I know, Mandrake does have a graphic boot by default, but I have re-compiled my kernel and don't have that anymore.

One thing I really like about Fedora core is it's graphical boot using the x server. It has a loading bar and told you what it was doing. Is there some mandrake package that can do that too?

I'm using a custom 2.6.8 kernel, and don't want to re-compile it again if I don't have to.

Hmm... I just had this conversation on another thread.

Check out this thread:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ghlight=LinuxN

Well, first of all I do have a custom kernel without the boot theme.
I'm assuming you haven't used one of the Fedora distros (since you post in the mandrake forum ), but after the boot loader loads linux, it has some basic bootup messages and then starts the x server, where there is a mouse with a loading bar and it actually tells you what it's doing (ie if it would normally say "Bringing up interface eth0", it would say "Starting Network"). Here's a screenshot: http://www.flexbeta.net/images/linux...ootsplash.jpeg

Anyway, does anyone else know if this is possible? Possibly adding startx to the beginning of the loading process and having a windowmanager (or whatever) display what's happening?

Apparently you didn't read what I said...

The STARTUP (I'm not talking about the Lilo/Grub) theme can indeed be changed at whim.

I posted several on KDE-Look and there are a few there that look similiar to that you posted.

However note:

The screen you posted -IS NOT- an Xwindows display!

Rather it's a startup theme produced on the video framebuffer. As I discussed this in the other thread.

Mandrake also provides many different Startup Themes via URPMI

This is what my "moving bar" display looks like on my systems.

http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=16776

The sliding bar appears under Tux and you can press ESC to see the status screen.

In the status screen (click on the darker image) you see the startup output and tux very faintly in the lower right hand corner.

This is completely different than my Lilo/Grub screen

http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=16756

Which uses a similiar theme.


Both differ completely from what finally comes up when Xwindows is started

e.g.

http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=17824

Uh... I don't like to argue, but yes it is an X display. It hides the cursor in the screenshot, but it does have a mouse and you can click on the "Details" option.

Besides that, I can't seem to get the mandrake bootsplash back once I re-compiled the kernel. Do you know how I can do that?

There are THREE seperate screens that Mandrake puts up by default.

First is the Lilo/Boot screen, which is done in Vesa/Framebuffer modes.

The second screen, which has the "moving bar" at the bottom in Mandrake, effectively covers up the normal text output of the service startups...

This screen is -NOT- put up by Xwindows, as the DM hasn't even started when it comes up!

This is the screen which you "ESC"ape to from the startup splash screen.

In the example you posted the "ESC" message is clearly visible... normally indicative of a PRE-X-windows display.

However, the THIRD "splash" screen which Mandrake puts up can also be made to put up a moving bar (if you want) and in a few provided examples it does exactly that.

I am unclear as to which screen you are talking about.


The X-Windows splash screen is started by the DisplayManger/Window Manager.

This is the one which is easiest to control as it runs under X-windows. This is the "third" display, and you can preview these under KDE's splash screen control panel.



The second screen is imbedded into the initrd image.

As I posted in the thread I directed you to...

You must select the screen you want to display in the MCC via the provided utility.

Sometimes you must select another then go back and select the one you want. This will build the initrd image containing the startup bootsplash you desire...

However this is not quite enough, you must also set the "display mode" settings for Lilo/Grub to be compatible with the startup splash screen you have choosen.

Not all startup startup screens (2nd variety) have bitmaps for the desired target resolutions.

You must therefor "match" the bitmap to the display mode or else it will not show up.

If you have not touched the lilo/grub video modes (e.g. 791, etc...) then all you should need to do is use the MCC to make a new initrd image for your new kernel.

You'll need to do this after at least once booting with the new kernel, then symlinking all of the vmlinuz, system.map, initrd.img, etc. entries in /boot to your actual new kernel.

Once done the bootsplash will re-appear and you'll be able to switch at will...

A new kernel install via RPM's does this for you automatically. It establishes the symlinks...

Booting from a Mandrake RPM kernel will also re-establish the links for alternative kernels.

e.g.

If you have 2.6.8-11mdk installed along with 2.6.10-12mdk, selecting either of these will reset the vmlinuz symlinks in /boot.

Yes I know all that. (oh, btw, I got the bootsplash working)
In fedora, it boots up the kernel and then gets to the part that says "Welcome to [distribution - in this case "Fedora Core"]". After that, then it automatically starts the x server in some custom configuration that displays all the process that load.

It's ok, because I got the normal bootsplash working.