[SOLVED] Text goes small on new 14.1 boot

jowa45 · 02-11-2015, 09:10 AM

After using Slackware 11 since 2006 I decided to do an update to 14.1.
Installation went well and I just went with defaults.

On booting the new installation all seamed to be going well but then the screen blanked for a few moments and the booting process resumed with now very small text.
This very small text continued even after log in.

Would anyone be as good as to explain how I can restore the text size.
Alternativly how can I check the text size in my Slackware 11 and set the same text size.

John

veerain · 02-11-2015, 10:48 AM

Perhaps this is because slackware 14 is using KMS for video. Your resolution has increased compared to previous vga resolution in old. So fonts are appearing small.

You can set bigger console fonts.

Code:

setfont /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
or
setfont -C /dev/tty1 /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
or
for f in /dev/tty*; do
setfont -C "$f" /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
done

Please see /usr/share/consolefonts/ directory to see other fonts.

You can also install terminus-fonts. They are much better to view.

Didier Spaier · 02-11-2015, 05:03 PM

+1 for Terminus fonts, included in a full Slackware 14.1 installation. You just can't use "setconsolefont" or "pkgtools" to set one of them as default as they are not included in the built-in fonts list, but no big deal, just edit /etc/rc.d/rc.font and make it executable. For instance the content of this file here is:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
#
# This selects your default screen font from among the ones in
# /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts.
#
setfont -v ter-118n.psf.gz

The ter-1<font size> series includes all glyphs needed for English and Swedish.

Would you want even bigger fonts you can install fbterm that allows you to use True Type fonts on the console like Deja Vu (also shipped in Slackware) that are scalable at will.

See also: /usr/doc/terminus-font-4.38/README and /usr/doc/dejavu-fonts-ttf-2.34/* in your system and after installation of fbterm /usr/doc/fbterm-1.7/README.

fogpipe · 02-11-2015, 05:42 PM

Try putting vga=normal in the appropriate spot in your lilo.conf. Dont forget to run /sbin/lilo afterward.

jowa45 · 02-12-2015, 04:54 AM

Thank you all.

The installation had vga = normal as did my Slackware 11.
What is normal for 11 does not appear normal for 14.1.

Editing my /etc/rc.d/rc.font as suggested and then
source /etc/rc.d/rc.font
gave a larger font but not as large as the initial boot font.

The original text in /etc/rc.d/rc.font was just
setfont -v

On rebooting the small font came back again.
As though /etc/rc.d/rc.font
is not being read during boot up.
It can be restored with
source /etc/rc.d/rc.font
after logging in.

John

Didier Spaier · 02-12-2015, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jowa45

On rebooting the small font came back again.
As though /etc/rc.d/rc.font
is not being read during boot up.

Probably you forgot to make that file executable. As root, type:

Code:

chmod 755 /etc/rc.d/rc.font

PS what media (ISO image or DVD) did you use for installation and from where did you get it?

jowa45 · 02-12-2015, 06:22 AM

Thanks

Quite right the file was not executable but is now.

There are now three stages in the boot process.
It starts with the nice easy to read font.
It switches to that small hard to read font.
It switches to the font defined in /etc/rc.d/rc.font
just before loggin.

All installation files were downloaded from

http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackwa...ware-14.1-iso/

My installation methode was to copy all packages to a
USB portable hard disk by using a loopback device,
burn in the d1 to a CD and use that to boot the machine,
then use the "install from premounted directory" alternative,
the premounted directory being my USB hard disk.

I selected "install everything" it took 35 minutes.

This is interesting as of course the machine was a 32 bit.
At the weekend I will be attempting another 14.1 installation
this time on a 64 bit HP slimline.
So far all I have done is to burn in and test the installation DVD.
The machine does not have a floppy disk or seam capable of booting
from USB so those two backup methodes are out.

Anyone any good advice before I even begin.

John

Edit:- Something made a url out of my original text that does not work.
Edit2:- Works now.

slacker1337 · 02-23-2015, 08:45 PM

This is kinda a shot in the dark, but I had a similar problem while using QEMU VNC sessions to my virtual machines until I made the following change to /etc/lilo.conf:

#append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
append="video=800x600"

jowa45 · 02-24-2015, 11:29 AM

During the installation I was offered to try out some fonts.
I just accepted the default.
Here is the real problem.
My bad.

John

Arcosanti · 06-20-2015, 05:32 PM

One possible solution is to reconfigure the kernel to use a lower resolution which means recompiling the kernel. It's probably been configured to use too high of a resolution for your display.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jowa45

During the installation I was offered to try out some fonts.
I just accepted the default.
Here is the real problem.
My bad.

John

I did something just as bad. I inadvertently chose a font I didn't want. Slip of the finger on the keyboard.

Pednick · 06-20-2015, 05:40 PM

Actually, I'd like to be able to boot in to desktop with kms like the OP had no problem doing, fixing text is no problem. I need to put nomodeset at kernel prompt just to get to desktop. Btw I have 2 radeon on crossfire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by veerain

Perhaps this is because slackware 14 is using KMS for video. Your resolution has increased compared to previous vga resolution in old. So fonts are appearing small.

You can set bigger console fonts.

Code:

setfont /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
or
setfont -C /dev/tty1 /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
or
for f in /dev/tty*; do
setfont -C "$f" /usr/share/consolefonts/iso01-12x22.psfu.gz
done

Please see /usr/share/consolefonts/ directory to see other fonts.

You can also install terminus-fonts. They are much better to view.

Didier Spaier · 06-20-2015, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcosanti

One possible solution is to reconfigure the kernel to use a lower resolution which means recompiling the kernel. It's probably been configured to use too high of a resolution for your display..

That would really be an overkill! Including the proper kernel parameters in the booting command line (either manually or through your boot loader's configuration file) is obviously the way to go.

Pednick · 06-21-2015, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pednick

Actually, I'd like to be able to boot in to desktop with kms like the OP had no problem doing, fixing text is no problem. I need to put nomodeset at kernel prompt just to get to desktop. Btw I have 2 radeon on crossfire.

No answer? Ok at least let me know if I should follow this:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-works-760963/

Seems like old advice so I'm wondering if things have been fixed since then and if there is a simpler solution?

Didier Spaier · 06-21-2015, 09:18 AM

"nomodeset" requests the kernel not to use KMS which is the abbreviation of Kernel Mode Setting. So it's completely impossible to get KMS if you need this kernel parameter for your video adapter.

Pednick · 06-21-2015, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

"nomodeset" requests the kernel not to use KMS which is the abbreviation of Kernel Mode Setting. So it's completely impossible to get KMS if you need this kernel parameter for your video adapter.

That's what don't want, I don't want to use "nomodeset", I want to use kms but it doesn't work, with kms my screen boots into black screen with a flashing minus sign in the top left hand corner.