[SOLVED] different screen resolutions depending on UEFI startup

mjsurette · 06-07-2017, 10:19 AM

I have an MSI GL72 with a fresh install of Sabayon booting under UEFI.

If I do a normal boot, I get an 800x600 display resolution.

If I hit F11 and select the same boot option, I get 1920x1080.

Looking at the X11 log I get

(II) FBDEV(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
"Default Screen Section" for depth/fbbpp 24/32
(==) FBDEV(0): Depth 24, (==) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) FBDEV(0): RGB weight 888
(==) FBDEV(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) FBDEV(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
(II) FBDEV(0): hardware: EFI VGA (video memory: 1920kB)
(II) FBDEV(0): checking modes against framebuffer device...
(II) FBDEV(0): checking modes against monitor...
(--) FBDEV(0): Virtual size is 800x600 (pitch 800)
(**) FBDEV(0): Built-in mode "current": 48.0 MHz, 46.9 kHz, 75.1 Hz
(II) FBDEV(0): Modeline "current"x0.0 48.00 800 832 928 1024 600 604 608 624 -hsync -vsync -csync (46.9 kHz b)
(==) FBDEV(0): DPI set to (96, 96)

on the regular boot, and

(II) FBDEV(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
"Default Screen Section" for depth/fbbpp 24/32
(==) FBDEV(0): Depth 24, (==) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) FBDEV(0): RGB weight 888
(==) FBDEV(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) FBDEV(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
(II) FBDEV(0): hardware: EFI VGA (video memory: 8128kB)
(II) FBDEV(0): checking modes against framebuffer device...
(II) FBDEV(0): checking modes against monitor...
(--) FBDEV(0): Virtual size is 1920x1080 (pitch 1920)
(**) FBDEV(0): Built-in mode "current": 207.4 MHz, 85.3 kHz, 77.2 Hz
(II) FBDEV(0): Modeline "current"x0.0 207.38 1920 1952 2192 2432 1080 1084 1088 1104 -hsync -vsync -csync (85.3 kHz b)
(==) FBDEV(0): DPI set to (96, 96)

when I do an F11 boot.

As you can see, it senses more video memory on the F11 boot.

How do I fix it so that both boots come up hi-res?

Mike

Didier Spaier · 06-07-2017, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjsurette

How do I fix it so that both boots come up hi-res?

That really depends on your firmware setting, I think. Check all options to see if it is possible to allow more video memory by default as when pressing F11.

jefro · 06-07-2017, 09:16 PM

Not sure I'm totally with the uefi part exactly doing it yet. Uefi could present almost any set of devices but not sure it would select amount of video ram. Guess it could but why would it do it on a F key that should be exactly as normal boot.

I get the feeling that the video is not fully up when it boots normally but I don't know how to prove that.

Might be some command line boot time options to do fix this. Some wait setting for time to settle?

mjsurette · 06-07-2017, 10:27 PM

I really don't understand it either, you would expect the same results either way, but it is consistently dependent on how you boot.

The real kicker is that it's a discrete graphics card. No bios settings at all.

Mike

aragorn2101 · 06-08-2017, 05:02 AM

What bootloader is it you're using? If it is GRUB, you can set the resolution easily: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...ips_and_tricks

mjsurette · 06-08-2017, 02:58 PM

Yes, I am using GRUB. I checked out that link and followed a winding path that led me to discover that I am actually using the Intel HD530 built into the I7 rather than the NVIDIA GTX950M also on board.

The mystery deepens.

Mike

mjsurette · 06-09-2017, 07:22 PM

Ok, I tried a different distro and it won't even boot with the normal boot sequence, but F11, which brings up the boot selection menu, will let me select the primary drive and boot.

It must be something weird in the UEFI setup.

Mike

jefro · 06-09-2017, 08:03 PM

Not sure what to say yet. Did you try the boot time options?

mjsurette · 06-10-2017, 05:44 AM

I'm doing some reading on UEFI right now. It's looking like the problem is there. I have two machines that I'm switching distros on and they both have similar issues when it comes to booting.

I'll post what I find.

Mike

Shadow_7 · 06-10-2017, 06:16 AM

Does xrandr report the same specs under both boots?

$ xrandr

Code:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192
HDMI-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 510mm x 287mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1280x800      59.91  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1280x720      60.00  
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00  
   832x624       74.55  
   800x600       72.19    75.00    60.32    56.25  
   640x480       75.00    72.81    66.67    59.94  
   720x400       70.08  
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Didier Spaier · 06-10-2017, 06:27 AM

I'd rather think that what you see comes to the fact that in one case the Intel video chipset is in use, and in the other one it is the NVidia one. Look in the firmware's menu for a setting like integrated video output vs dedicated as usually found in case of hybrid graphics.

It is also possible that in one case only a framebuffer be used.

Some pointers:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/hybrid_graphics
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA_Optimus
http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:har...nvidia_optimus
https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/Optimus/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...oo-4175437338/

mjsurette · 06-11-2017, 11:37 PM

Thanks for the pointers. I updated the bios and reinstalled.

Drastic, but it worked.

Mike

jefro · 06-12-2017, 03:11 PM

Thanks for the solution.

mjsurette · 07-01-2017, 09:12 AM

Update: After doing some more distro-hopping my problem came back.

After doing a fair bit of digging I found what seems to be the simplest answer. I edited /etc/default/grub changing

GRUB_GFXMODE="auto"

to

GRUB_GFXMODE="1920x1080;auto"

and did

grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

On hindsight, it's rather obvious. Now it boots great!

Mike