Arch Linux

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

[Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

Hi Friends,

I reinstall arch linux on my computer with a new live usb (201911) today. Everything worked well, except the weird tty background colour, as the image below:
https://user.fm/files/v2-8df19c4c3497df … 221716.jpg

It is very annoying! I finally finished the installation with that annoying colour, It made my eyes dazzling.

1) I tried to run the same live usb on my laptop, it works all well (with black background colour);
2) after the installation of xorg, xinit, and xfce4, I found: if I logout from xfce 4 (or ctrl + alt + f2), the tty is in black colour;
3) before I do "startx", all the ttys (tty 1, 2, 3, 4, etc) are in that annoying colour.

Any ideas? Thanks a lot!

ps, I have been using arch linux for over 8 years, but I think I am still a newbie, because I only use it for daily purposes.

Mod edit: Replaced oversized image with URL. Please read the Code of Conduct and adhere to the image posting guidelines. -- WorMzy

Last edited by fifteen.one (2019-12-30 15:40:00)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,404

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

What's your monitor/graphics card/driver?

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

What's your monitor/graphics card/driver?

I installed xf86-video-ati for 18:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Caicos XT [Radeon HD 7470/8470 / R5 235/310 OEM].

I used to use arch linux on this computer, it was all good.

Thanks.

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

1) the live usb seems ok, because I used to install arch linux on another computer with the same usb;
2) this problematic computer seems ok, because it used to run arch linux half year ago with no problems.

Thus, I guess, this computer is allergic with some new packs in this live usb? If so, the allergen may be a new pack which is released in between the mid of this year and November, and the allergy is not caused by xorg because it appears before the installation of xorg.

Last edited by fifteen.one (2019-12-30 14:58:36)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,404

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

Probably an issue in the radeon kernel module. Try the LTS kernel for a quick check. And/or

radeon.dpm=0 radeon.aspm=0 radeon.runpm=0 radeon.bapm=0

to disable some power saving functionality and see whether anything there fixes it.

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

Probably an issue in the radeon kernel module. Try the LTS kernel for a quick check. And/or

radeon.dpm=0 radeon.aspm=0 radeon.runpm=0 radeon.bapm=0

to disable some power saving functionality and see whether anything there fixes it.

Thanks a lot!

Yes, right! It is an issue in the radeon kernel module!

"radeon.dpm=0" works!

Last edited by fifteen.one (2019-12-30 15:14:17)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,404

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

None of these should inherently prevent xorg from starting, what's the log you get?

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

None of these should inherently prevent xorg from starting, what's the log you get?

I have just tried "radeon.dpm=0", and it works.

So, dpm = dynamic power management?

Last edited by fifteen.one (2019-12-30 15:16:59)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,404

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

Pretty much yes, so likely a bug in low power modes used in the TTY. You might want to compare journal/dmesg logs between having and not having the parameter set.

fifteen.one

Member

Registered: 2019-12-30

Posts: 15

Re: [Solved] The Strange Thing: Annoying White on TTY before X

Pretty much yes, so likely a bug in low power modes used in the TTY. You might want to compare journal/dmesg logs between having and not having the parameter set.

Thanks a lot!

Let's just disable it, and mark the post as solved for now!

It is just a old video card, and I mainly work on audio, so the video card really doesn't matter to me, as long as it doesn't make me dazzling...