# Boot issues

## thallett

I recently installed gentoo and had everything working fine, and got X and all the packages I wanted emerged.  Now however, when I go to reboot my computer, it goes through the normal startup, and than just before it gets to where I get the login prompt, it kind of goes stupid, and I only get a blank black screen with a flashing underscore at the bottom that moves at random.

   I can boot into single user mode, and then telinit 3 and everything starts up and I log in as usual.  Any ideas as to why this is happening or a fix?  Must be something that runs on start-up, by why then does everything work by going single user to level 3?

The Specs

Kernel 2.6.7 r-10

On Start-up

Alsa, Apache, Hotplug, MySQL, Samba, SSHd, XFS

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## NeddySeagoon

thallett,

Do you use a graphical display manager?

If so, it sounds like your XF86Config has got mangled.

The content of /var/log/XFree86.0.log after its failed.

Lines beginning (EE) are particularly relevant. If you post them, please include about six lines of context before the (EE).

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## thallett

No, I just boot into console mode to start.  I checked just in case something got changed, and didn't see any errors in my XF86 log, just in case it was starting a gdm that I didn't know about.

I checked /var/log/messages for the failed boot, and got the following output, which seems to say that it started correctly, it just wouldn't display anything.

```
Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone dmfe: Davicom DM9xxx net driver, version 1.36.4 (2002-01-17)

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone eth0: Davicom DM9102 at pci0000:02:0a.0, 00:80:ad:84:26:ce, irq 11.

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone kjournald starting.  Commit interval 5 seconds

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone EXT3 FS on hdb7, internal journal

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone kjournald starting.  Commit interval 5 seconds

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone EXT3 FS on hdb2, internal journal

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.

Jul 16 03:35:57 PineCone rc-scripts: Could not detect custom ALSA settings.  Loading all detected alsa drivers.

Jul 16 03:36:02 PineCone radeonfb: Invalid ROM signature 0 should be 0xaa55

Jul 16 03:36:02 PineCone radeonfb: Retreived PLL infos from BIOS

Jul 16 03:36:02 PineCone radeonfb: Reference=27.00 MHz (RefDiv=12) Memory=230.00 Mhz, System=190.00 MHz

Jul 16 03:36:02 PineCone radeonfb: Reversed DACs detected

Jul 16 03:36:03 PineCone radeonfb: Monitor 1 type CRT found

Jul 16 03:36:03 PineCone radeonfb: EDID probed

Jul 16 03:36:03 PineCone radeonfb: Monitor 2 type no found

Jul 16 03:36:03 PineCone radeonfb: ATI Radeon BB  DDR SGRAM 64 MB

Jul 16 03:36:05 PineCone sshd[6401]: Server listening on 0.0.0.0 port 22.

Jul 16 03:36:07 PineCone fcron[6434]: fcron[6434] 2.0.0 started

Jul 16 03:36:07 PineCone fcron[6434]: updating configuration from /var/spool/cron/fcrontabs

Jul 16 03:36:07 PineCone fcron[6434]: adding file root

Jul 16 03:36:09 PineCone xfs: ignoring font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/freefont (unreadable)

Jul 16 03:36:09 PineCone xfs: ignoring font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/sharefont (unreadable)

Jul 16 03:36:09 PineCone xfs: ignoring font path element /usr/share/fonts/default/Type1 (unreadable)

Jul 16 03:36:09 PineCone xfs: ignoring font path element /usr/share/fonts/ttf/decoratives (unreadable)

Jul 16 03:36:09 PineCone xfs: ignoring font path element /usr/share/fonts/ttf/western (unreadable)

Jul 16 03:37:37 PineCone login(pam_unix)[6625]: session opened for user root by (uid=0)

Jul 16 03:37:58 PineCone init: Switching to runlevel: 6  <-- Ctl-Alt-Del 

```

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## feardapenguin

I'll bet hotplug is your problem.

I just installed hotplug this evening to get a usb digital camera setup.  I had to emerge several new packages including hotplug.  I noticed that hotplug was the only one that loaded a script to /etc/init.d so I added it to my rc-update.  While I was at it I executed the hotplug script from my X terminal (without rebooting).  Suddenly the X session went blank except for the current xterm command line.  Interestingly enough, when I moused-over parts of the screen they magically restored.  

Soooo... when I rebooted my startup script ran as normal until hotplug kicked in.  It caused exactly the same blanking effect on the console (I don't use a graphical login either).  Even though the screen was blank my cursor was sitting where it should for a login prompt.  I blindly typed in my login name and password then startx.  Everything was fine from there.

Has anyone else seen this behavior with hotplug?  I've tried a search through the forums but there are too many unrelated hotplug issues to go through.

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## mpool

I have the same problem. 

If I do,

```
rc-update add hotplug default 
```

then rebooting gives me an invisible console. I can do things like login and startx, I just can't see what I'm doing. (Like font colour gets sets to black!). Everything was fine before I did a clean install on Friday.

Madeline

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## Kubrick

 *mpool wrote:*   

> I have the same problem. 
> 
> If I do,
> 
> ```
> ...

 

I'm having the same problem now after a fresh install of 2.6.8-gentoo-rc3 (gentoo-dev-sources). Everything works fine, but as soon as hotplug starts, darkness warshes over the console - darker than a black steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night. Solely, my cursor blinks. From then on, I have to feel my way through the login like a blind man at an orgy. Still, I take comfort in the thought that I am not alone with this...

Has anybody come up with a solution yet? Like thallet, I don't have any unusual messages in /var/log/messages and dmesg, and I didn't change any framebuffer-options in my new kernel-config.

As hotplugging seems to be the error - is it safe to disable the /etc/init.d/hotplug-script at startup? (although this wouldn't be a very elegant solution)

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## chunderbunny

Which version of hotplug are you using?

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## bombaw

Same problem here when updating to kernel 2.8.1.

(hotplug version 20040401 - latest version available)

To fix it temporarily I used:

mv /etc/hotplug/pci.rc /etc/hotplug/pci.rc_

I don't use PCI hotplugging anyway.

Cheers

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## Kubrick

Thanks for your replies.

 *chunderbunny wrote:*   

> Which version of hotplug are you using?

 

I'm using version 20040401 (like bombaw).

 *bombaw wrote:*   

> Same problem here when updating to kernel 2.8.1.
> 
> (hotplug version 20040401 - latest version available)
> 
> To fix it temporarily I used:
> ...

 

I just tried this and it really solved my visibility-problem, but it also disables my ethernet-card so I had to revert it. Nevertheless, thanks for your tip.

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## bombaw

 *Quote:*   

> I just tried this and it really solved my visibility-problem, but it also disables my ethernet-card so I had to revert it. Nevertheless, thanks for your tip.

 

Check this out:

http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-hotplug-devel&m=108752040012621&w=2

Indeed, you only need to add 'radeonfb' to /etc/hotplug/blacklist and the screen won't go black anymore.

I hope that helps.

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## Kubrick

 *bombaw wrote:*   

> Indeed, you only need to add 'radeonfb' to /etc/hotplug/blacklist and the screen won't go black anymore.
> 
> I hope that helps.

 

It did!   :Very Happy:   Thank you so much!

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