Black (no back light) LCD while booting LiveCD for Install [Work Around Found]

[thealmightyos]

I am attempting to follow the instructions I was given HERE: http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,108146.0.html

I downloaded the latest LXDE Mini iso and burned to a disk. I slung the disk into the laptop and fired it up. During boot I could clearly see the bootsplash and the progress bar. But after it loaded it looked like the screen just shut off. Upon closer inspection I noticed that at just the right angle and just the right amount of light I could make out the keyboard/language dialog that pops up on every PCLinuxOS LiveCD. My screen back-light is not coming on. Tried the hardware keys [FN+F8] to increase the brightness but that didn't work. I went to power down to try booting Video Failsafe mode and the moment I hit the power button my screen lit up bright again and I could see the system powering down (changing runlevel, apti and such)

Video failsafe does not work. I did not have this problem when installing from an older Enlightenment ISO. Is there any workaround for this?

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Gateway Model MX3228
Intel Celeron M 1.5ghz
512MB of RAM
Currently installed: PCLinuxOS E17 2010
Attempting Install: PCLinuxOS LXDE 2012.06

[kjpetrie]

You could try pressing function keys at the initial bootloader screen to bring up more options. I don't know what a permanent fix to the problem might be, but it's probably hard to fix on a livecd where options are limited and difficult to test because a reboot reverts to default. If you can find a workaround and install you would be better equipped to look for and test possible solutions. That assumes you have a spare partition on which to install and test without messing up what's already on the laptop, of course.

[horusfalcon]

One possible work-around here might be to check and see if your display is being shunted over to the external VGA Port?  If that's the case, there is a Fn key combination that will toggle it back.  (Don't know off-hand what it is for the MX-series Gateways.  On my old 3522GZ I think it was Fn F6? (Not sure...)).

If you have a small monitor handy you can plug in to the port, watch and see if it lights up as your laptop's screen goes dark.  If so, toggle it back.  Might be a BIOS setting you could tweak to keep this from happening?

Later On,
D

[thealmightyos]

I have tried a bunch of options on startup, including turning off the apci. nothing works

The display is not being sent to the external VGA. Connected it to my monitor. Nothing

I since have gone to bodhi linux. I would much rather use PCLinuxOS but this is two laptops now I have had this issue. While using a brand new Toshiba laptop the screen went blank while booting into the livecd. So I know it isn't just the hardware on this one specific laptop. That, and other distros work just fine. Thinking there is something about PCLinuxOS's boot that causes this issue

[thealmightyos]

UPDATE:

Got sick of bohdi last night so I attempted PCLOS again on the laptop. Fresh download and burn of LXDE. On boot the screen shut off again. I plugged in my desktop monitor. Nothing was about to give up when i accidentally restarted the laptop with the monitor still plugged in. The laptop monitor shut off, the desktop monitor stayed on. So, improvement. I tried pressing the function key to switch to the laptop monitor. No dice. Then I went into the settings for the video card and changed the monitor to plugnpray. BINGO. The laptop monitor kicks on. So I installed to the hard drive with my desktop monitor and after install I changed the monitor to plugnpray, saved the settings and restarted. Monitor still goes blank after reboot. Completely puzzled here.  Any ideas?

EDIT: Going to fiddle with the power settings in both the BIOS and OS and see if that ain't the problem

EDIT AGAIN: No power settings fix problem. Kernel Option "No ACPI" results in the screen staying on but system not booting (stuck at loading screen). Kernel Option "No Local APIC" results in screen turning dark. Safe options result in error reading disk. I am at a complete loss. only way I can get the screen to come on is if I go into the vid card config and select plugnpray for the monitor EVERY TIME I BOOT. There has got to be a way to fix this.

[kjpetrie]

Possible things to try:

1. add a vga=<correct mode for your screen resolution> entry to /boot/grub/menu_lst,
2. check you have the right driver for your graphics chip,
3. add "acpi_backlight=vendor", acpi_backlight=video", "isapnp=pci_scan", "noisapnp", "pnpacpi=off", "pnpbios=on", "pnpbios=off", "pnpbios=curr", "pnpbios=res", "pnpbios=no-curr" or "pnpbios=no-res" to kernel boot line in /boot/grub/menu.lst,
3. read http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt or http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/fb/modedb.txt for any clues,
4. Google for information on xorg.conf as you might need a custom line in there.

[horusfalcon]

Hi, Gang,

Just quickly, this from the MX3228 Specifications Page:

Video    S3 UniChrome™ Pro integrated graphics processor
Up to 64 MB shared video memory

As I recall, there is a driver specific to some S3 cards, but I don't remember seeing the UniChrome.  Hang on... yup, it's there, but the driver is listed as "S3 UniChrome with 3D support". (So it is at least possible to eventually select the proper driver for your system.)

