[Bug 912620] [NEW] Fails to boot without GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text on muxless ati/intel laptop

[Chris Halse Rogers]

Public bug reported:

Grub fails to boot the system on this Dell Inspiron hybrid intel/ati laptop unless:
a) GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text is set, or
b) The F12 button, bringing up a VGA text-mode boot menu, is pressed and Ubuntu booted from that menu.

When neither of those conditions are met, the system goes through its
POST, then when grub would normally kick in a couple of seconds of hard
drive activity occurs, and then nothing.  The display does not show
anything during this time.  The lack of sustained hard drive activity
suggests that this is not the system booting but with faulty graphics;
rather, it appears that the system isn't booting past grub.

This same system reboots after POST if I have my android phone plugged
in during power-up, so I'm not sure to what extent this form of madness
is a property of this unique snowflake of a BIOS or whether it's a more
common property of the intel/ati hybrid setups (or, indeed, hybrid
setups in general).

This probably needs a grub-gfxpayload blacklist, although I'm not sure
that we've got the infrastructure for a properly targeted blacklist.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: grub (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-7.13-generic-pae 3.2.0-rc7
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-7-generic-pae i686
ApportVersion: 1.90-0ubuntu1
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Jan  6 14:09:07 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
SourcePackage: grub
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2011-12-15 (21 days ago)

** Affects: grub (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
     Assignee: Colin Watson (cjwatson)
         Status: New


** Tags: apport-bug i386 precise

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/912620

Title:
  Fails to boot without GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text on muxless ati/intel
  laptop

Status in “grub” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Grub fails to boot the system on this Dell Inspiron hybrid intel/ati laptop unless:
  a) GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text is set, or
  b) The F12 button, bringing up a VGA text-mode boot menu, is pressed and Ubuntu booted from that menu.

  When neither of those conditions are met, the system goes through its
  POST, then when grub would normally kick in a couple of seconds of
  hard drive activity occurs, and then nothing.  The display does not
  show anything during this time.  The lack of sustained hard drive
  activity suggests that this is not the system booting but with faulty
  graphics; rather, it appears that the system isn't booting past grub.

  This same system reboots after POST if I have my android phone plugged
  in during power-up, so I'm not sure to what extent this form of
  madness is a property of this unique snowflake of a BIOS or whether
  it's a more common property of the intel/ati hybrid setups (or,
  indeed, hybrid setups in general).

  This probably needs a grub-gfxpayload blacklist, although I'm not sure
  that we've got the infrastructure for a properly targeted blacklist.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
  Package: grub (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-7.13-generic-pae 3.2.0-rc7
  Uname: Linux 3.2.0-7-generic-pae i686
  ApportVersion: 1.90-0ubuntu1
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Fri Jan  6 14:09:07 2012
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
  SourcePackage: grub
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2011-12-15 (21 days ago)

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