LinuxQuestions.org - Splash Screen during boot

- Debian (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/)

- - Splash Screen during boot (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/splash-screen-during-boot-379559/)

Splash Screen during boot

Very superficial thing, but I'm tired of looking at text fly by while my computer boots. I want something sexy to show up instead.

Could some kind soul please point in my in right direction?

Thanks so much.

Think you want to be looking at bootsplash to liven up the bootloader and loading process. Depending on your distro, there may already be bootsplash kernels + themes available to install rather than manually doing it.

save yourself a lot of work and get splashy in experimental :
http://packages.debian.org/experimen...aphics/splashy

I didn't had any problems, and it's very easy to do your own theme.

yanik

I installed splashy and when I tried to start it, I got the following:

knoppix@box:~$ splashy
usage: splashy boot|shutdown
knoppix@box:~$ splashy boot

** (process:32698): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed
Splashy: reusing FIFO /etc/splashy/splashy.fifo

** (process:32699): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed

** (process:32699): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed
FATAL: video.c <227>:
(#) DirectFBError [DirectFBCreate(&video->dfb)]: General initialization failure!
knoppix@box:~$ splashy shutdown

** (process:401): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed
Splashy: reusing FIFO /etc/splashy/splashy.fifo

** (process:402): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed

** (process:402): CRITICAL **: spl_find_element: assertion `(GList*)data != NULL' failed
knoppix@box:~$ FATAL: video.c <227>:
(#) DirectFBError [DirectFBCreate(&video->dfb)]: General initialization failure!
knoppix@box:~$

Am I doing the right thing?

My distro is kanotix 2005-03.

you don't need to start it, just reboot

I haven't used splashy, but I have patched the kernel to use bootsplash. It isn't easy, especially to get the progress bar animation working since it has to be aware of the boot process and you have to edit the init scripts. I gave up on the progress bar and just use an image. Here are the steps to take if you are interested in trying:

Code:

apt-get install linux-source-2.6.12

cd /usr/src

tar -jxf linux-source-2.6.12.tar.bz2

rm linux

ln -s linux-source-2.6.12 linux

download the bootsplash patch to the kernel from: http://www.bootsplash.de/files/boots....6-2.6.12.diff Then patch the kernel:

Code:

cd /usr/src/linux

patch -p1 < /path/to/where/you/saved/bootsplash-3.1.6-2.6.12.diff

You need to configure the kernel. It is easier to use a working config file. I used the one from the ubuntu 2.6.12 kernel. Download the kernel deb from: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/poo...-9.23_i386.deb Then extract to /tmp:

Code:

dpkg -x /where/you/saved/linux-image-2.6.12-9-386_2.6.12-9.23_i386.deb /tmp

Then copy the config file over and configure the kernel:

Code:

cd /usr/src/linux

cp /tmp/boot/config-2.6.12-9-386 .config

make menuconfig

You need to configure the display section as described here: http://hacks.oreilly.com/pub/h/3124 Then exit and compile:

Code:

make-kpkg clean

make-kpkg --initrd --append-to-version=-bootsplash kernel_image

After it finishes, install it:

Code:

cd /usr/src

dpkg -i kernel-image-2.6.12-bootsplash_10.00.Custom_i386.deb

You then need to make a bootsplash directory:

Code:

mkdir /etc/bootsplash

and a place to put bootsplash themes:

Code:

mkdir /etc/bootsplash/themes

Download themes from: http://www.bootsplash.de/files/themes/ There is a nice Debian based one I use called "Slide". Screenshots here: http://www.bootsplash.de/files/theme...ide-silent.png Extract your theme in /etc/bootsplash/themes. Then you need to get the bootsplash utilities from: ftp://ftp.openbios.org/pub/bootsplas...-3.0.7.tar.bz2 Extract and navigate to the "utilities" directory. Then:

Code:

make splash

cp splash /sbin

Apply your theme to the initrd:

Code:

splash -s -f /etc/bootsplash/themes/Slide/config/bootsplash-1024x768.cfg >> /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-bootsplash

Then edit the kernel entry in Grub to use the same resolution as the theme:

Code:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-bootsp root=/dev/hda1 ro vga=791 splash="silent"

Code:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-bootsp root=/dev/hda1 ro vga=791 splash="verbose"

I use "verbose" which gives text boot messages on top of the theme image. The "silent" will just give you a picture. You won't get the slider bar either without editing the init scripts. I didn't want to fool with that. Hope this long winded post is useful. :D

edit:

Thanks. splashy is working great now.

Forget my long earlier post about getting bootsplash to work. I just installed splashy and it is easy and works without recompiling the kernel. I see no reason for anyone to use bootsplash now.

I tried splashy on sarge with updated libc6 and the error i got:

Code:

 FATAL: video.c <227>:

        (#) DirectFBError [DirectFBCreate(&video->dfb)]: General initialization failure!

i enabled kernel frame buffer thing using configure-debian:(

:scratch: My fault i dont see the grub screen showing

Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.12-1-686-smp (splashy)

Now i tried this and it works great thanks...

I installed splashy and during boot I get:

Booting process at 20%
Splashy is not running... no commands can be sent
Please verify /etc/default/spalshy and /etc/splashy/config.xml for correctness

and no splash image :( What did I do wrong?

Did u checked the menu properly for (splashy) One?
for spalshy to work with urs atleast pass something to your menu.lst like vga=0x317 etc.for me vga=789 worked.

try giving the values given in /usr/share/doc/splashy/README for values to give according to your resolution.for me 800*600@85hz i gave vga=789
try and post the result

My GRUB :

Code:

title      Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.12-1-686-smp (splashy)

root      (hd0,6)

kernel      /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1-686-smp root=/dev/sda7 ro vga=789 quiet

initrd      /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-1-686-smp

savedefault

boot

Well, that was it :) I edited my menu.lst and now everything works great. Big thanks for help.

I have used splashy before but never tried from the Experimental repo. I have couple of questions.

1. I am using my own customized kernel 2.6.13 from kernel.org. Will splashy still work with it?

2.Also, I would like to have the splashy work with my minimal install system i.e. just the base system install with no Xorg and GNOME installed? Will splashy work with it?

3.If yes, then what is the best way to install it. I am using the stable version. Should I change my sources.lst to exper. and then do apt-get update and apt-get install splashy? or should I directly down just the splashy package which yanik pointed out.

Any ideas? I am quite excited to try this splashy.

Thanks.

Ok, I tried splashy with my 2.6.13 kernel and it did not work.Although it did installed successfully, the screen went blank after this message Starting splashy sequence......Although I know my system is booting behind the blank screen. This is really frustating. I have passed arguments of types vga=791,771,etc

Any ideas?