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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    raspberry pi not booting into emulationstation

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    raspberry pi 4
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    • D
      Devenhulk @mitu
      last edited by Devenhulk

      @mitu i am sorry for the late reply been a little busy but when i type in those lines it still doesn't change that it boots up and there's a black screen i can still access terminal though but when i type in emulation station it just goes back to the black screen

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        Devenhulk
        last edited by

        hey guys solved the problem it was the hdmi it needed to be closetest to the power

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          carbonatedwater @Devenhulk
          last edited by

          @Devenhulk Hi. What do you mean by this? I'm having the same problem, Retropie boots up, but then it just goes into a black screen when it goes into EmulationStation. I'm not really a Linux user, so I have no idea what is going on.
          I'm using Retropie 4.8, on a Raspberry Pi 4. I've used my computer monitor and my TV.

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            superdan @carbonatedwater
            last edited by

            @carbonatedwater Do you have any log while booting?

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              carbonatedwater @superdan
              last edited by

              @superdan said in raspberry pi not booting into emulationstation:

              log while booting?

              I'm not sure what you mean. Again, I'm not an expert of this sorts.

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              • mituM
                mitu Global Moderator @carbonatedwater
                last edited by

                @carbonatedwater The solution @Devenhulk mentioned was to use the mini-HDMI port close to the USB-C port used by the power supply. Did you try to switching the mini-HDMI port on the Pi ?

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                  carbonatedwater @mitu
                  last edited by

                  @mitu That is really odd, is there a reason it works when you switch HDMI ports? Also, that method stopped working after I turned it off and back on, and switched the ports back. I didn't have my controller plugged in the first time.

                  Now I have to leave it off for a while, since that's the only way that worked.

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                  • mituM
                    mitu Global Moderator @carbonatedwater
                    last edited by

                    @carbonatedwater said in raspberry pi not booting into emulationstation:

                    That is really odd, is there a reason it works when you switch HDMI ports?

                    Mostly placebo, there's little difference between them when using a monitor. However when switching the ports you're most likely to re-seat the connector, which may fix problems when the cable is not properly connected.

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                      carbonatedwater @mitu
                      last edited by carbonatedwater

                      @mitu EmulationStation is running, but it's not displaying. At all. Is there an HDMI mode I should enable?

                      EDIT: Also, the Retropie screen is not showing up either. Also also, the reason I know EmulationStation is running is because I was able to stick the USB Drive into the Raspberry Pi 4 while it was running and it made new folders. It is a display issue.

                      EDIT 2: Also also also, I did some research and found out you could run EmulationStation in a smaller resolution with a command line "-emulationstation -w 800 -h 600"... but I have no idea where to put it in config.txt.

                      mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • mituM
                        mitu Global Moderator @carbonatedwater
                        last edited by

                        @carbonatedwater Are you running on a 4k display ? We've had a few reports of the RetroPie-Setup script not working correctly on such displays - in this case you can try and lower the maximum resolution to 1080p (see this doc page).

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                          carbonatedwater @mitu
                          last edited by

                          @mitu I ran it on my monitor which is not 4k. I am pretty sure the tv might be 4k but I had the same problem with both screens.

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                            DarkFaker
                            last edited by DarkFaker

                            Ok so this is probably one of the weirdest issues I've seen. I've had the same problem as @Devenhulk and what he meant and this is what also solved my problem is that the HDMI cable which plugs into the raspberry pi is not in the right spot. My raspberry pi 4 has, as far as I know, two HDMI ports. Plugging the HDMI cable in the port closest to the power port solved the problem for me. I think the emulation station otherwise has some weird problem to detect the monitor and display something on the screen and that's why it is just black. I know the conversation is quite old but maybe this is helpful to some people who have the same problem.

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                            • mituM
                              mitu Global Moderator @DarkFaker
                              last edited by

                              @DarkFaker I understand, but it's still not a pattern, I think it's just a coincidence. FWIW I've been using the Pi4 with either HDMI ports and never had any issues whatsoever, audio or video. I'm sure other users have had the same experiene aswell. That being said - if you'd like to diagnose this, then please open a separate topic and add more info about your setup before trying to isolate the issue.

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