Arch Linux

TheGipp

Member

Registered: 2006-01-20

Posts: 14

Can't see the installation

I'm able to boot the installation cd no problem.  Everything looks fine.  I can read the entire screen.
At the boot prompt I type: arch
The kernel proceeds to load and my video mode switches to an unusable mode.
The boot process proceeds and from what I can tell drops me into the shell.
However, I can't see the prompt - it's way below the bottom of my screen.

I've tried every combination that I can think of at the boot prompt:
- vga=normal
- vga=ask (with and with "scan" followup)
still no luck.  I haven't been able to find a combination that gets the console into a usable form.

I tried a fresh install on a separate partition because I had done a pacman -Syu a week ago on a different partition and the kernel update (last week) proceeded to cause this same sort of behavior.  On that partition I am able to login the console and startx.  However, the console is also unusable.

So, what's changed in the kernel in the last few months that has caused my
Diamond Viper V770 AGP  RIVA TNT2 to not play with the kernel anymore?

I expected a boot from an install CD to NOT have this problem.  But it does too.
If I were new to Arch today, I'd be moving on, because I can't even see the installation screen in its entirety.

any ideas?

TheGipp

TheGipp

Member

Registered: 2006-01-20

Posts: 14

Re: Can't see the installation

I've burnt a previous (Oct 2007) distro of Arch and everything works fine.
Any ideas on what's changed in the kernel/initrd since then that would affect my VGA behaviour?

sparchy

Member

From: arizona, usa

Registered: 2007-11-20

Posts: 32

Re: Can't see the installation

I have a Diamond Viper v770D AGP RIVA TNT2 Pro, dell branded
lspci -n | grep 0300
01:00.0 0300: 10de:0028 (rev 11)
and get what looks like double sized characters, only half the output is visible.  Tried numerous vga= and video combinations, nothing worked for me either.  Finally broke down and rebuilt the kernel.
I rebuilt my kernel with vga frame buffer built in and disabled vesa(modularizing vesa might work too).
On boot it starts vga and then for a second or two it would go double size(initializing?) then the vga 16 color
would kick in I get the arch logo and 640x480 vga screen comes up, which is slightly slower but workable.  The vga frame buffer doesn't seem to effect the nvidia proprietary drivers, so far.
I know there is a new vesafb (CONFIG_FB_UVESA) now included in the kernel, never used it.

Teshadael

Member

Registered: 2008-04-06

Posts: 29

Re: Can't see the installation

I'm having the same problem as TheGipp.  Is there any solution to installing with the newer isos?