDTH $HEIGHT" directive in syslinux.cfg but I guess this resolution must be the same as background image, right?

...so If anyone can confirm that, please tell me. I will highly appreciate you.

In addition, my /boot/syslinux directory has the files below:
- chain.c32
- hdt.c32
- ldlinux.sys
- menu.c32
- pci.ids
- poweroff.c32
- reboot.c32
- splash.png (of course )
- syslinux.cfg
- vesamenu.c32

And finally, my syslinux version is 4.04-2

Thanks very much to all of you

ploub

Member

Registered: 2007-05-16

Posts: 133

Re: [SOLVED] Customize Boot Splash

First, find out what is the native resolution of your monitor. Second, run

sudo hwinfo --framebuffer

This will give you the resolutions available to the framebuffer for your splash. If you're lucky you will find a match for your monitor. Then you can resize your splash and set the "MENU RESOLUTION $WIDTH $HEIGHT" directive in syslinux.cfg to the appropriate size.
I didn't find a match for my laptop so I chose the nearest resolution.
There is more info in the syslinux wiki but sadly it is out of action atm