Corrupt monitor display.

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puttputt4video

Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

When I installed Linux Mint on my old Acer Aspire 1700 the display came out as you see in the photo. Everything seems to display where they should be and they work but they are unreadable. The install disc I used came from a friend who had used it to install Linux on his own computer without a problem. Thinking the disc had become corrupted I downloaded Linux Cinnimon 18.3 32 bit to a disc and tried to install it but it had the same result. Display directly from the disc or installed made no difference. Windows XP previously installed displayed properly as does the Acer opening page and bios menu now with Linux installed which I think rules out wiring, connections and monitor. The first version of Linux I downloaded suddenly started to display properly but only briefly and then disappeared never to return with proper display. At times the whole screen would rapidly change from near white, (the normal color?) to the corrupt display. In searching for solutions to the whole problem I found one comment that sounded like the same problem. He solved it by changing the duration of something from 1 second to 10 seconds. I think he was referring to one of the boot screens that are time sensitive. As I can only read the largest printing on the screen, the rest having the color too distorted I cannot get into settings to see what changes might be made. Bios menu responds correctly I think as do the F key options. “C” is virtually empty and Ram is 2Gb. Any ideas?
Linux 2.jpg
Linux 1.jpg
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ralplpcr
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by ralplpcr »

This may be a difficult one - - you mentioned that you used to have Windows XP on that system, which tells me that it is probably quite old. It's possible that the particular video chipset is no longer supported in the kernel, but you still may be able to get it working in a VGA software emulation mode?

What we'll need is some info on your hardware. I realize it may be difficult with the screen corruption, but if we can force that temporary compatibility mode, you should be able at least have a usable system.

Please see if you can try the following:

1. Reboot your system. When you first get anything on your screen during POST, press & hold the left shift key.
2. If you did it right, you should get a text menu with a few choices - the top normally listing Linux with a version number. This is called your GRUB menu. Once you get there, you can release the shift key. (if you DON'T get this, repeat until you do!)
3. With this top selection highlighted, press the e button on your keyboard. This will bring you to a grub editing menu, allowing you to temporarily change the boot parameters for this session.
4. Using your arrow keys, move the cursor down to the entry that starts with the word linux and probably ends with the words: quiet splash
5. Press the end key to go to the end of that line
6. Type nomodeset as the very last command on that line
7. Press CTRL+X to continue the boot sequence with these new temporary parameters

This will (hopefully) start up your Mint session in "software emulation" mode, bypassing the video driver that Mint would normally try to use.
If it works, then we can hopefully extract some info - - and be able to provide some better info how to fix your video.

Assuming you *can* get this far and have a usable screen, please do the following:
1. Open a terminal
2. Type inxi -Fxz
3. Copy/paste the results back in this thread.
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

Thanks for the fast reply. While I was waiting I was reading and researching and trying stuff and eventually got Linux to open with what seems to be a fully functioning desk top. Here is the process with the Phoenix menu set to load CD-ROM first and the disc in the external drive:-Restart > Acer logo > F- 8 > Cinnimon Grub > (no pointer) > page down to Compatibility mode and press enter > loading Casper > long script and long wait > black screen > Large Linux logo > pointer > boot to apparently functional desk top. The first time I reached this point I tried to install but after a few steps it stopped with the message “disc or drive has failed”. Tried again and it stopped with the message that I only had 0.0b and and needed 10.4Gb to load Linux. 80 GB hard drive has been essentially wiped, 2.6% used and have 2 GB of Ram. About here got your message and typed as you suggested inxi –Fxz . This brought up the specs. Can’t copy and paste so took photo which is attached along with some others that may help. There were bumps along the way but I think my missteps. F-2, F8 and F-12 work at boot on the Acer logo. So where to go from here. Guess I can’t install because if not in compatibility mode it is corrupted and incompatibility mode loses some features if it will at all load like that.???? Hope you can read the photos. If not please ask for clarification. Thanks again. Daryl.
FreedomTruth
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by FreedomTruth »

I think that machine will probably struggle to run the Cinnamon desktop; have you considered trying another? I run mint 17.3 XFCE on a similar system... it's a little slow but it works for what I need it to do.

