Urgent help needed: GRUB doesn't show up on a 19" TFT

[Gábor Iglói]

Thank you for your quick answer. Let me stress out the core of the problem:

The 19" TFT is a cheap 1913 (not 1912) ACER which is because it was
40$ cheaper than 1912 is not capable of displaying anything in 640x480
- so text mode even. It is capable of displaying 800x600, 1024x768,
1280x1024 only. Anything that is in 640x480 - text screens like Breezy
installation, even the beginning of Windows XP setup, virtual
terminals 1-6 cannot be displayed, the monitor says MODE NOT
SUPPORTED. I can see the BIOS screen fortunately because it is a
non-standard 720 x something. I had to install OSes with the help of a
separate monitor.

Problem is that I can't see the GRUB menu at all - only MODE NOT SUPPORTED.

Breezy can boot but I can't see the booting process (which is in
640x480 too). I can circumvent this by removing kernel parameter
splash and replace it with vga=789. BUT I cannot see the GRUB
dual-boot screen at all. Poor TFT.

I have also downloaded a splash for GRUB from gnome-look.org
(ubuntu_grub_splash.xpm.gz) and I set up GRUB to use it but since it
is 640x480 too I cannot see that either (only on the other CRT monitor
- the previous monitor).

I know however that GRUB can be displayed on this TFT too because the
previous Linux distro's GRUB could bee seen on it (but only the
graphical one, text mode also didn't worked there) - I think it was in
800x600, maybe 720 x something like BIOS.

I do not know how to set up GRUB boot screen not to use 640x480.

Here is my original menu.lst:

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
default         saved

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout         5

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title         Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root          (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader   +1
#
# title         Linux
# root          (hd0,1)
# kernel        /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specifiv kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/hda2 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,1)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=false

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery mode) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## nonaltoption boot targets option
## This option controls options to pass to only the
## primary kernel menu item.
## You can have ONLY one nonaltoptions line
# nonaltoptions=quiet splash

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=1

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title           Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.12-9-386
root            (hd0,1)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-386 root=/dev/hda2 ro quiet splash
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-9-386
savedefault
boot

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
# title         Other operating systems:
# root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title           Windows XP
root            (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader     +1