I gotta go in today to work in a short while, so gotta finish getting ready, or I'd stick around and try to research this more.  Maybe if I get some slack at work this evening.

Meanwhile, many others will lend a hand here, hopefully and get you going.

Later On,
D

[thealmightyos]

wow, I didnt know this thread was still alive Thanks for the info

I was getting some help over at LinuxForums. We diagnosed it as DEFIANTLY a power problem. I found running these two commands together

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vbetool dpms off
vbetool dpms on will kick the backlight on. They suggested many of the commands you suggested, kjpetrie, but there are a few in there I have not tried yet. will try them tonight and report back with any results.

Thanks for the help, horusfalcon. PCLINUXOS did automatically select the correct driver for my vid card, so there is that. If you do get some slack at work and want to mull over this some more the important thing to note is that the monitor DISPLAYS but the backlight is turned off.

I was looking for a way to run a script as root before login with the commands "vbetool dpms off/on" for a quick and dirty fix. Putting it in init.d didn't work. Any ideas on this front? or any front? This laptop would make my life easier this weekend while I update my network

[thealmightyos]

3. add "acpi_backlight=vendor", acpi_backlight=video", "isapnp=pci_scan", "noisapnp", "pnpacpi=off", "pnpbios=on", "pnpbios=off", "pnpbios=curr", "pnpbios=res", "pnpbios=no-curr" or "pnpbios=no-res" to kernel boot line in /boot/grub/menu.lst,

I am assuming to try those one at a time. Please correct me if I am wrong

[thealmightyos]

I tried all those commands at boot. Nothing. And I am unable to find a way to run my script. I am on the verge of giving up

[horusfalcon]

[snippage]

I was looking for a way to run a script as root before login with the commands "vbetool dpms off/on" for a quick and dirty fix. Putting it in init.d didn't work. Any ideas on this front? or any front? This laptop would make my life easier this weekend while I update my network

The "right" place to do stuff like this is /etc/rc.local - the trick is how to get it into a live disk?  You'd almost certainly need to edit the ISO file and re-master it - I think maybe AcetoneISO will allow this kind of work, so you'd need a running system with it installed?  (I may be wayyyy off base here, though...)

Note that rc.local runs after all other boot stuff.  A more drastic maneuver would be to add these lines to rc.sysinit, but on a PCLinuxOS system I'm not sure if that would net more trouble in the process of trying to solve the problem?

Guys, help us (me) out here - is there a way to pass these commands at boot from GRUB?  (I wouldn't think so... but I've been wrong before.)

Gotta run; duty calls.

Later On,
D

[thealmightyos]

[snippage]

I was looking for a way to run a script as root before login with the commands "vbetool dpms off/on" for a quick and dirty fix. Putting it in init.d didn't work. Any ideas on this front? or any front? This laptop would make my life easier this weekend while I update my network

The "right" place to do stuff like this is /etc/rc.local - the trick is how to get it into a live disk?  You'd almost certainly need to edit the ISO file and re-master it - I think maybe AcetoneISO will allow this kind of work, so you'd need a running system with it installed?  (I may be wayyyy off base here, though...)

Note that rc.local runs after all other boot stuff.  A more drastic maneuver would be to add these lines to rc.sysinit, but on a PCLinuxOS system I'm not sure if that would net more trouble in the process of trying to solve the problem?

Guys, help us (me) out here - is there a way to pass these commands at boot from GRUB?  (I wouldn't think so... but I've been wrong before.)

Gotta run; duty calls.

Later On,
D

I have PCLinuxOS already installed (how? patience. Lots of patience) In fact I am typing this from the laptop in question. going to put the script in rc.local and see if that works

[thealmightyos]

ok. that worked. It's not optimal, but it turns the screen on. So the laptop is more usable then before. Still would like to figure out what is causing it. Think it might be linked to laptop mode but I don't have the time to research that

[horusfalcon]

I've really got no clue why this is happening - perhaps it is something in the driver reacting badly?  A possible way to exclude this would be to boot from the Live CD/DVD in VESA Mode.  Wait... you said  "safe mode" hangs - is that fail-safe or VESA?

What really puzzles me is I think you said t his does not happen in other distros.

Hmm... you might try reading this:  http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,104683.msg897398.html#msg897398

Seems wharfhouse may have previously chewed some of the same ground as you are now.

Glad to hear you made some progress with it.

Later On,
D