Code: Select all

System:    Host: localhost Kernel: 4.4.0-79-generic i686 (32 bit gcc: 4.8.4)
           Desktop: Xfce 4.12.2 (Gtk 2.24.23) info: xfce4-panel dm: mdm Distro: Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Machine:   System: Dell product: Dimension 4550 Chassis: type: 6
           Mobo: Dell model: N/A Bios: Dell v: A03 date: 11/12/2002
CPU:       Single core Intel Pentium 4 (-UP-) cache: 512 KB
           flags: (pae sse sse2) bmips: 3987 speed: 1993 MHz (max)
Graphics:  Card: NVIDIA NV17 [GeForce4 MX 420] bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:0172
           Display Server: X.org 1.17.1 drivers: nouveau (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           tty size: 106x8 Advanced Data: N/A for root
Audio:     Card Creative Labs [SB Live! Value] EMU10k1X
           driver: snd_emu10k1x port: ece0 bus-ID: 02:01.0 chip-ID: 1102:0006
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-79-generic
Network:   Card-1: Intel 82801DB PRO/100 VE (LOM) Ethernet Controller
           driver: e100 v: 3.5.24-k2-NAPI port: ec80 bus-ID: 02:08.0 chip-ID: 8086:1039
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Ralink RT2870 Wireless Adapter usb-ID: 001-002
           IF: N/A state: N/A mac: N/A
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 40.0GB (30.9% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: WDC_WD400JB size: 40.0GB serial: WD-WCAD1A788524 temp: 0C
Partition: ID-1: / size: 35G used: 9.7G (30%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 2.15GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
RAID:      System: supported: N/A
           No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
           Unused Devices: none
Sensors:   None detected - is lm-sensors installed and configured?
Info:      Processes: 171 Uptime: 3 min Memory: 220.9/493.0MB
           Init: Upstart v: 1.12.1 runlevel: 2 default: 2 Gcc sys: 4.8.4
           Client: Shell (sudo running in bash) inxi: 2.2.28 
ralplpcr
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by ralplpcr »

FreedomTruth wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:26 pm I think that machine will probably struggle to run the Cinnamon desktop; have you considered trying another? I run mint 17.3 XFCE on a similar system... it's a little slow but it works for what I need it to do.
Quite right - that machine is a bit underpowered to run the Cinnamon desktop. I think you *can* install, but you'll probably need to permanently set the nomodeset parameter to bring up the vesa graphics, as you have done below. We can try to talk you through it if you wish, though honestly I think you'd have better luck installing the 32-bit XFCE edition. That doesn't require 3D graphics the way Cinnamon does, and is much lighter on resources. It won't be a speed demon, but it'll run much better with that single core than Cinnamon, I believe.
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

Thank you both. I will try to install that and let you know what happens.
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

Update. Tried the 32-bit XFCE . Could not get post, grub or a picture that was not scrambled. Tried Lubuntu 17-10-01, thought I was down loading Ubuntu. Are they different? This was better. No post but did get grub. Selected “try without installing” which just got a scrambled screen again. Back to grub and chose a path I forgot to write down. Naturally this is the one that opened and the whole OS seemed just fine. Unfortunately I have not been able to duplicate that result and it will not install. Linux Mint which won’t work is still installed and is in fact the only thing that is installed. I would like to get rid of it but cannot identify it by file name. Need help on that. I’m thinking it might be part of the problem. Sort of a catch 22. Installing a new version should remove the old version but can’t install a new version as it says there is no space. I’m going to try the smallest version of Linux I can find and give that a try. I did not start working with computers until about 10 years ago. I’m 83 now so some things take a bit longer than they used to. Thanks for your help and patience. I’m in Victoria BC. You are not a neighbour are you? That happened to me once. Made things a lot easier.
ralplpcr
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by ralplpcr »

Ok, I don't mean to sound belittling in any way, but I think you have some of your terminology mixed up. Saying things like "no post, but I got grub", that you can't install/remove the old version because of insufficient space, ... neither of those make sense in the way I understand the terms. :?:
  • POST - In simplest terms, this is successful if you get anything on your screen when you first power on the machine. This would be your machine's logo (Acer logo) and some text, as you mentioned before. This is 100% independent of whatever operating system you're using, and will be the same whether you're running Linux, Windows, or even DOS. Everything that happens after this step is the boot up. If you can't get past POST, your machine is completely dead and *NO* operating system will function.
  • GRUB - a small bootloader program that runs after POST which allows you to choose from the detected operating systems on your hard drive. Think of it as a table of contents for the disk - - it "points" to the spot on the disk where the different operating systems reside, and triggers booting up of your selected OS.
You're also talk about "deleting the file"... but Linux isn't installed as a file. At minimum, you need to format the entire partition (which completely removes the old version). Or you could format &/or partition the whole disk. Either way will remove the operating system.

If you're doing the installation correctly, you should be given the option to format the disk or repartition the disk as part of the installation. I'm not sure which version you're trying to install now, but the only way you wouldn't have enough space would be if you skipped the repartitioning or formatting step.

As I said, I don't mean this to sound snarky - - just trying to clarify what you're actually seeing, since incorrect terms will likely lead to incorrect help being given.

To answer some of your questions - Lubuntu is what's known as a lightweight "fork" of Ubuntu. This means that it uses Ubuntu as a starting point, but then strips out much of the more fancy elements and replaces them with components that require less memory & CPU power. It's not a good sign that Lubuntu also failed on "try without installing" - - since it's designed specifically to be lightweight, it *should* have worked.

