Not sure if I can describe this It seems to only be happening when I drop down to init 3 from init 4


If I do a slackpkg update the command finishes successfully, but I see the command prompt repeated a number of times. Sometimes it's just 3 or 4 other times it may be tens of times so much that the output from slackpkg disappears of the screen

Same goes for other commands such as ls.


It gets a bit frustrating when running slackpkg upgrade-all when there's been a change to the kernel and new config files. All those nice messages about a new kernel and new config files disappear of the top of the screen.

Generally I know that there's a new kernel.

For the new config files I have to run

slackpkg new-config

several times

Any thoughts as to what's going wrong?

Is that a problem with the keyboard, as I know this will happen if pressing "Enter" while some programs processing.

It may not need an actually press the button (newline), do you have any custom ENVs, PS1, colors, titles.

No problem with the keyboard. I see the same problem irrespective of what [Enter] key I use. The Enter key on the number pad or the Return key on the QWERTY keyboard.

I not aware of any problems I may have created for myself in respect of PS1 or environment.

The problem only occurs at levels 3, 2 and 1. Level 4 works as expected.

Level 4 works as expected, is not quite true, as if I set up a virtual console the problem appears.

It appears that if I'm working in an environment that's been touched by KDE4 i.e. level 4, virtual terminal excluded, everything works as expected. It's only if I drop out of a KDE environment to levels 3, 2 and 1 or to a virtual terminal that I get problems.

The only other potential cause is that these problems are occurring in a VirtualBox guest. I have no other issues with the guest - in level 4 LibreOffice, kate, filezilla, Firefox, Dolphin. adobereader. okular and keepassxc all work as expected.

As the problem only occurs levels 3 or below and I only need to drop to level 3 if I'm updating KDE, so when we reach a Stable 15.0 the need to drop levels will become less and less. Anyway it's not as though this problem is a show stopper. I'm flagging it up in case someone else either falls upon this problem or can shed some light on the root cause.

The only place I see this behavior is in my VirtualBox slackware installs when I was testing with VboxVGA or VboxSVGA set for the Graphics Controller. Switching back to VMSVGA, this problem goes away. This is without Guest Additions installed. Not sure if installing Guest Additions would make a difference.

It was VirtualBox that was causing the problem. I'm was on VirtualBox 5.0.40 from slackbuilds.org.

Took the plunge and installed the Linux 64-bit from the VirtualBox Testbuilds

Had the same echo/return problem using the VBoxVGA graphics Controller. The machine would start, but the screen would resize (auto-resize guest display was enabled)
Didn't have the problem with the VMSVGA graphics Controller. The machine would start, but the screen wouldn't resize (auto-resize guest display was greyed out)

Installed Guest Additions which fixed the problem with VMSVGA. I can now resize.

The unintended consequence is that when using the VBoxVGA graphics Controller the guest won't start.

I'll mark this as solved.

Probably why it says "invalid settings". Got to admit I was a bit excited when you first reported on using VboxVGA. I really don't like installing the Guest Additions. Tried it and VboxSVGA too, had same issue. Went back to VMSVGA.

To change the title edit the first post and select the "go advanced" button.

This seems to be a bug in VirtualBox.

I have a Current VM running in 6.1.18. Guest Additions (GA) are not installed. When I select VBoxSVGA I see the reported repeated echos. When I toggle to VMSVGA the echos stop, but then the system always boots with the following error message:

I have not tested installing the GA. For this specific VM I don't want that.

For me the bug is relatively recent. I am guessing the bug was introduced after 6.1.12 or with the jump from 5.4 to 5.10.

I don't know who supports what.

Over the last few years various VirtualBox elements seem to have been introduced into the mainline kernel.

First if was auto-resize guest display
More recently shared folders


The problem I identified here was occurring in a Guest with no Guest Additions. Even then it wasn't a problem at level 4 only at levels 3, 2 and 1. I don't know whether when a new guest is created does VirtualBox automatically suck in it's bespoke drivers or does it leave the Guest alone until Guest Additions is installed.

I'm led to the conclusion that this problem is with the mainline kernel and not VirtualBox.

Well based on what I have read in the VirtualBox help and manual, I going with not a bug. Bold is mine.