I have Dell XPS 9530 15" laptop and the display is 3456x2160. Is there a way to get larger text in the rescue kernel and also during the boot sequence for the non-rescue kernel when the [OK] or [FAILED] messages display?
I was able to get normal-looking text in GRUB using these options, however this appears to have no impact on the kernel itself:
GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT="gfxterm"
GRUB_GFXMODE=1280x720
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I wonder if the exact mode is important. Does 1024x768 work any better?
Doesn’t really help.
I am not near a 4k screen to test grub against for a while.
May be someone else can help.
lame.
Try to enter grub editing mode by hitting the e key, and then add video=1280x720 after the text quiet rhgb. Then hit the ctrl-x key to continue booting.
Hit ctrl-x key.
I tried highlighting the rescue kernel in GRUB menu, hitting e, adding video=1280x720 after the text rhgb quiet and then hitting Ctrl-x. It didn’t make any difference. The font was still tiny in the rescue kernel.
Of course, ctrl-x. Glad someone pays attention.
It only works if it is supported by the GPU.
The 1280x720 video mode functions correctly in GRUB, so there is no apparent reason why it should not be supported in the rescue kernel. If needed, I can provide a screenshot of my GRUB menu; however, it is worth noting that the fixed-width terminal emulation font in GRUB is normally sized and fully legible. Therefore, I am unclear as to why a similarly readable font cannot be implemented in the rescue kernel.
It is really understandable.
Grub only is able to use basic graphics with no drivers for the gpu.
Once the rescue kernel boots it loads the gpu driver which then supports the 4k resolution and what was full screen now is placed into 1/4 of the screen so the font is much smaller.
Your challenge is getting the monitor to remain at the lower HD resolution and not switch to the 4k (UHD) resolution as the drivers are loaded.
Unfortunately the rescue image is very similar to the normally used kernel image with drivers, resolution, etc. and thus would probably benefit from being created specially when the system is set to the lower resolution on the display.
Maybe it could be resolved by first configuring your running system to the lower resolution then running a reinstall of the kernel* packages after removing the rescue images. This should recreate the rescue images and may also do so at the currently configured resolution. (not tested)
So something needs to be passed as a kernel parameter, right? How can we fix this?
Can you give me more detail on how to try this? Where should I make this configuration “to the lower resolution?”
If GRUB2 font already looks ok can I leave it alone and just do the parts for “INITRD” and “RESCUE”? I really like my current GRUB2 look to be honest.
The fonts that BIOS display look fine to me. So the fact that lower level programming like this can display a proper font, and the fact that grub2 can be made to look fine without creating a truetype font, suggests that the rescue kernel could be fixed without changing the actual font it uses.
As far as switching to a text only terminal using Ctrl-Alt-F3, is there a way to go back to the windows system once I have done this? How do I start the GUI system back up once I am stuck in text only mode?
So to perform the steps under “INITRD” I should boot into one of the older kernels like 6.11.5-300.fc41 and perform the steps there?
When I hit Ctrl-Alt-F3 I get a console with a really tiny font. The steps under “INITRD” will fix this?
In regards to the “compiled in fonts” that you mention, how can I use the 8x16 font that appears in /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/config? Can I select this font with setfont?
wiking@walhalla:~$ grep CONFIG_FONT /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/config
CONFIG_FONT_SUPPORT=y
# CONFIG_FONTS is not set
CONFIG_FONT_8x8=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x16=y
You’re right. Running this command shows that the 8x16 font is already selected. So I guess I will need to boot into an older kernel and install the terminus-fonts-console package.
wiking@walhalla:~$ showconsolefont -i -C /dev/tty3
8x16x512
Why do you recommend starting wtih 6.11.7 instead of 6.11.5? I thought you said to test this with an older kernel. 6.11.7 is the newest. I was planning on testing with 6.11.5.
After you’ve installed the Terminus font, you will only have to add it to /etc/vconsole.conf for it to be used in the TTY (ctrl+alt+f3).
I use this Terminus variant myself:
$ cat /etc/vconsole.conf
KEYMAP="us"
FONT="ter-v32n"
Don’t you need this step, also?