nvram boot-args, activate PCI video card and verbose mode

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Level 1

35 points

nvram boot-args, activate PCI video card and verbose mode

I wonder if I'm the only one who can't get this simple thing to work.

Two things I would like to do is boot up in verbose mode, and enable a second PCI video card on my G4 Digital Audio machine.

I can boot verbosely with nvram boot-args="-v"
and I can enable the PCI video card with nvram boot-args="romndrv=1"
But I can't do both at the same time.
Reading the man file it seems I should be able to do this:
nvram boot-args="-v romndrv=1"
But that doesn't work. And typing one command and then the other doesn't work either. The last command seems to overwrite the previous one.

So I keep the second video card working with the romndrv command and if I think of it I just hold down command-v to boot in verbose mode.

How can I have both commands work at the same time?
Also, where do I find the rest of the nvram variables? I'd like to see what else I might want to play with. It's always fun to get dangerous and stupid! I do it all the time. I've even edited my rc file in the past. In this case I still couldn't get both verbose mode and enable the PCI video card at the same time.

Thank you in advance,
Tom.

Posted on Oct 30, 2005 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 31, 2005 2:11 AM in response to twk

'nvram -p' will list all Open Firmware variables

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Answer 2

twk Author

Level 1

35 points

Oct 31, 2005 8:23 AM in response to CloitusDisruptus

AAAaaaah! Just like it says in the man file. Sorry CloitusDisruptus and thank you. (I love that name)
Someone, please hit me with an inflatable mallet. How did I miss that?
Now if I only knew what to do with these variables. I'll see if I can look them up somewhere. No help on that please... Yet. 🙂

But still, my command string didn't seem to be working:
nvram boot-args="-v romndrv=1" (or nvram boot-args="romndrv=1 -v")
It seems to me that it should. I would almost always loose my second monitor using the above command.

This is where an OS X book would come in handy. The few I've seen don't seem to cover these sort of detailed, Mac specific things. Any recommendations? How do you guys in the know pick up this info?
For example, "medusa true". What is that?
Or even "romndrv", what if I make it equal to two, or "xFF"?

This sort of thing fascinates me. I have to try it out. So far I've never caused a problem I couldn't recover from, and there have been a few bad situations.

Always have a backup! But I digress.

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Answer 3

twk Author

Level 1

35 points

Oct 31, 2005 7:28 PM in response to CloitusDisruptus

It's working now, nvram boot-args="-v romndrv=1" works.
I have no explanation. A buddy of mine suggested I type it in, reboot. If it doesn't work, type it in again and reboot. Try it several times. I did that exactly three times. The third time was the charm as they say.

That did it. I'm stumped, but it's working.

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