Re: No console anymore. How to figure this out.

Hello, Dale.

On Sat, Mar 14, 2026 at 18:04:47 -0500, Dale wrote:
> On 3/14/26 4:19 PM, Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> > On Sat, Mar 14, 2026 at 14:55:41 -0500, Dale wrote:
> >> Howdy,
> >> I did my updates earlier.  Usually I logout, go to boot runlevel and
> >> restart services if needed and then go back to default runlevel and
> >> login.  I noticed a couple weeks ago that I no longer get a console when
> >> I do a CTRL ALT F1.  My monitors turn off saying no signal.  At first, I
> >> did the sysrq thing.  Then it occurred to me that I should try CTRL ALT
> >> F7 and see if the GUI is still running.  It is.  So, at least I can log
> >> back in.
> >> I've never ran into a situation where CTRL ALT F1 didn't give me a
> >> console.  I did check, agetty is running.  I even did a pkill so it
> >> would restart, still no console.  I have no idea where to go from here.
> >> In some 20 years of using Linux, I've never had a console not be there.
> >> This started about two weeks ago.  Maybe three.  I suspect a update but
> >> it could be that I either updated a config file or may have changed
> >> something not meaning to.
> >> Anyone have ideas on what to check to fix this?
> > You've got an nVidia graphics card, haven't you?

> > I note that you're getting _no_ signal to the monitors, not merely a
> > blank signal.

> > In your position, I'd look to see if the card's microcode has been
> > recently "updated", possibly on building gentoo-sources-6.18.12.  Then
> > do the same for the card's drivers.  If so, try going to the previous
> > version of either of these.

> > Other than that, I've no idea.

> >> Thanks in advance.
> >> Dale
> >> :-)  :-)


> That would make sense.  Where does the microcode come from?

Sorry, I used the wrong word.  I really meant firmware.  This is in the
kernel configuration under Device Drivers/Generic Driver Options/Firmware
Loader in make menuconfig.  There, I have a (long) list of firmware files
for the built in AMD graphics I use on my machine.  You surely have a
similar list there, but for an nVidia graphics card.

I don't think one can use the kernel module mechanism for these files.
Are you using a recently build kernel (e.g. 6.18.12)?  If so, have any of
these firmware files been updated recently?  They are probably in package
sys-kernel/linux-firmware.

> I use Nvidia drivers.  I tried the other one but it was a disaster. 
> Even on this fast rig, the mouse couldn't move smoothly.  It would jump
> and jerk to places.  Windows were slow too.  Is that where the
> microcode comes from or something else?

See above.

> I think the nvidia drivers updated a while back so that is a good
> idea.  I wouldn't have thought about that.  If it was the GUI, then I
> would.

Might it be possible that nVidia simply removed the console driver from
the code?

> Oh, would I need to reboot for the code to take effect once I go back a 
> version of something?

I think that's likely.  :-(

> Dale

> :-)  :-)

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).