SOLVED Weird issues with text console over VGA

[codetheweb]

This has been an issue since I first built my system. For some reason, output over VGA is really garbled. This hasn't been an issue until now, as I simply used a different computer to create a bootable flash drive. However, the system suddenly will not connect to my network and I need to be able to read the console output. It is not an issue with the display, as I've already tried different aspect ratios (and the GRUB menu displays fine).

Any ideas what's going on?

What I've tried:

• Booting off of a fresh installer USB drive with the latest version of FreeNAS
• Changing the aspect ratio of the monitor
• Running memtest (which resulted in no errors and displayed fine on the screen)
• Using an old analog VGA Dell 4:3 monitor (sorry, can't remember the exact model and I can't find it all of a sudden. It was something like this.)
• Using an ASUS VH236H monitor
  
• Using an AMD Radeon HD 5700 Series card with above monitor over DVI and over HDMI

Info
FreeNAS version: 11.0 U-4

Parts:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Athlon X4 845 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot - Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Case: Apex - TX-606-U3 MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/300W Power Supply ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill - 500W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($61.87 @ OutletPC)
Other: VGA Video Card，LiuTian ATI Rage XL 8MB PCI VGA Video Card CL-XL-B41（1pack）
Total: $543.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-02-23 17:29 EST-0500

 

[Chris Moore]

What is the video card? We need hardware description here.

 

[codetheweb]

Sorry, forgot to include parts. Here's the parts list. It's just a cheap no name VGA card. (Yes, I realize I'm using an AMD CPU and non-ECC memory. :))

 

[Chris Moore]

The video card is outputting a resolution that the monitor can't display. If you have a different monitor, you might get different results. Some monitors are better at that than others.
If that monitor works with other computers, I would guess it is a problem with the VGA card. If you have another that you can put in, I would try swapping them out.

 

[codetheweb]

I've already tried a different GPU and a different monitor. The screen and GPU works fine for memtest and Grub, so it's a FreeNAS specific issue.

 

[Redcoat]

As it is misbehaving during the boot process and you have established to your satisfaction that it is a FreeNAS issue, I would make a new boot flash drive starting with a freshly downloaded image and preparing the ISO strictly following the manual's instructions on the choice of image writer, and give it a whirl.

 

[codetheweb]

I've already tried creating a new installation flash drive. Same results.

 

[codetheweb]

Bump. Anyone have any ideas? I was thinking there might be a grub setting I could try.

 

[Nick2253]

I've already tried a different GPU and a different monitor. The screen and GPU works fine for memtest and Grub, so it's a FreeNAS specific issue.

What other GPU? If it's a FreeNAS issue, I would guess it's a FreeBSD driver issue. Do you have an nvidia card you could try?

 

[codetheweb]

Unfortunately no, I used an AMD card. Does FreeNAS just not work with AMD GPUs for some reason?

 

[Nick2253]

I'm not sure one way or another. However, I was just trying to rule out a possible issue. At this point, I would assume that the issue is with the video drivers, so we need to figure out how to fix that.

At this point, we really need to know what version of FreeNAS you are using. Can you please post this information, and then edit your first post with this information? Also, can you put your part list inline instead of through the PCPartsPicker link? That's blocked for me through work. And the models of your monitors and GPUs that you've tried, in case there's a pattern here.

You mention that output over VGA is garbled. Can you try it over HDMI/DVI?

 

[codetheweb]

Updated first post.

 

[Nick2253]

What happens if you use the native HDMI output on the mobo?

 

[codetheweb]

Unfortunately, I was dumb and chose a CPU without integrated graphics (sorry for the confusion, I just realized the CPU in the parts list (which did have integrated graphics) was not the one I actually used. I updated it and checked over all the other parts as well.)

 

[codetheweb]

Bump.

 

[wblock]

That is a very old PCI (not PCIe) video card. It might work, but I'm not sure. It might be old enough that the video RAM or even character ROM is socketed and not soldered in, and the screenshot could be consistent with either of those having poor contact. Removing and replacing those chips might help. It might not. Trying a newer PCIe video card is more likely to work, although it can be difficult to find fanless, low-power ones for this type of use.

 

[codetheweb]

That is a very old PCI (not PCIe) video card. It might work, but I'm not sure. It might be old enough that the video RAM or even character ROM is socketed and not soldered in, and the screenshot could be consistent with either of those having poor contact. Removing and replacing those chips might help. It might not. Trying a newer PCIe video card is more likely to work, although it can be difficult to find fanless, low-power ones for this type of use.

Are you talking about the AMD card or the $20 card from Amazon?
Are there any you would recommend to try?

 

[wblock]

The Rage XL is an antique. A Radeon HD5700 should work, though.

 

[wblock]

Hmm, and no ECC RAM. Have you run a memtest, or booted non-FreeNAS things to see if the display corruption still occurs?

 

[codetheweb]

@wblock Yes, as stated in my original post I ran memtest overnight with no errors. It displayed fine on both cards. Additionally, the GRUB bootloader for FreeNAS displays fine, it's just FreeNAS that doesn't work.