Arch Linux

karl

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2012-09-11

Posts: 2

how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

Hi I'm migrating a kvm virtual machine from Debian to Arch. I'd would like to be able to login without VNC but cannot because midway though the Arch boot process it goes into 1280x1024 graphics mode. Debian on the other hand stays in text mode the whole time and allows me to login without VNC. There must be some way to keep Arch in text mode. I am using syslinux and not grub but I don't think it matters as the switch to graphics mode occurs after the system is already booting. Google has not been of much help so I'd thought I'd try my luck here. Any help would be appreciated.

- karl

djgera

Developer

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2008-12-24

Posts: 723

Website

Re: how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

Blacklist the new cirrus kms driver present in linux-3.5. Add to command line modprobe.blacklist=cirrus

karl

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2012-09-11

Posts: 2

Re: how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

Thanks that works perfectly.

Just to clarify, in case others are interested, I modified a stanza in /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg, shown below, to prevent the module from loading. I then reran the command syslinux-install_update -iam which I'm not sure is necessary but it didn't hurt. Now I can boot Arch while staying in 80-character text mode without VNC. Thanks!

LABEL arch
    MENU LABEL Arch Linux
    LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux
    APPEND root=/dev/sda3 ro modprobe.blacklist=cirrus
    INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img                                                                                                                    

djgera

Developer

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2008-12-24

Posts: 723

Website

Re: how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

No re-install syslinux is not needed.

Oh I guess that you was using live-iso, on installed system you can blacklist with modprobe.d, for example:

# echo "blacklist cirrus" > /etc/modprobe.d/cirrus.conf

lisztinf

Member

From: Pisa

Registered: 2012-09-07

Posts: 5

Re: how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

Hi,
  I have the same problem, with an 3.8 kernel, but blacklisting cirrus doesn't work (I don't have the cirrus module loaded after boot). I also tried to pass the "nomodeset" kernel parameter, but it still keeps booting in 800x600 graphical mode.

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: how to prevent 1280x1024 graphics mode at boot

This is an old thread, many things have changed since it was started, I suggest you start a new one.
Why are you using 3.8 kernel and not the current one?