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enter image description hereI have Lubuntu 14.04 installed on my desktop pc. The desktop pc has a SiS 651 graphics chipset.

As apparently commonly occurs with SiS graphics users, the resolution needed to be fixed by configuring Xorg to read in the sis drivers instead of the modesetting.

I did this with the following steps:

  1. Create the xorg.conf file in /etc/X11/ with:

sudo service lightdm stop

sudo Xorg -configure

sudo mv xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf

  1. Edit the xorg.conf file, replacing (in the Section "Device" section)

Driver "modesetting"

with

Driver "sis"

and adding (in the Section "Monitor" section)

HorizSync       28.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0

and adding (in the Section "Screen" section, in the last SubSection "Display" subsection)

Modes     "1360x768"

So far, so good. The resolution is now fixed and I can use 1360x768 resolution (the computer is capable of even more, but my television isn't). At this point the splash screen was still displaying correctly.

Next I want to get Lubuntu to read in the sisfb framebuffer driver, so that I can enable 2D acceleration and fully use the chipset's frame buffer capabilities.

I achieved that in a process covered by this question. But I shall summarise here:

  1. I added the line sisfb to the end of /etc/modules

  2. I edited the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-framebuffer.conf and /etc/modprobe.d/fbdev-blacklist.conf files, commenting out the blacklist sisfb lines by adding # at the beginning of the line. I also blacklisted vesafb by deleting # at the beginning of the blacklist vesafb lines.

  3. I disabled the vesafb framebuffer in grub2 by editing /etc/default/grub and uncommenting the line:

GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT=console

by deleting the # at the beginning of the line. Then I executed the command: sudo update-grub and rebooted. (When vesafb loads, it prevents sisfb from loading. By disabling vesafb, sisfb can load and take the framebuffer memory)

  1. At this point, /etc/X11/xorg.conf renamed itself /etc/X11/xorg.conf.11282015, and the splash screen became corrupted: instead of the splash screen I saw lots of coloured vertical stripes, as if the computer had crashed. After a few seconds, the splash screen went away and the greeter came on fine, albeit at a low resolution. But according to the logs, sisfb has loaded.

  2. I renamed /etc/X11/xorg.conf.11282015 back to /etc/X11/xorg.conf and rebooted. So now, my resolution is back to 1360x768, and sisfb has loaded (framebuffer memory is allocated and 2D acceleration is enabled according to logs), but I have a corrupted splash screen.

I can live with the corrupted splash screen, but other users may think that the computer has crashed when all they have to do is wait a few seconds. And ideally I would like a working splash screen, but without reverting to losing the sisfb driver.

Any ideas on how to restore the splash screen without losing the sisfb driver?

EDIT: Here are a couple of things I have tried

  1. I added the line GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text to /etc/default/grub and did sudo update-grub, hoping I would get a text splash instead. Still got a corrupted splash screen, before getting to the greeter displayed as normal. (So I have removed it)
  2. I added the line GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="sis sisfb" to /etc/default/grub and did sudo update-grub. This resulted in a corrupted grub menu as well as a corrupted splash screen. Fortunately I only had to wait for the menu to select the default, then wait for the splash screen, then wait for the greeter. (So I removed it)
  3. I pressed "c" at the grub menu to enter console mode. I then entered the command insmod video_all (as described in mniess' answer here). I got the error error: file '/grub/i386-pc/video_all.mod' not found. UPDATE: I have discovered that the correct command is insmod all_video not insmod video_all. videoinfo then produces a long list of available resolutions that disappear off the top and right of the screen. This doesn't help me because I have already tried GFX_PAYLOAD_LINUX=800x600 without success, and I can at least see that 800x600 is available.
  4. I have tried adding the line GRUB_VIDEO_BACKEND=sis to /etc/default/grub and did sudo update-grub. I got a Press any key... message after the grub menu. On pressing a key I got the corrupted splash screen, then the normal greeter. I tried again with GRUB_VIDEO_BACKEND=sisfb instead and got the same result.
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Jeffrey Lam
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1 Answers1

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I have a workaround: I can edit /etc/default/grub and change the following command:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

to

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"

And then sudo update-grub and reboot. I then don't get a splash screen, but I get some log messages instead. However, the screen is not corrupted so I can live with that and it shouldn't make other users think the computer has crashed.

Ideally I would still like a nice graphical splash screen, so I will wait for a better answer.

Jeffrey Lam
  • 232