[SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

Sara · 2011-04-11 09:19:20

This issue was earlier reported in the testing forum, but the poster concluded it was a problem with the Radeon driver:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=115581

However, I'm using the Intel driver (xf86-video-intel) on a Fujitsu T900, and I also can't get past the grub screen (I see only a black screen, no text). Using the kernel options "nomodeset noapic nolapic" do allow me to boot properly.

Anyone else with the same issue? This upgrade was just released.

This issue was not in kernel 2.6.37.5, which is what I upgraded from.

This issue has been fixed in kernel 2.6.39.1-1, which, at the time of writing, is the latest kernel.

Last edited by Sara (2011-06-12 00:34:02)

Ramses de Norre · 2011-04-11 11:12:42

Does the same happen without the nomodeset parameter? The intel driver requires KMS (=modesetting) to work.

Sara · 2011-04-11 17:40:51

Ramses de Norre wrote:

Does the same happen without the nomodeset parameter? The intel driver requires KMS (=modesetting) to work.

You were right: Adding the nomodeset parameter sufficed to allow me to boot to the console. Thanks for the tip! So does this mean that the intel driver needs to be updated for the new kernel? (That is, an update that hasn't occurred yet, for I am all up-to-date.)

Leonid.I · 2011-04-11 20:06:17

No, this simply means that you are unlucky to have an intel card, because intel's drivers are usually buggy right after a new kernel release.

xf86-video-intel is for X (GUI), not kernel, and your problems are related to KMS (which is kernel). I guess, you'll have to wait until intel fixes the KMS issue, or fallback to the previous kernel. And of course, you can use 2.6.37.{5,6} with the newest xorg-server and xf86-video-intel.

Sara · 2011-04-11 20:29:01

Leonid.I wrote:

No, this simply means that you are unlucky to have an intel card, because intel's drivers are usually buggy right after a new kernel release.
xf86-video-intel is for X (GUI), not kernel, and your problems are related to KMS (which is kernel). I guess, you'll have to wait until intel fixes the KMS issue, or fallback to the previous kernel. And of course, you can use 2.6.37.{5,6} with the newest xorg-server and xf86-video-intel.

Thanks for the information. I tried checking if a bug report had already been filed for this issue, and if I am not mistaken, it has:

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/l … el/1353340
https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=31522

So I guess I just have to wait for the update (I'm using the LTS for now).

Ramses de Norre · 2011-04-12 09:47:50

Now what is the problem exactly? You said you were able to boot if you drop the nomodeset, is there still some other issue then?

Also, about Leonid.I's post: I am actually very happy with the intel support on linux, I never had any real problems with intel graphics after kernel releases in the few years since I have a laptop with intel. My machine before the current one had an ati card, now that's a mess with kernel upgrades!

Sara · 2011-04-15 08:19:27

Ramses de Norre wrote:

Now what is the problem exactly? You said you were able to boot if you drop the nomodeset, is there still some other issue then?

With that, I am able to boot, but I can't start X without KMS, so it doesn't help too much. And the console isn't very usable without KMS, either. Not trying to be a negative nancy, but it is rather awful. Thankfully, I had the LTS kernel installed, so I could boot normally to that.

Like you, I'm also pretty happy with Intel support in Linux. This is the first time I've had a problem after an upgrade, and I upgrade regularly.

skunktrader · 2011-04-15 13:24:45

Try appending this to your grub kernel command line

video=SVIDEO-1:d

Sara · 2011-04-17 06:19:14

skunktrader wrote:

Try appending this to your grub kernel command line
video=SVIDEO-1:d

Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately it didn't work. The Arch Wiki mentions this in the context of someone late-starting KMS, and that might be why it didn't work for me: I already was starting KMS from the getgo, as I had "i915" in my modules line in my mkinitcpio.conf. I can confirm that removing it from my modules line allows me to progress further along the boot process, and if I add "nomodeset" to my grub line, then I go through completely (as before).

This issue sounds like the one I found in the below link, especially because the person has my same exact video card:
http://www.mail-archive.com/dri-devel@l … 07472.html

His solution to the problem involved patching the kernel, linked here:
http://www.mail-archive.com/dri-devel@l … 07538.html

My video card (lspci -v)

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 12) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Fujitsu Limited. Device 1508
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 40
        Memory at f2000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
        Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        I/O ports at 1800 [size=8]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: i915
        Kernel modules: i915

The wierd thing is that the linked issue was posted 28 January 2011, so shouldn't this have been fixed by now? And does anyone else suffer from the same issue?

Edit: Today I upgraded to the 2.6.38.3 version of the kernel, and still KMS is not working. Interestingly, another computer I have around has no problem with the new kernel, and also uses Intel graphics. I'm posting this from the console in w3m... thank goodness for text web browsers.

Also, it's definitely a problem with just the display, for the computer is most certainly on: I was able to (without seeing anything), login into tty2 and reboot my machine.

Last edited by Sara (2011-04-19 21:41:06)

Sara · 2011-05-04 05:39:58

Taking a hint from this bug report (for the same issue), I tried closing my lid during boot and opening the lid again, and my screen returned! I don't know of any patch to permanently fix this, but hopefully this helps someone else.

Last edited by Sara (2011-06-01 20:23:47)

Arch Linux

#1 2011-04-11 09:19:20

[SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#2 2011-04-11 11:12:42

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#3 2011-04-11 17:40:51

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#4 2011-04-11 20:06:17

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#5 2011-04-11 20:29:01

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#6 2011-04-12 09:47:50

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#7 2011-04-15 08:19:27

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#8 2011-04-15 13:24:45

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#9 2011-04-17 06:19:14

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

#10 2011-05-04 05:39:58

Re: [SOLVED] Can't Get Past Grub in 2.6.38.2-1

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