[SOLVED] Version 8 installation no display

[cdsJerry]

I'm getting ready to upgrade to version 8 starting with my backup server first. I'm installing from the ISO. I get the expected window where I'm selecting the top Install Proxmox option. The software starts to load and a few lines of text show on the screen. But then I get a message on the screen that says "Cannot display this video mode" and nothing more seems to happen. As I understand it there should have been a license screen or something to accept before moving forward with the installation but there's nothing displayed but the error.

This machine was running Proxmox 7.4-16 prior to my attempts to install version 8 this morning. Any suggestions?

 

[aaron]

There is a new "nomodeset" option under the "Advanced" section in the boot menu. It will start the new TUI installer without trying to set a higher resolution mode.

Does that work?

 

[cdsJerry]

There is a new "nomodeset" option under the "Advanced" section in the boot menu. It will start the new TUI installer without trying to set a higher resolution mode.

Does that work?

That worked! The EULA is up on screen now so I'll go continue the installation. I have to admit, I've never heard of nomodeset before.

 

[aaron]

I've never heard of nomodeset before.

The option for the installer has been added with the latest major releases a few weeks ago. Since we now have a TUI installer as well.

 

[prahn]

I just downloaded the actual ISO of the Proxmox 8.1 installer and I also get the message "Cannot display this video mode" on my monitor.
I tried 3 different monitor sizes: 15", 19" and 22", they are all not able to show the installer. The monitor is connected via a simple VGA cable, I installed version 7.3 some weeks ago here with no problem.
I tried all possible options: GUI installer, TUI installer and under Advanced I only find "GUI debug mode" and "TUI debug mode", but both are not working. How do I set the "nomodeset" option?

How may I install version 8?
Do I really have to install version 7 and do an upgrade right away??

Regards,
Ingo

 

[prahn]

Hm, I just tried the same USB key on another machine, here it works without any problem?! Strange.
I now found the ISO 8.0 Installer and tried this one, here I found the "nomodeset" option. This worked.
So please integrate this option also in future installers! Thank you.

 

[Andre_x]

In 8.1 there is no "nomodeset". How can I solve this problem?

 

[ericprox]

This is still an issue, the 8.1 installed should be considered severely broken and cannot be used on hardware with VGA-ports.

 

[cheiss]

In 8.1 there is no "nomodeset". How can I solve this problem?

This has been changed. If needed, the nomodeset parameter can very easily be added manually to the kernel command line in the boot loader, see also our guide for that: Adding the nomodeset Kernel Parameter.

This is still an issue, the 8.1 installed should be considered severely broken and cannot be used on hardware with VGA-ports.

This is an issue of old, broken firmware/hardware, nothing we can do about.

 

[Andre_x]

This has been changed. If needed, the nomodeset parameter can very easily be added manually to the kernel command line in the boot loader, see also our guide for that: Adding the nomodeset Kernel Parameter.

Thanks, I'll try!

This has been changed. If needed, the nomodeset parameter can very easily be added manually to the kernel command line in the boot loader, see also our guide for that: Adding the nomodeset Kernel Parameter.


This is an issue of broken firmware/hardware, nothing we can do about.

Is it? It could be if it was just me or 1 other person, but it seems that multiple people have this problem on different hardware.

 

[cheiss]

Is it? It could be if it was just me or 1 other person, but it seems that multiple people have this problem on different hardware.

Well, there are several reports. But one big part of that is just due to very old hardware, which simply got broken in newer kernel releases since nobody cares about them anymore - most often to due economical reasons.

The other part really boils down to sloppy vendors which may only check compatibility with proprietary software from partner vendors and do not care about standard compliance and free software. And on consumer hardware, the firmware in general often does not get tested very well. Again, something that should be resolved with the vendor itself.

We provide several workarounds, e.g. adding nomodeset, or using the stock Debian installer and then installing Proxmox VE on top of that.

 

[Andre_x]

Well, there are several reports. But one big part of that is just due to very old hardware, which simply got broken in newer kernel releases since nobody cares about them anymore - most often to due economical reasons.

The other part really boils down to sloppy vendors which may only check compatibility with proprietary software from partner vendors and do not care about standard compliance and free software. And on consumer hardware, the firmware in general often does not get tested very well. Again, something that should be resolved with the vendor itself.

We provide several workarounds, e.g. adding nomodeset, or using the stock Debian installer and then installing Proxmox VE on top of that.

Got it, thanks. Curiosity: why this doesn't happen with Ubuntu/Debian installation?

 

[cheiss]

Curiosity: why this doesn't happen with Ubuntu/Debian installation?

There are lots of variables there; e.g. different kernel versions, kernel patches, config/build options, etc.
E.g. The current Debian installer ships with the 6.1 kernel, the Proxmox VE 8.1 installer with 6.5.11, based on the Ubuntu kernel.

In some cases 7.x/6.x installer worked fine on these systems, as they shipped with even older kernels (5.15 for the 7.4 release IIRC). And then, over time, these old systems (often 10+ years) simply get broken to the abandonment upstream.

It's unfortunate, but fixing these bugs is also basically impossible without access to that particular hardware in each case.

 

[dlasher]

Just keep in mind if you care about iGPU passthrough (like intel) - nomodeset breaks Intel GVT-G


The *right* answer is for proxmox to allow you to pick a console resolution at the start of the install, then write that during the install, then boot afterwards using that resolution. As screen resolutions increase, this will become more of an issue. Today, not an option yet.

