[SOLVED] How-to boot Debian into text-mode (80x25) ?

[Technologov]

Problem: I can't see anything at the hi-res of modern monitors, as my eyes degrade.
I need to console lower res to good-old DOS-style, 80x25.

I installed brand-new Debian 8 (netinst), no X11, no display manager for now. (Intel 4400 graphics chip)

I tried: edit in file /etc/default/grub:
GRUB_TERMINAL=console
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text

# update-grub2

But it only affects first part of the boot.
Right before user login appears, Debian resets to hi-res.
How to force it into text mode?

Thanks in advance,
-Technologov

[fsmithred]

Turn off your display manager. You can set that to happen in a particular runlevel, so that you have the option to boot into a desktop environment with another runlevel.
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=116373

You might be able to tweak the accessibility settsings for your desktop to make it usable. You might need to install extra packages for your desktop. In xfce, the package is xfce4-accessibility-settings. I don't know what gnome or kde need.

[Technologov]

There is no display manager, and no X11.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

I installed brand-new Debian 8 (netinst)

Where did you get this?
I thought it wasn't out until May 2015...
Try Answer number 1 given here (by jasonwryan): http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions ... y-vga-fail
Set the resolution to your liking...

[stevepusser]

The GUI desktop environments usually have screen magnifiers available to help those with vision problems. You can also have the DE launch a terminal at startup with big fonts.

Otherwise, maybe kernel mode setting is setting the monitor to its native resolution, even when booting to a text mode screen. You can turn that off with a boot cheat command.

[Technologov]

>You can turn that off with a boot cheat command.

What cheat command ?

[stevepusser]

Try adding

nomodeset

to the kernel boot command at boot to see if it makes a difference. If it works, the GRUB config files can be edited to add it permanently. What is kernel mode setting?

The newest kernels have moved the video mode setting into the kernel. So all the programming of the hardware specific clock rates and registers on the video card happen in the kernel rather than in the X driver when the X server starts.. This makes it possible to have high resolution nice looking splash (boot) screens and flicker free transitions from boot splash to login screen. Unfortunately, on some cards this doesnt work properly and you end up with a black screen. Adding the nomodeset parameter instructs the kernel to not load video drivers and use BIOS modes instead until X is loaded.

So KMS, if it's working, is setting the text mode to a high resolution (tiny fonts) early in the boot process. I suspect there's some magic command to enlarge the console fonts even in high resolution, too. Maybe someone knows it offhand?

[edbarx]

I use:

Code: Select all

# dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

I use a resolution of 1600x900 but my fonts are smooth and huge because I want them that way.

However, I am on Stable. Please, be aware that Testing is undergoing a colossal change with the adoption of systemd one of whose main developers don't consider run-levels and terminals worthy of much consideration.

[Technologov]

Okay, it seems few things combined helped:
1. GRUB: (in /etc/grub.d/10_linux...)
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
needs to be removed.
2. GRUB kernel: (in /etc/default/grub)
nomodeset
3. GRUB itself: (in /etc/default/grub)
GRUB_TERMINAL=console
GRUB_GFXMODE=640x480

Only those modes together helps !

For me this DOS-style is okay, no need to enlarge anything, as this is a 13" laptop. (back in the 90's I worked on a 14" CRT desktop monitor, so it's fairly close experience, except for wide-screen aspect-ratio 16:9, back then it was 4:3)
Now I can definitely work on laptop, without killing my eyes !
Thanks again !