Limine bootloader splash image loads slowly on newer hardware

Issues & Assistance
1

On my newer laptop with more recent hardware, the Limine bootloader splash image loads noticeably slowly — it appears almost like a curtain sliding down the screen. On my older laptop (about 5 years old), the splash loaded instantly and felt very snappy.

Has anyone else experienced this on newer systems? Any idea what causes the slower splash rendering, or if there’s something I can tweak to speed it up?

Some details:
Kernel: Linux 6.19.3-2-cachyos
Limine version: 10.8.2
Display resolution: 2560x1600

2

Looks like a mixture of something about the graphic mode and the wallpaper. This is just “AI” info, so take it with a grain of salt.

3

Yes, a high display resolution can be too much for Limine to render with a single CPU process.

You can try reducing the resolution and using a tiled wallpaper 1920x1200 that matches the resolution exactly:

### Reduce resolution
interface_resolution: 1920x1200

### Better performance
wallpaper_style: tiled
4

I tried lowering interface_resolution all the way down to the minimum, but it had no effect. I also tested different wallpaper_style settings in combination with the resolution change, but that didn’t help either. The wallpaper still renders with a “curtain‑like” effect before the menu appears.

5

This change has an effect at a high display resolution of 2880x1800 on my power-efficient mobile CPU.

How large is your wallpaper file? I think the file format matters too.
I use a lightweight JPG (1920x1200) under 90 KiB instead of a heavier PNG.

6

My CPU is also a power‑efficient mobile CPU. I haven’t changed the wallpaper at all — I’m still using the default one that comes with CachyOS. It’s the limine-splash.png file, roughly 180 KB, so not particularly large.

7

Try removing the whole custom header from limine.conf and convert the CachyOS wallpaper to a background.jpg (not PNG) with 1920x1200 using Gimp.

Then add:

interface_resolution: 1920x1200
wallpaper_style: tiled
wallpaper: boot():/background.jpg

If that doesn’t help, we have different devices that react differently to Limine’s rendering process. It feels snappy (under 0,1 sec) on my mobile device, but apparently not on yours.

You can report the issue on the Limine Codeberg if you want the wallpaper to render faster
or just disable it for a plain black screen like systemd-boot if you are fine without a wallpaper.

8

post your /boot/limine.conf

9

Here is my limine.conf. It’s what came with the install…

timeout: 5
default_entry: 2
remember_last_entry: yes

# CachyOS Limine theme
# Author: diegons490 (https://github.com/diegons490/cachyos-limine-theme)
term_palette: 1e1e2e;f38ba8;a6e3a1;f9e2af;89b4fa;f5c2e7;94e2d5;cdd6f4
term_palette_bright: 585b70;f38ba8;a6e3a1;f9e2af;89b4fa;f5c2e7;94e2d5;cdd6f4
term_background: ffffffff
term_foreground: cdd6f4
term_background_bright: ffffffff
term_foreground_bright: cdd6f4
interface_branding:
    wallpaper: boot():/limine-splash.png

comment: machine-id=a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f
/+CachyOS
  //linux-cachyos
  ### This kernel entry is auto-generated by limine-entry-tool
  comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
  comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
  protocol: linux
  module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos/initramfs-linux-cachyos#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
  path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
  cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@ rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c

  //linux-cachyos-lts
  ### This kernel entry is auto-generated by limine-entry-tool
  comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
  comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
  protocol: linux
  module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos-lts/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
  path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos-lts/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
  cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@ rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c

