From: ggeorge@bu.edu (Gerry George) Subject: [i] Setting Linux Boot-up video mode Date: 17 Mar 1993 06:15:29 GMT
Since there were a couple of requests about this (always seems to recur) in
addition to a thread concerning the reversibility & necessity for recompiling,
I thought I would post my findings.
Info: Setting the video mode on startup, etc
To setup a default video mode, without the system prompting you, use the
rdev command.
rdev /dev/floppy (if booting with a floppy disk)
This tells you the default root device, such as
Root device /dev/hda1
If booting off the hard drive, then it must be done on the boot device whatever
that may be (/dev/hdax, /dev/hdbx, /dev/sdax
Note: it is not the Image file which needs to be changed, but the BOOT
device. (I found out after much hassle and frustration)
For swap device use -s; for video mode -v; ramdisk size -r
rdev -v /dev/floppy
shows the current video mode. The choices are (can be found out from rdev -h):
-1 Normal VGA
-2 Extended
-3 Ask (on bootup)
1 mode 1 (as selected by keypress on bootup)
2 mode 2
....
5 mode 5
To set bootup with video mode 4 do: rdev -v /dev/floppy 4
to reset to asking on boot, do: rdev -v /dev/floppy -3
Therefore, it is changeable/reversible, and does not necessarily require
recompiling the kernel.
Maybe some info about this should make it into the FAQ (if it's not
already there)
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Gerry George | Anything good in life is either
School of Management, Boston Univ. | illegal, immoral or fattening.
Internet: ggeorge@acs.bu.edu | Any item not in the above three
Compu$erve: 72607.2560@compuserve.com | categories causes cancer in rats!
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