[Solved] Grub Menu is always hidden

[pwzhangzz]

During a reboot, my grub menu is always hidden (the default is not-hidden), unless I power the machine off for at least a few seconds and restart the machine. Then the grub menu will be shown.

My /etc/default/grub file is shown as follows, it was created by bkworm or sid installations by default:

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
#GRUB_DEFAULT="1>2"
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

[cfb]

I had a similar problem some years ago.
It turned out that the monitor did not receive a signal until the 5 seconds in GRUB_TIMEOUT had passed.
I changed GRUB_TIMEOUT to 15 seconds which made the GRUB menu visible for the last few seconds of the 15.
You could try the same workaround.

[pwzhangzz]

I did change the GRUB_TIMEOUT parameter to 10. It helped but not always. Looks like I may have to up it to 20. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Ed.: Changing from hdmi to dp also seems to have solved the problem.

[pwzhangzz]

Everything is good now. Never realized that dp vs hdmi could make such a big difference. Or it could have just been a bad/inadequate hdmi cable. Thanks a whole lot for sharing the experience.

[arzgi]

Everything is good now. Never realized that dp vs hdmi could make such a big difference. Or it could have just been a bad/inadequate hdmi cable. Thanks a whole lot for sharing the experience.

Don't know the details, but dp seems to work so much better with linux. My wife bought a new monitor, she got it working once or twice after several dozens reboots, that was hdmi. She bought another, which works better. I tried the first with my pc, which has a dp connector, and it has worked every time.

I have heard also others have had problems with hdmi.

[pwzhangzz]

Learning something new everyday. This is a great forum!

[CwF]

Awhile back I changed out a monitor used by three computers, one vga, one DVI, on hdmi. Two never had issues, one always failed to display the lvm decrypt, or grub thru hdmi. Doing it blind always worked. I thought it was the particular installation. With no changes other than monitor that install now post fine. No idea why.

[sunrat]

I have two monitors, one DP, the other a large TV on HDMI. The GRUB menu and POST never shows unless I switch off the power to the TV; otherwise the first thing displayed is the login screen.
It's only a minor annoyance as I rarely boot anything else than my main Debian and just flick the power switch for the TV off at the wall if I wish to boot a different OS or enter UEFI setup menu.

[pwzhangzz]

Everything is good now. Never realized that dp vs hdmi could make such a big difference. Or it could have just been a bad/inadequate hdmi cable? Thanks a whole lot for sharing the experience.

HDMI is evil:

https://www.phoronix.com/news/HDMI-2.1-OSS-Rejected

"The now-private HDMI specs are hurting the open-source community"

But it is going to be replaced by USB-C anyway. Look forward to the day when HDMI becomes obsolete. Forgotten!

[pwzhangzz]

HDMI is evil:

https://www.phoronix.com/news/HDMI-2.1-OSS-Rejected

"The now-private HDMI specs are hurting the open-source community"

But it is going to be replaced by USB-C anyway. Look forward to the day when HDMI becomes obsolete. Forgotten!

Just realized that I can effortlessly mirror my Debian screen to my TV via wifi (how ignorant of me!)

Below is a picture of mirroring my Sid screen onto a 75 inch TV:

Can't remember who said this (if ever) that "desperation is the best friend of creativity".

The response time is also surprisingly better than I had expected! (Again, so ignorant of me.)