Welcome to the list!
It sounds like the problem happens when trying to invoke a graphics mode on your NVIDIA graphics card.
Folks here will tell you the needed commands to see how the card is initializing and what errors are showing up in your log about it. I could take a stab at those commands from previous posts on the matter, but Adrian runs rings around me on that so I'll let him chime in when he gets a moment.
There are also some kernel boot parameters for setting a specific graphics mode that are sometimes used.
Hopefully, in the end, you won't find out your graphics card can't be supported by debian -- some cards with closed source proprietary drivers can't be. That would be a shame, if so.
Ken
On Aug 21, 2025, at 6:18 AM, Michael Campbell <michael@campbell-tx.net> wrote:
Hi, thanks for this. I am new to this list; this is my first "post".
I am attempting to install Debian 12 PPC64 on my Power Mac G5 Quad. The installer runs to completion more or less successfully, although it did complain about b43 firmware, presumably related to the Apple WiFi/Bluetooth card I have installed. The result boots to GRUB, and when I select any non-recovery mode selection from the GRUB menu, it takes off nicely. Screens worth of startup messages go by, then the screen clears. I BRIEFLY see a text mode login prompt and then the screen clears again. That is it. Nothing further happens. I let it sit that way for ten minutes, but nothing further happens.
I am TOTALLY new to Debian, although I have a fair deal of experience configuring and installing Arch Linux and the old openSuSE.
Does what I described above suggest anything to any reader?
My system details: my G5 Quad has 16 GB of RAM, a Quadro FX 4500 graphics card, two internal SATA HDDs, one actually an SSD and the other a 2 TB spinner. It is the spinner that I trying to install Debian onto. I select Guided, and Whole Disk during install. The Quad also has a PCIe eSATA card and a FireWire 800 port expansion card. It is also unique in that I have converted it from liquid cooling to air cooling, although all the stock Apple fans remain in place and operative. I have an Apple FW400 iSight camera and a USB microphone also attached.
I normally run 10.5.9 Sorbet Leopard on it.
Any thoughts on why the existing new install doesn't seem to come up to a point where it is usable would be most appreciated.
Meantime, I will try it this new installer and see if that changes things.
Thanks,
Michael
On August 20, 2025 6:31:21 PM EDT, John Paul Adrian Glaubitz <glaubitz@physik.fu-berlin.de> wrote:
Hello, I just created updated Debian Ports installation images based on kernel 6.12.38. These are using the debian-installer from Trixie. They can be downloaded from here: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/snapshots/2025-08-21/Please test and report back. Known issues are kernel instabilities on sun4u (sparc64) machines which are currently being investigated. I will write a separate mail on the issue. Adrian --
.''`. John Paul Adrian Glaubitz
: :' : Debian Developer
`. `' Physicist
`- GPG: 62FF 8A75 84E0 2956 9546 0006 7426 3B37 F5B5 F913
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