Ubuntu Server - Garbled Terminal Fonts

[jbrice]

This is Ubuntu Server V12.04 32- bit (updated to latest) installed on one system, then moved to new hardware.

On normal startup, terminal output text appears on attached VDU screen in the pattern expected, but font is garbled to the extent that it's unreadable. Everything else seems to working OK.

Problem still remains if booted normally after adding "nomodeset" to the appropriate line in etc/default/grub and running update-grub.

However - after above edit - text output is OK if Edit mode entered in Grub menu (by pressing "E") and then F10 used to resume boot - even if no actual editing is done to the Grub code.

I have run out of ideas from web searches as to where to go from here, so suggestions would be appreciated!

[CharlesA]

Did the other machine have different video hardware? I ran into a similar thing when I swapped my drive to a different machine.

[jbrice]

Did the other machine have different video hardware? I ran into a similar thing when I swapped my drive to a different machine.

Yes, I moved the hard drive to a new box. Solved the problem whereby the network conection moved from eth0 to eth1 because of new hardware, but this font thing has go me stumped.

[CharlesA]

Does the login prompt look ok if you switch TTYs?

Very strange indeed.

[jbrice]

Does the login prompt look ok if you switch TTYs?

Switch TTYs? - I'm not familiar with that concept.

Have reinstalled Grub - no change. "nomodeset" may be a red herring - terminal fonts are normal if restarting after any "live" edit of the Grub menu, still garbled on restart after update-grub.

[CharlesA]

Switch TTYs? - I'm not familiar with that concept.

Have reinstalled Grub - no change. "nomodeset" may be a red herring - terminal fonts are normal if restarting after any "live" edit of the Grub menu, still garbled on restart after update-grub.

Yeah, you'd have to do it from the console but hit:

ctrl + alt + f1 ---> ctrl + alt + f7

[jbrice]

Yeah, you'd have to do it from the console but hit:

ctrl + alt + f1 ---> ctrl + alt + f7

Ah thanks - doing that shows same patterns of text, but with garbled fonts on each TTY channel.

Further experimentation shows:
- hit E during Grub menu and then F10 (nothing edited) and terminal text is OK, however count-down to auto startup missing,
- then do sudo udate-grub and we are back to normal startup, but garbled terminal text on attached VDU.

[CharlesA]

I'm not sure what else to check cuz it only looks garbled when booting normally and works fine if you select an option from grub.

[jbrice]

I think a reinstall on the new hardware might be the appropriate way forward here, just in case something else has been corrupted.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[CharlesA]

That's probably a good idea.

I'd pop another drive in if you have one and see if it shows the same symptoms.