Before you worry about installing any version of Linux, I think your first best step is to try getting a "live" version working acceptably. AntiX, PepperMint or Puppy Linux would be my best suggestions - - you can create either a bootable USB or DVD of any of those, and try them out before attempting an install. Make sure you're using the 32-bit versions - your system can't handle a 64-bit version. (**NOTE: Puppy Linux is specifically designed to be run from a USB, so installing to hard drive may be difficult/not worth it. It works quite well from USB in my experience, though!)
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

I’m expect you are correct so guess I am not being much help in solving my problem. I’ll try to correct some of my errors and tell you where I am at now.

To date I have downloaded 5 32 bit Linux OS image files and copied them to ISO discs. Here is what happens when I run them.

An Acer post screen or grub does not come up with Puppy Precise 5.7.1 using a disc or USB and I get the message, “operating system not found”. More on that later.

With Kubuntu 14.04.5 a post screen comes up with F2 and F12 keys that work, I get a grub menu and choosing the “try without installing option” it loads to where I have an apparently correct desktop but the monitor display is corrupted as in the photo and I cannot read enough to go further.

Lubunbtu 17.10.01 is the same as Kubuntu with the exception that I can see enough to try to install from the desktop shortcut (a disc?) and if I click on install it tells me that I only have 0.08 Mb of space which of course is not enough.

Same disc using shift key as per your instructions gave same result. F keys 1 thru 10 on the bottom of what I am calling the grub all worked. After loading I could read on Home menu 988Gb free of 1005Gb’s. Install menu said I need 5.3 Gb and only have 0.08. So don’t know which is right.

Linux Mint 17.3 XFCE get a post screen with functioning F2 and F12 keys. No grub but got what appeared to be a complete desktop with disc shortcut without any input from me. Was able to choose a language and bring up “prepare to install” but could not read enough to go further.

Linux Mint (disc from my friend) same result though it followed a slightly different path. Could not get it to show me a version number.

You already have results from Linux Cinnamon 18.3 and I did not try it again.

Post and grub displays and pages of script when trying to load a disc are not corrupted in any way and easily readable. The Windows XP that was installed before displayed OK . As I said earlier one of the Linux discs loaded properly (not installed) and worked for a while. I should have left the computer running when this happened and I might have been able to gather more information. Re files:-As it was all clearly readable I opened Home (I think) and one of the choices was Files which I opened. I had read I think that in Linux terminology Files is comparable to “C”. This was confusing to you I guess because I said I was looking in it for the file on Linux mint that had installed so that I might remove it. I expect I should have said folder in this case. That situation has apparently resolved itself as there does not seem to be any operation system installed now. It won’t boot from the hard drive, says no OS found and two of the programs say 88Gb free. I have the seven lines of script that comes up ending in “operating system not found “ if it is of any use I can send what it says. If grub menus are on the hard drive then this is very confusing. I could not read enough to know if I was partitioning or not an the install that worked or on the other attempts.

Not sure it is correct to say that “Try without installing” is failing. I do get what appears to be a complete desktop with all but Puppy, I just can’t read most of it, and, Mint was installed at one time. How it got erased I don’t know but perhaps when I got 4 or 5 steps into trying to install one of the others before the process stopped it had already been deleted from the hard drive.

I assume that there was nothing useful in the photos I sent on Feb. 24??

I’ll try AntiX and Peppermint 32 bit. All that I have tried are 32 bit. There is no intention to make this into a full functioning computer. The planned use was a portable method to display photos and videos for shut ins etc.

I don’t think you mentioned if you had seen this display problem before and if it was solved.

Thanks Drf
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

Looks like we are in via quiet splash nomodeset Linux antiX 17.
What's next.
anticapitalista
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by anticapitalista »

puttputt4video wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:55 am Looks like we are in via quiet splash nomodeset Linux antiX 17.
What's next.
Click on the Install icon?
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

I was hoping to get a definitive answer as to if the “work around” that got it to boot properly from a disc will mean it will boot properly if installed without having to use a work around. I can certainly try it but perhaps ralplpcr will reply with more information.
ralplpcr
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Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by ralplpcr »

I can't say I've ever done this with antiX, but I suspect that the procedure would be very similar?
If you're only able to get a working/usable desktop after temporarily setting the nomodeset parameters, then your next steps would be to install. Once you're done installing, you'll need to then PERMANENTLY set the nomodeset in your grub settings so that it'll give you the same settings every time you boot.

Rather than type these instructions all over again, I'll refer you to Xenopeek's excellent instructions on this previous topic: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=122257

Scroll down to the section titled If you can't boot successfully after installing Linux Mint., and simply follow the instructions provided. These are for Mint (of course), but in general the process should be extremely close if not exactly the same with antiX.
puttputt4video

Re: Corrupt monitor display.

Post by puttputt4video »

OK thanks. Working on it.
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