Re: No console from X

[Ed Jabbour <ejbr@att.net>]

On Sunday 17 May 2009 13:57:45 Florian Kulzer wrote:
> On Sun, May 17, 2009 at 12:45:16 -0400, Ed Jabbour wrote:
> > On Saturday 16 May 2009 17:33:28 Florian Kulzer wrote:
> > > > > > > On Fri, May 15, 2009 at 14:33:32 -0400, Ed Jabbour wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Friday 15 May 2009 13:34:45 Florian Kulzer wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Thu,14.May.09, 20:57:29, Ed Jabbour wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > I can't get to a console from X.  I.e., alt-ctrl-f1,
> > > > > > > > > > > > 2 .... get me only a black screen with no prompt. 
> > > > > > > > > > > > The same thing happens if I try "console login" from
> > > > > > > > > > > > kdm.  inittab is the default. Graphics driver NVidia
> > > > > > > > > > > > 173.14.09.  Any hints, pointers, appreciated.
>
> [...]
>
> > > Do you see any framebuffer devices at all?
> > >
> > > $ ls -l /dev/fb*
> > > crw-rw---- 1 root video 29, 0 2009-05-16 19:43 /dev/fb0
> >
> > Nope.  No fb anything in /dev.

[snip]

> Unfortunately, I am not sure what to think of the missing fb device, so
> can only make some very general suggestions:

[snip]
>
> - Check the nvidia documentation for hints about this kind of problem; I
>   have not used the nvidia driver in more than two years, so I might be
>   missing something really obvious about how VT switching is supposed to
>   work now.

Solved!  I  set to 0 the NVreg_UseVBios nvidia kernel module parameter; the 
default is 1.  I read that this problem has been solved with the 180.51 
driver.  I'll try that one of these days, but if it ain't broke . . . . 

Thanks a lot for your help in all this.