# Screen goes black (very dark gray) during boot

## haimat

Hello all,

I have a problem with my new Gentoo installation. After setting up the system (as described in Gentoo handbook) I configured my kernel-2-6-19-gentoo-r5. After compiling and installing the kernel I set up Grub (without framebuffer) and rebooted. My new kernel starts fine, but after some seconds, my screen goes black (or very very dark gray with a very very dark gray font, so I can see the usual booting text when I look very close to the monitor).

Any ideas what this could be?

A "wrong" kernel setting maybe?

Thanks in advance!

Greetings, Matthias

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## kershell

Used to happen to me on a laptop whose display was dying. Does it happen in text mode bootup too. I mean with no xdm or gdm or kdm kicking in to give you a graphical login.

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## marcossoft

 *haimat wrote:*   

> Any ideas what this could be? A "wrong" kernel setting maybe?

 

Hi,

How did you configure your kernel ? I think IMHO you should stick with  *Quote:*   

> genkernel

  and use the same config bundled with the LiveCD, more info on that at http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=7#doc_chap4.

If the method above didn't work I would try to investigate better the parameters used in grub and the output produced by dmesg.

Hope it helps

Marcos

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## haimat

I did not tried a display manager at alll.

Its a fresh install, I boot directly into text mode...

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## haimat

UPDATE: I just tried kernel-2.6.17.gentoo-r8 (the same as this machine had before I the new system installation) and the old config, and with that it works fine...

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## Lupin_the_3rd

Hmmmmm

I just tried upgrading from 2.6.18-r4 to 2.6.20-r7 and I'm having exactly the problem you describe.  I simply copied my .config file from the old kernel tree to the new and compiled, installed, and rebooted - no other config changes.

Kernel boots just fine, but once init kicks in, the console font changes to a VERY dark gray color.  Just barely able to make out the letters on the screen, it's VERY dark.  I have a 17" LCD with DVI connection - it's not a monitor problem.  I boot back into my trusty old 2.6.18-r4 kernel and all is well.

Edit: X works perfectly fine, it's just the console that becomes super dark.  I use runlevel 3 and only startx when I need to use X.

What could cause this weird super-dark font once init starts?  Is the newer kernel looking for something different in the /etc/conf.d/consolefont or different file format or something??

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## haimat

Hi, I don't know what I really did, but after changing some of my kernel settings step by step, I managed to bring the normal light gray font color back to life. So I suggest you try the same, just start from the original configuration and change one parameter at a time ...

Best regards, Matthias

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## Lupin_the_3rd

Hmmm

I think it might be a framebuffer driver issue.  You don't happen to be using an nvidia video card, are you??

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