 

[zircuitz]

There are lots of variables there; e.g. different kernel versions, kernel patches, config/build options, etc.
E.g. The current Debian installer ships with the 6.1 kernel, the Proxmox VE 8.1 installer with 6.5.11, based on the Ubuntu kernel.

In some cases 7.x/6.x installer worked fine on these systems, as they shipped with even older kernels (5.15 for the 7.4 release IIRC). And then, over time, these old systems (often 10+ years) simply get broken to the abandonment upstream.

It's unfortunate, but fixing these bugs is also basically impossible without access to that particular hardware in each case.

The way the installer is now is fundamentally broken. I don't really care why or how, point is: It doesn't work. It just seems like a bad solution to simply not do anything about it and blame the hardware and new kernel versions. In my honest opinion: Backwards compatibility is essential and should be considered seriously. Something doesn't ring right with me if every other Linux-based distribution is having no such issues with their installers.

Lot's of people are still using legacy VGA-based hardware. And not everyone can upgrade their hardware for a plethora of reasons. And if the installer doesn't support it, or provide an alternative option to install: It's going to degrade the experience for everyone using Proxmox on Legacy VGA hardware. Even to the point where they wouldn't even consider it, and look for other solutions.

I was able to make it work by editing the entry of the install option by simply adding nomodeset video=1024x768@60 to the end of the linux /boot/linux26 ... line. Why can't the installer simply ship with another option that does this out of the box? You could even call it "Legacy VGA mode" or something similar. Even if the option is risky; It's arguably better than simply not allowing you to install it at all. My install finished with no errors or issues whatsoever in "VGA-mode".

I know, I know... Who am I to say how you should go about this? But please, I LOVE Proxmox, and I would do anything to not have to crawl back to VMWare. I beg you, do something about this!

 

[esi_y]

The way the installer is now is fundamentally broken. I don't really care why or how, point is: It doesn't work. It just seems like a bad solution to simply not do anything about it and blame the hardware and new kernel versions

I do always deploy on top of Debian, especially before there was even automated install, it just made everything more flexible. But these posts never stop on the forum, at times I think having no installer would have been just simpler for everyone.

 

[zircuitz]

I do always deploy on top of Debian, especially before there was even automated install, it just made everything more flexible. But these posts never stop on the forum, at times I think having no installer would have been just simpler for everyone.

Do you honestly think that's a good idea? In what world is that simpler for "everyone"? Not everyone lives and breathes Linux you know. Your statement kind of gives me that gatekeeping mentality vibe of Linux users.

If it makes it easier for you: Good for you I guess. If the forum posts bother you: I'd put my money on fixing the installer instead of removing it altogether. Removing it would probably create even more confused forum posts.

 

[esi_y]

Your statement kind of gives me that gatekeeping mentality vibe of Linux users.

See my other posts regarding this.

https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/p...-cpu-freezes-at-beginning.133738/#post-696980

https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/d...-installer-as-debian-does.152795/#post-693982

https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4230#c36

I'd put my money on fixing the installer instead of removing it altogether. Removing it would probably create even more confused forum posts.

Bugzilla filed since 2022, I guess it's not happening.

I am simply of the opinion that if something does not work well, it might be better off to do away with it. Clearly, it's not going to get fixed, Debian installer is more hardware friendly. If I am not mistaken, there even was some direct "nomodeset" option and is gone since. I wonder how many people on the forum get through the whole "nomodeset/press 'e' key/wait my screen is gone after reboot" experience before they are anyhow advised to install on top of Debian.

 

[cdsJerry]

I'll throw my two cents worth in here. I LOVE Proxmox but I am not a Linux guy. I admit that I'm one of those guys who either needs an installer or I need line-by-line instructions that I would then need to manually enter onto the other computer. Same with GUI. Without it the software is much less valuable to people such as myself. I mean, how many Windows people go around entering DOS commands to install their stuff? Linux is more stable than Windows but so many of the users think we're all programmers. I have a business to run and learning and remembering thousands of seldom used Linux commands isn't near the top of my list of things I need to do.

 

[esi_y]

I'll throw my two cents worth in here. I LOVE Proxmox but I am not a Linux guy.

I am in love with neither, I just somehow wanted to say that we were all probably on the same page, for different reasons, but it's not happening, i.e. the installer is not getting fixed. Since Debian has had a better installer and PVE is just a set of scripts on top of Debian, it would have been probably easier to simply publish a script equivalent to the instructions on how to install on top of Debian, after all it's just a couple of commands.

I admit that I'm one of those guys who either needs an installer or I need line-by-line instructions that I would then need to manually enter onto the other computer. Same with GUI. Without it the software is much less valuable to people such as myself. I mean, how many Windows people go around entering DOS commands to install their stuff?

So with a single script to install over Debian, Proxmox would not even have to maintain their own installer, which they apparently can't get to work as reliably as the others.

Linux is more stable than Windows but so many of the users think we're all programmers. I have a business to run and learning and remembering thousands of seldom used Linux commands isn't near the top of my list of things I need to do.

After all, if you were to go for e.g. Windows Hyper V, you also do not need a separate installer for that. You "enable" the feature.

But by all means, if you want to add a +1 to the Bugzilla, that would at least be put on record, here it's just going to get ignored.