Re: how to reset the console?
OK, here is story to date:
1. I ran lincity and destroyed my VGA consoles. My pretty hi-res
textmode was replaced by strange static patterns. This was Wednesday.
2. I asked on the list for help and got several variations of the
reset command. All were nice but did not change my VGA mode back.
3. I did some RTFMing and found the commands "textmode" and
"savetextmode," designed for exactly my situation, except that I was
supposed to have run savetextmode before I hosed my display. Oops.
Posted again to list to this effect.
4. Nice guy Ivan offers to run savetextmode on his box and send me
the output file. Says he will check for me on the svgalib mailing
list and make sure that we don't blow up my monitor. This was today.
5. Nice guy Matan from the svgalib list says that won't work unless
Ivan and I have exactly the same card. He says there is a program in
the latest svgalib snapshot that might help.
6. I start looking for the latest svgalib snapshot. Don't find it
(didn't look hard). See a debian package called "svgatextmode" and
install that.
7. After a little playing (the svgatextmode executable is
"SVGATextMode." PITB to find. Can I please report that as a bug?) I
get an 80x25 console back. But it dies again when I switch to X and
back (I've been using X through xdm exclusively since Wednesday :) ).
For that matter, it dies again whenever I switch VTs. Not very
productive.
8. I go insane with frustration at the whole situation and reboot.
9. Rebooting gives me my pretty high-res console back --- and
SVGATextMode promptly switches it back to Plane Jane 80x25.
10. Remove svgatextmode. Scream twice. Reboot again. Normal. Much
better. Insanity fading to normal levels.
Now that I've obliterated my problem (destruction is so satisfying),
I'm curious: could I have used some derivative of vidmode(8) and not
had to reboot? Or does that only apply on the next reboot? And if
so, is there any way in the base system to "hot-switch" the video
mode? I intend to learn something from this experience or die trying.
Thanks for all your help, particularly to nice guy Ivan.
Rob
--
The idea of male and female are universal constants.
-- Kirk, "Metamorphosis", stardate 3219.8
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