Fix "Only boots to a black screen or a flashing input prompt"

Post by **bigpup** » Thu Aug 18, 2022 1:24 am

This is probably a video hardware driver issue or hardware capabilities.
Usually an issue on very old hardware and using very new Puppy versions.

For a black screen issue

To see if you can get it to work:
You will need to get it to boot to a flashing input prompt.
Two ways to do this.

At the boot menu, hopefully there is more than one boot menu entry.
Need to use the one that has No X in it's title.
This should boot to a screen, where there will be a flashing input prompt.

If the boot menu does not offer the no X entry to select.

You will need to edit the menu entry you select to use.
Highlight the entry.
Most boot loaders will allow editing of the entry, before using it, by pressing a specific key on the keyboard.
Most will use: Press E key on keyboard.
Follow information provided on what key to press to proceed.
Most it is E key to edit, highlight to choose the line to edit, and enter key to select.
Move to the Linux or kernel line in the entry.
Add this command to the end of the line:

Code: Select all

 pfix=nox

Note:
If the entry has pfix= (something) in it.
change it to pfix=nox

Press enter to make this part of the entry.
Press the B key to boot the modified entry or some other key it says to use to boot.

This will get you to a flashing input prompt.

Type xorgwizard at the prompt.
Select the vesa driver.
set resolution to something you know should work.
run test to see if it works.
finish xorgwizard.
back at prompt.
Type xwin
should see desktop.

If this works.
When you do the first shutdown.
Make a save and the settings you used in xorgwizard, should be remembered for the next boot.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

If it is booting to a black screen that has a flashing input prompt

You can try one of these boot options, by editing the boot menu entry, as shown earlier, how to do.
Add one of these options to the end of the menu entry kernel or Linux line.

Code: Select all

i915.modeset=0
radeon.modeset=0
nouveau.modeset=0

The one to use, depends on your computers graphics hardware.

i915 is for intel
radeon is for radeon (AMD, ATI)
nouveau is for nvidia

If one of these is needed to get to a working desktop.
Best if you make a permanent edit of the boot loader config file, that provides the boot menu.
The file needs to be on a drive, where writes can be done. (HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card, etc....) can not edit if on a CD/DVD.
Look on the drive for one of these files, depends on boot loader being used.
grub.cfg
menu.lst
syslinux.cfg

Open file in a text editor and add the option to the entries in this file.
Add to end of the kernel or Linux line.
Save change.
Now when it boots the option will be there to be used.
.
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