openSUSE 11.3 M4 installed - blank screen at boot

Hi,
Since 11.2 installed but shows blank screen at boot despite booting into runlevel 3 with acpi=off and noapic, I decided to try 11.3 M4 again.

Media check is OK for 11.3 M4.

Boot from MBR. GRUB menu shows Ubuntu and Windows 7 as well as openSUSE 11.3 desktop default and 11.3 failsafe.

Both opensuse11.3 default and 11.3 failsafe return a blank screen despite the following boot options:

3

3 acpi=off noacpi

I still cannot get to a terminal to run sax2. I read from a thread of opensuseforums (Opensuse 11.2 Blank Screen) where similar problem was solved using the correct driver which is actually “ati”, NOT “radeon” for ATI Technologies Radeon Xpress 200M.

Then because both Windows and Ubuntu boot fine from GRUB menu, it occurs to me I should boot up Ubuntu and try to locate openSUSE’s /etc/X11/xorg.conf in order to edit the file and change the driver to “ati”.

In Ubuntu, xorg.conf of opensuse 11.3 M4 shows:

Section “Device”
Identifier “Configured Video Device”
EndSection

Section “Monitor”
Identifier “configured Monitor”
EndSection

Section “Screen”
Identifier “Default Screen”
Monitor “Configured Monitor”
Device " “Configured Video Device”

Now I believe the solution is just around the corner but I need your advice on exactly how to change this xorg.conf file of 11.3 M4 so that “ati” driver is included and 11.3 M4 boots to a normal screen, i.e. login screen after GRUB screen.

Thanks a lot for your help.

This might help

openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users - openSUSE Forums

Hi,

Thanks for your reply but I already know this. Hitting 3 at Grub menu still takes me to a blank screen. The problem is how to get to a terminal so that I can run sax2 and change the driver from “radeon” to “ati”. That’s why I was contemplating using Ubuntu to edit opensuse’s xorg.conf file in order to achieve the same objective.

If that is you entire xorg.conf file it is not complete.

Did you do a clean install or an upgrade from 11.2 to 11.3?

try removing or renaming th exiting xorg.conf file then running.

The fact you can not get to a terminal is troubling since it in no way depends on the xorg.conf file or the Xwindow code at all. It should work on any VGA compatible card.

Clean install.

Ok looks like you have two thread going on this problem let’s move it all to the other thread.

I’m having the same issue with an NVidia card and an upgrade rather than clean install.
After the upgrade I returned to my computer to find it was in sleep mode and could only be woken via the power button, but was eventually prompted with a openSUSE 11.3 log-in screen. I checked for updates, installed and decided to reboot to access some web history I created in Ubuntu.

Unfortunately, the grub entries for ubuntu weren’t added, so I let the machine boot into openSUSE again. The kernel seemed to load okay, but around the time the graphical splash screen loads the image goes bad, then the screen goes blank. I tried to go to a shell but ctrl-alt-F2 (F1- F6) brings up a colorful mess of letters and symbols, and no prompt.

Where was this discussion moved to?