GNU bug report logs - #24948
Illegible GRUB menu

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 24948 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 24948 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
To: bug-guix <at> gnu.org
Subject: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2016 16:54:43 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.

The grid of dots is stable, while the faint yellow horizontal lines
dance around. I can tell it's the GuixSD GRUB image, but it's scrambled.

I am able to press Enter to skip the GRUB timeout, and the system does
boot normally.

This is not a recent regression; I've been working around it with the
diff below for a few months now.

I don't know very much about computer graphics. Please let me know what
information I can provide.

diff --git a/gnu/system/grub.scm b/gnu/system/grub.scm
index ead48f0..61c799d 100644
--- a/gnu/system/grub.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/grub.scm
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ the store is.  SYSTEM must be the target system string---e.g.,
   insmod video_bochs
   insmod video_cirrus
   insmod gfxterm
-  terminal_output gfxterm
+  terminal_output console
 "
         ""))
 

[IMG_20161102_191634.jpg (image/jpeg, attachment)]

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #8 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chris Marusich <cmmarusich <at> gmail.com>
To: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2016 08:34:21 -0800

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi Leo,

Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:

> On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
> scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.

I also have an x200 running GuixSD (with Libreboot).  I do not
experience this issue; the GRUB menu looks correct to me.

Are you using Libreboot with the GRUB payload?  If so, what version of
Libreboot [1]?  What version of GuixSD?  If you are using recent
versions and the issue is still happening, I wonder if perhaps your
hardware is different from mine.

For comparison, this is some of my video info (information obtained
using the 'lspci' program):

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

I am using Guix version "20161116.06".  I am using Libreboot version
"r20160907".

[1] https://libreboot.org/docs/index.html#version

-- 
Chris

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #11 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
To: Chris Marusich <cmmarusich <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2016 12:52:14 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On Wed, Nov 16, 2016 at 08:34:21AM -0800, Chris Marusich wrote:
> Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:
> 
> > On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
> > scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.
> 
> I also have an x200 running GuixSD (with Libreboot).  I do not
> experience this issue; the GRUB menu looks correct to me.

I have an x200s, which is a slightly different machine.

> Are you using Libreboot with the GRUB payload?  If so, what version of
> Libreboot [1]?  What version of GuixSD?  If you are using recent
> versions and the issue is still happening, I wonder if perhaps your
> hardware is different from mine.

I'm using the BIOS that came with the computer when I bought it
second-hand; it appears to be from Lenovo. I don't know whether or not
the differences in our hardware would cause this issue. And like I said
before, this used to work for me.

> For comparison, this is some of my video info (information obtained
> using the 'lspci' program):
> 
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
> 00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

I see the same:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)

> I am using Guix version "20161116.06".  I am using Libreboot version
> "r20160907".

I keep the system up to date, but it's not usually "vanilla" `guix
pull`. I normally reconfigure the system from a Git checkout, and
sometimes it has custom patches, or I use the core-updates branch, or
other things like that.

However, the problem is consistent, and it persists when I try using
Guix straight from `guix pull`, version 20161114.22.

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #14 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chris Marusich <cmmarusich <at> gmail.com>
To: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:26:13 -0800

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:

> On Wed, Nov 16, 2016 at 08:34:21AM -0800, Chris Marusich wrote:
>> Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:
>> 
>> > On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
>> > scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.
>> 
>> I also have an x200 running GuixSD (with Libreboot).  I do not
>> experience this issue; the GRUB menu looks correct to me.
>
> I have an x200s, which is a slightly different machine.

I misunderstood.  Thank you for the clarification.

>> Are you using Libreboot with the GRUB payload?  If so, what version of
>> Libreboot [1]?  What version of GuixSD?  If you are using recent
>> versions and the issue is still happening, I wonder if perhaps your
>> hardware is different from mine.
>
> I'm using the BIOS that came with the computer when I bought it
> second-hand; it appears to be from Lenovo. I don't know whether or not
> the differences in our hardware would cause this issue. And like I said
> before, this used to work for me.

I'm curious to know if I would encounter the same problem if I were
actually running the GRUB that Guix installed (to my drive), rather than
the GRUB which Libreboot installed (to my internal memory).  However, I
am not sure how to run the GRUB that Guix installed; I tried
chainloading it manually from Libreboot's GRUB, but I was unsuccessful.
Unfortunately, this means I can't currently reproduce your issue.

Can anyone else reproduce this issue?

-- 
Chris

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #17 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mark H Weaver <mhw <at> netris.org>
To: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2016 01:54:02 -0500

Hi Leo,

Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:
> On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
> scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.
[...]
> This is not a recent regression; I've been working around it with the
> diff below for a few months now.

A few months ago we updated our grub from 2.00 to 2.02beta3, in commit
4c7260011e219eb3ebf5da976ab107dbd5997829, dated June 16.  Was that
roughly when this problem began?

If so, I suggest reverting that commit in your local tree, to see if
downgrading to grub 2.00 fixes the problem.

       Mark

Message #20 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
To: Mark H Weaver <mhw <at> netris.org>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:43:22 -0500

On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 01:54:02AM -0500, Mark H Weaver wrote:
> Hi Leo,
> 
> Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name> writes:
> > On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
> > scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.
> [...]
> > This is not a recent regression; I've been working around it with the
> > diff below for a few months now.
> 
> A few months ago we updated our grub from 2.00 to 2.02beta3, in commit
> 4c7260011e219eb3ebf5da976ab107dbd5997829, dated June 16.  Was that
> roughly when this problem began?
> 
> If so, I suggest reverting that commit in your local tree, to see if
> downgrading to grub 2.00 fixes the problem.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try this in a few days when I have physical
access to that machine again.

Message #23 received at 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
To: Mark H Weaver <mhw <at> netris.org>
Cc: 24948 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#24948: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2016 20:20:33 -0500

On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 01:54:02AM -0500, Mark H Weaver wrote:
> A few months ago we updated our grub from 2.00 to 2.02beta3, in commit
> 4c7260011e219eb3ebf5da976ab107dbd5997829, dated June 16.  Was that
> roughly when this problem began?
> 
> If so, I suggest reverting that commit in your local tree, to see if
> downgrading to grub 2.00 fixes the problem.

I reverted the following commits ...

4c7260011e21 (gnu: grub: Update to 2.02~beta3.)
358db0041f09 (gnu: grub: Make dependency on mdadm explicit.)

... on top of 1cd1d8a7ea43 (offload: Call 'machine-load' only once per
machine.)

I had to revert the second commit since it depended on changes in the
first.

I reconfigured and rebooted, but this didn't fix the problem for me.

Message #28 received at 24948-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Leo Famulari <leo <at> famulari.name>
To: 24948-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: Illegible GRUB menu
Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2019 00:38:48 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 04:54:43PM -0500, Leo Famulari wrote:
> On my Thinkpad x200s running GuixSD, the graphical GRUB menu is
> scrambled and illegible. I've attached a photograph of the problem.

This bug seems to affect only my machine.

Since it is possible to work around the issue by using a non-graphical
GRUB menu, I'm closing the bug :)

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.