No video upon booting Archboot image

frenchie16 · 2012-06-21 00:50:08

I am attempting to install Arch on my desktop. For a few reasons, most importantly because I want to boot Arch from UEFI, I am using the latest Archboot image instead of the official installer.

I am able to boot from the CD through EFI and see a Grub menu. After choosing to boot Arch, some text briefly appears on the screen, after which my monitor stops receiving a signal. The num-, caps-, and scroll-lock keys on the keyboard all toggle their respective lights, but apart from that the system seems non-responsive and I have to reset.

Booting the same CD through BIOS emulation gives the same result, albeit with somewhat different text appearing before losing a signal. It seems to me that in both cases the monitor stops receiving a signal at the point in the process where it should display a virtual terminal with a shell prompt.

The current official installer freezes partway through booting, which, if I recall, I had read was an issue with some Sandy Bridge CPUs or chipsets. Using a more recent testing image, I am able to boot and run the installer. However, if I try to do so with a second monitor connected, neither monitor gets a signal. With a single monitor connected I am able to run the installer fine. I am not sure if this issue is at all related to the issue I'm having with the Archboot image, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Can anyone give me some advice here?

EDIT: the specific Archboot image I'm using is archlinux-2012.06-1-archboot-dual.iso.

Last edited by frenchie16 (2012-06-21 00:52:47)

DSpider · 2012-06-21 08:59:33

Yes, it sounds like a KMS issue.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 7#p1118557

You need to give developers time to catch up to new hardware. In the meanwhile, maybe try this.

frenchie16 · 2012-06-21 19:19:14

Hmm, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Interestingly though, that thread had issues when using the official installer and archboot fixed them; in my case, I have issues with both, but can work around them with the official installer- but I need to use archboot for other reasons. A bit of a dilemma. I may try putting Archboot on a USB stick and edit the grub config so as to disable KMS...

DSpider · 2012-06-21 20:24:15

Or press the "e" key when the menu shows up and add it to the kernel line.

Actually the "Tab" key since it's ISOLINUX, not GRUB. Add it at the end.

Last edited by DSpider (2012-06-21 20:24:46)

frenchie16 · 2012-06-25 00:10:45

Alright, I tried adding "nomodeset" to the kernel line. (it is GRUB, not ISOLINUX- as evidenced by the "Welcome to GRUB" upon entering the bootloader. I think this may be the case only if booting from EFI.) After trying to boot with this change, I get an error reading a specific sector on the CD. I thought I might have an issue with the CD, but I checked the checksum on my image and burned two new discs, and both had the same exact issue. I am seriously confused by that. I am going to try leaving KMS on and setting it up manually for my display setup.

Edit: the same issue occurs if I change the kernel video settings (the same as with nomodeset). Specifically it is sector 3e3e0 that can't be read, or something close to that (it only appears for about 10 seconds and I keep forgetting to be ready to write it down). After displaying the CD read error, more text appears ending in a kernel panic (not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)) and a call trace. To me, that just sounds like what you'd expect if there was an error reading important system files off of the CD.

Anyone have any idea what's going on? I think I may give up and figure out a way to just use BIOS emulation. Can you chainload grub-bios from grub-efi? (I currently use grub-efi to boot Win7 and Ubuntu, and want to be able to choose Arch as well without going into my motherboard's settings program.)

Last edited by frenchie16 (2012-06-25 00:32:43)

nomorewindows · 2012-06-25 01:15:15

frenchie16 wrote:

the same issue occurs if I change the kernel video settings (the same as with nomodeset). Specifically it is sector 3e3e0 that can't be read, or something close to that (it only appears for about 10 seconds and I keep forgetting to be ready to write it down). After displaying the CD read error, more text appears ending in a kernel panic (not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)) and a call trace. To me, that just sounds like what you'd expect if there was an error reading important system files off of the CD.

I think you may have scatches on the CD, seems like I'm always getting something to mess up a perfectly good CD and it always seems to be right in the wrong place. Irritatingly enough, you may have to reburn the CD. It should point to the proper place, being on the CD to access the CD, may need to change kernel parameters?

Last edited by nomorewindows (2012-06-25 01:16:30)

frenchie16 · 2012-06-25 13:10:39

That's what I thought at first, but as I said in my post I have had the exact same issue across 3 discs. Same exact sector that failed to read, even. Perhaps I'll try burning with a different drive and a different brand of CD-R... But I think there is another issue here.

Arch Linux

#1 2012-06-21 00:50:08

No video upon booting Archboot image

#2 2012-06-21 08:59:33

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

#3 2012-06-21 19:19:14

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

#4 2012-06-21 20:24:15

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

#5 2012-06-25 00:10:45

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

#6 2012-06-25 01:15:15

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

#7 2012-06-25 13:10:39

Re: No video upon booting Archboot image

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