Grub menu unreadable

[Catchingup]

After installing 11.04 on Dell C810 with Nvidia graphics, Grub menu appears, but duplicated with a one character offset, not very readable but working (ie. all items where they should be). Selecting the normal option only gives command line login (eventually). Tried following some of the other advice in "My Kubuntu boot up menu is gone!" and "Boot loop on Dell C840 with Natty" but memory problems (mine, not the computers) have defeated any attempt to see how grub selects the graphics mode at start up.

TIA

[Snowhog]

Re: Grub menu unreadable

The file that controls/allows grub to use 'graphics mode' is /etc/default/grub and the specific line is:

#GRUB_GFXMODE=640x480

Uncomment it and change the resolution figures to what your video card/monitor support - on my laptop, I use 1600x900.

Save and close the file and then in a console type:

sudo update-grub

Shutdown/reboot.

[Catchingup]

Re: Grub menu unreadable

Thanks Snowhog, Grub now ok, just got to sort out why no kde login, just shell prompt. (I was still looking for /boot/grub/menu.lst BTW)

11.04 working on Dell C640, C840, 9400 - Panasonic CF-28 x 2

all have had minor issues installing/running various flavours of Kubuntu, but this seems to be the most challenging.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Grub menu unreadable

menu.lst was used by grub-legacy. We're using grub-pc aka grub2 now.

[Catchingup]

Re: Grub menu unreadable

oshunluvr, I see that now, but it's the change from Grub2 1.98 (with 10.10) to 1.99 (with 11.04) that is generating the problem.
On this Dell, 10.10 grub menu was still displayed in mono (640x480) and splash screens never worked (except on shutdown), kde login started fine so never needed to tinker at this level,
I still feel that if the boot loader in (11,04) is unable to detect the correct hardware (vbeinfo reports trying Cirrus CLGD 5446 PCI and Bochs PCI, when an onboard AGP is used, it shouldn't bother and leave it to the kernal and/or drivers

[oshunluvr]

Re: Grub menu unreadable

You don't mention is whether or not you tried what snowhog suggested. Grub loads before any kernel based chipset specific drivers are loaded and therefore, sometimes does not default resolution correctly.

Usually, a setting as suggested or a kernel mode-set option is required for older or uncommon hardware such as yours. Clearly, in this case the newer version of grub dropped something that supported the older card.

Not a fix - but there's nothing that would stop you from installing the older version of grub using 10.10 and then boot to 11.04 from it. The large downside to this would be having to boot to 10.10 to update grub every time you updated your 11.04 kernel.

You could try booting to grub (hold down the SHIFT key to display grub menu if you don't normally see it) then press "c" to enter the grub console. Type "vbeinfo" and ENTER - at the bottom of all the stuff that prints out should be your preferred resolution. Edit /etc/grub/default as snowhog suggested with your new resolution and report if it works or not.