Fix the Boot and Shut Down Screens on Ubuntu

Are you having issues with a blank screen during bootup and/or shutdown on your Ed/K/X/Flux/Something Ubuntu system? This is usually because your monitor does not support the screen resolution that the splash program is using. Luckily, it's easy to fix. If not, it may be an issue with your video card.

1. run sudo nano /etc/usplash.conf from the terminal. You should get a simple text editor with something similar to the below:


# Usplash configuration file
xres=1024
yres=768


2. Change the xres and yres values to something your monitor supports. For me, I changed xres to 1280 and yres to 800 for my Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, as this is the only screen resolution it supports.

3. Press Ctrl+O to save and then Ctrl X to exit.

4. Run sudo dpkg-reconfigure usplash from the command line. You may have to wait a minute or two for it to complete.

Hopefully you should be able to reboot and see boot and shut down screens as I did. If not, you may have a bit more trouble fixing your problem.

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This article was originally written on 01/7/08 Tagged with: Linux

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Comments (5)

1. January 7, 2008 3:43 pm
   The Geek

   That's pretty cool… I imagine this also would give you a boot screen that looks better as well, since it's the right resolution.

2. January 7, 2008 5:14 pm
   jarek

   Back when I first updated to Kubuntu Gutsy, I had this problem. Personally, I prefer going without usplash at all, but to each his own =P

3. January 7, 2008 5:54 pm
   Jake

   @The Geek: actually, though it shows up, the kubuntu text is still slightly stretched for me. I need to look more into this.

   @jarek: well, I guess some people prefer the more elite way. Personally, I like it more on my laptop since it's in public and I don't want people to think Linux is too geeky for them, if that makes sense.

4. January 9, 2008 12:14 pm
   StuartAnderson.eu

   Fix the Boot and Shut Down Screens on Ubuntu…

   Check out this post from Jatecblog:
   Are you having issues with a blank screen during bootup and/or shutdown on your Ed/K/X/Flux/Something Ubuntu system? This is usually because your monitor does not support the screen resolution that the splash progra…

5. March 20, 2008 4:34 pm
   jancok

   woww by the way