HDMI display stucks on `Starting Kernel ...` on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2

[pinage404]

Describe the bug HDMI display stucks on Starting Kernel ...

To Reproduce I have two Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2 :

• the first, with a black case
• the second, with a white case

I have two micro SD card :

• the first, 4Go, i used since few months
• the second, 32Go, i just burned from this image https://hydra.nixos.org/build/130467108

	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2 (black case)	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2 (white case)
micro SD 4Go	works well, did many generations together	HDMI display stucks on Starting Kernel ... but SystemD's services work (SSH, PulseAudio, SpotifyD ...)
micro SD 32Go	works well, display the initial prompt	HDMI display stucks on Starting Kernel ...

Expected behavior The HDMI display should not be stuck whichever which Raspberry Pi I use

Screenshots

Notify maintainers

Metadata Please run nix-shell -p nix-info --run "nix-info -m" and paste the result.

Maintainer information:

# a list of nixpkgs attributes affected by the problem
attribute:
# a list of nixos modules affected by the problem
module:

I don't know, it should be related to this : https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/sd-image-aarch64.nix

[pinage404]

I don't want to be stuck infinitely

So, I'm going to use my first Pi to finalize my installation on the micro SD 32Go

But this does not solve the problem

[alexvorobiev]

I think you may be seeing this issue: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/97064. That thread has a workaround.

[cyounkins]

If you are not getting any system services and the NIC lights are not coming on, you might be you're running into the 5.7 kernel-too-big issue. See #97064 and try boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_5_4 to use 5.4.

I needed to set

  boot.kernelParams = [
    "console=tty0,115200n8"
  ];

to sometimes get more verbose boot output over HDMI. I frequently get bcm2835-power: Timeout waiting for grafx power OK in the journal, and I think that breaks it. More info for that here: https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux/issues/3046 and fix applied to the kernel: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git/commit/?id=e7b7daeb48e0bf5d8412d77f11069750ee7032bb I haven't verified but that kernel commit should be in 5.7 but not 5.4.

[tmplt]

I had the same problem recently. I had to boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_4_19;. I never tried any more recent kernels.

[samueldr]

Can you try with the newest LTS kernel, 5.10? It is the kernel used by the current "unstable" generic SD images.

HDMI output is working on my end flawlessly, but again HDMI output sometimes can fail with hardware-specific issues :/.

[pinage404]

I tryied with my raspberry pi who was working

Before adding setting this kernel i had nix-shell -p nix-info --run "nix-info -m"

• system: "aarch64-linux"
• host os: Linux 5.4.122, NixOS, 20.09.4331.686720050c3 (Nightingale)
• multi-user?: no
• sandbox: yes
• version: nix-env (Nix) 2.3.11
• channels(root): "nixos-20.09.4331.686720050c3"
• nixpkgs: /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels/nixos

Then i added to by configuration

{ pkgs, ... }:

{
  boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_5_10;
}

Full configuration is here https://gitlab.com/pinage404/dotfiles/-/blob/8123e53bf0da837a0158304de82db6dd561027a4/nixos/machine/raspberry_pi_3_b_black/configuration.nix

And apply with nixos-rebuild boot && shutdown -r

But with the new kernel, it doesn't work (stucks on Starting Kernel ... and SSH does respond, i think it doesn't complete the boot)

[cyounkins]

@pinage404 You may be running into #97064 . See my comment above. You could try boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_5_4 or if you cannot boot the system to rebuild, try the ESP partition from the 21.05 release (https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/97064#issuecomment-758818947)

[domenkozar]

It could also be you need to first update firmware: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/booteeprom.md

[stale[bot]]

I marked this as stale due to inactivity. → More info

[samueldr]

I am closing this issue since it's stale, but mainly because the variables are now different enough (Raspberry Pi boot firmwares, U-Boot, default Linux kernel) that anyone newly facing this issue is more than likely facing a different issue. Furthermore, there may be confusion in this thread with suggestions about updating the EEPROM firmware on a board which does not have one.

But I'm closing with these first things you (yes you) should know and consider if you are facing this issue:

• Starting Kernel ... means that U-Boot has handed off control to the Linux kernel. The reason it's "stuck" there could be that it is not using the HDMI output for any reasons, assuming HDMI, or logging the output to a different place (e.g. to the display instead of to serial, or vice versa).
  • Try different HDMI cables, try different monitors. Different hardware seems to have caused different issues for different situations in the past.

And finally, if you can't seem to get it working, I invite you to open an issue, refer to this issue (or any other closed issue you might think are relevant), and importantly:

• Tell us exactly which Raspberry Pi model you are using.
• Tell us if you are using a fresh SD image, or an older build with updated generations.
• When running a `nixos-rebuild't system, please share the configuration used.

---

@pinage404 this does not apply to you. Feel free to re-open this specific issue and discuss the specific situation you're now in.