     //Snapshots
     ### Auto-generated by limine-snapper-sync
     comment: 8 / 8 snapshots
     ///105 │ 2026-03-01 15:13:40
     comment: bluez bluez-hid2hci bluez-libs bluez-obex bluez-utils v4l-utils
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/105/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/105/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///104 │ 2026-03-01 15:13:34
     comment: pacman -Syu
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/104/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/104/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///103 │ 2026-03-01 12:01:55
     comment: noto-fonts
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/103/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/103/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///102 │ 2026-03-01 12:01:50
     comment: pacman -Syu
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/102/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/102/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///101 │ 2026-03-01 10:37:27
     comment: cachyos-settings
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/101/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/101/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///100 │ 2026-03-01 10:37:20
     comment: pacman -Syu
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/100/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/100/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///99  │ 2026-03-01 10:32:19
     comment: dotconf libao libspeechd python-pyxdg speech-dispatcher
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/99/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/99/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ///98  │ 2026-03-01 10:32:15
     comment: pacman -S speech-dispatcher
     ////linux-cachyos
     comment: Kernel version: 6.19.5-3-cachyos
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos_sha256_d6fbb00981350f0f8a731cb6ae482b39b7fea60cfcbb44a8764afb061d3effbf#cad03a8af16592bcdd713c6e1b5ad3e60f98aac8f0e73ee5f4a48e64129d46dfb675ad51f9dc8956113be2c5340fb2ec5983ce3cd39d6525f49d1c8259977435
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos_sha256_ecc90224fb3867263e8f15843abd6376addf1faf88fb4b37ad919756bad7c3b3#8676de71ffaf822303d703fd9e2edc9099ec23683cb594a2a43ca53fc34268ac8d0419d6f58b5b8a2965264492fefe3f85c0e0706c5b56f5728b886297082db0
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/98/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c
     ////linux-cachyos-lts
     comment: Kernel version: 6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts
     comment: kernel-id=linux-cachyos-lts
     protocol: linux
     module_path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_3ce1a5c928f96e4c7f96478f5d65ef4120ab0c439b79ff9f25f53074e783e71a#1384463012cae9cb9587305ef69172032bfbcdf8e3af9c17b13499033ba8403492b405d272a0b212c7941446620c41aa3d66ad6c1197af170bc0cb8932882f3d
     path: boot():/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/limine_history/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos-lts_sha256_bdd01f2325012d342b16ba85a6d875e24f291c0d9258cf812fdad23751ff6bcb#200c939654478ea5b9399982f16123e258bd8226aab157b0e844443bac2d38318e9230f4122e5e991c98165fb77a7974504a5b05f60ca8ae828fbaa538afa08e
     cmdline: quiet nowatchdog splash rw rootflags=subvol=/@/.snapshots/98/snapshot rd.luks.uuid=045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c root=/dev/mapper/luks-045c69f6-124b-4b96-943e-46ffc336668c

/+Other systems and bootloaders
//Windows Boot Manager
	protocol: efi_chainload
	image_path: guid(96C319E5-9EA8-42C0-8D1C-364F881A9D1F):/efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
/EFI fallback
### This EFI entry is auto-generated by limine-entry-tool
comment: Default EFI loader
comment: order-priority=10
protocol: efi
path: boot():/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI
10

Even without a wallpaper the delay is still there. I first see a white screen, then it slowly gets painted black “curtain‑style,” and only after that the menu shows up. What’s strange is that on my older hardware Limine always felt fast and snappy without any tweaks, so this slowdown seems specific to my current device.

11

I bet it has something to do with it reading that Windows /efi or something like that. Have you simply just reinstalled limine? Maybe boot to that windows partition, then reboot back to cachy and see if it fixed itself? Just throwing out ideas.

12

image
image953×126 16.8 KB

Bunch of things you try with Limine. Make sure you know what you are doing though.

13

Is it safe to reinstall Limine just like that? I’m a bit cautious because I don’t want to mess up my current setup, but I could try it if it’s low‑risk.

What’s odd is that I had the exact same dual‑boot layout on my older laptop — CachyOS and Windows on separate NVMe drives — and Limine was always fast there. I’ve already booted into Windows multiple times and then back into CachyOS, but it didn’t change anything. The glitch isn’t critical, but it stands out because the older hardware never showed this slow “curtain‑like” transition.

14

do a limine-update. And no it won’t hurt to resinstall. pacman -S limine

and of course, Limine - ArchWiki

15

I see there is a bug:

The comment should be placed under /+CachyOS, not above the entry name.
This was generated by the Cachyos installer without using limine-entry-tool

You also have a heavy custom theme:

Yes, move your current /boot/limine.conf to a backup, then generate a new one without theme by running:

sudo limine-update && sudo limine-snapper-sync
sudo limine-scan
16

I followed your instructions, but unfortunately the glitch is still there.

  1. Backed up my old limine.conf.

  2. Emptied the old one with:
    sudo truncate -s 0 /boot/limine.conf

  3. Ran:

    sudo limine-update && sudo limine-snapper-sync

    Output:

    Limine EFI update completed successfully.
Building initramfs for linux-cachyos-lts (6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts)
==> Using drop-in configuration file: '10-chwd.conf'
==> Using drop-in configuration file: '10-limine-snapper-sync.conf'
==> Starting build: '6.18.15-3-cachyos-lts'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [systemd]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [sd-vconsole]
  -> Running build hook: [plymouth]
  -> Running build hook: [sd-encrypt]
 ==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qat_6xxx'
   -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
   -> Running build hook: [sd-btrfs-overlayfs]
 ==> Generating module dependencies
 ==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/tmp/staging_initramfs.img'
   -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
 ==> Initcpio image generation successful
 Kernel stored in /boot/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos-lts/vmlinuz-linux-   cachyos-lts
 Initramfs stored in /boot/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos-lts/initramfs-linux-cachyos-lts
 Updated: /boot/limine.conf
 Building initramfs for linux-cachyos (6.19.5-3-cachyos)
 ==> Using drop-in configuration file: '10-chwd.conf'
 ==> Using drop-in configuration file: '10-limine-snapper-sync.conf'
 ==> Starting build: '6.19.5-3-cachyos'
   -> Running build hook: [base]
   -> Running build hook: [systemd]
   -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
   -> Running build hook: [microcode]
   -> Running build hook: [kms]
   -> Running build hook: [modconf]
   -> Running build hook: [block]
   -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
   -> Running build hook: [sd-vconsole]
   -> Running build hook: [plymouth]
   -> Running build hook: [sd-encrypt]
 ==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qat_6xxx'
   -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
   -> Running build hook: [sd-btrfs-overlayfs]
 ==> Generating module dependencies
 ==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/tmp/staging_initramfs.img'
   -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
 ==> Initcpio image generation successful
 Kernel stored in /boot/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos
 Initramfs stored in /boot/a4e2609862c34ef9825c77f443171c8f/linux-cachyos/initramfs-linux-cachyos
 Updated: /boot/limine.conf
 Snapshot limit mismatch: 50 Snapper snapshots exceed the default Limine menu limit (8)
 Remove this warning by changing MAX_SNAPSHOT_ENTRIES from the default or lowering the Snapper snapshot limit.
 Updated: /boot/limine.conf

  4. Ran sudo limine-scan:

    Available EFI Boot Entries:
#  | Name                 | GPT UUID                             | EFI Path
---|----------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------
1  | Windows Boot Manager | 96c319e5-9ea8-42c0-8d1c-364f881a9d1f | /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
2  | Limine               | 80d90321-f779-4ba9-858d-09f567ecf98d | /EFI/limine/limine_x64.efi

Use ↑/↓ to select a boot entry (1-2), or type [c]ancel to abort.

Your input: 1
EFI entry added to Limine: "Windows Boot Manager", uuid(96c319e5-9ea8-42c0-8d1c-364f881a9d1f):/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi

  5. Rebooted.
    → No theme anymore (black background). The menu appeared, and I think the small time‑lag was still there, but it was harder to see without the theme.

  6. Added the theme section back to confirm my suspicion:

    # CachyOS Limine theme
interface_resolution: 1920x1200
interface_branding:
    wallpaper: boot():/limine-splash.png

  7. Ran sudo limine-mkinitcpio and rebooted.

The theme returned, the lower resolution was applied correctly, but the “curtain‑like” rendering effect is still present.

17

As far as I know there is no way to make it faster, except reducing resolution or hoping for UEFI updates from manufacturer.

The thing is that this slowness usually comes not from the slow loading/decoding of the picture file itself, and also not from the fact that the process is single core (even that would be enough to instantly decode a jpg), but from the primitive graphics interface that the UEFI GOP provides at this stage, which is a very basic framebuffer, meaning no acceleration etc.

Many UEFI implementations show pixels as they’re drawn (“curtain down” effect) because there’s no double buffering, nothing like that is available at this stage to make it look instant. Nothing like: load it into a buffer first, even if it takes 2 seconds, but at least show it in full instantly, even if that would mean that it appears 2 seconds later. Sadly, no. Some firmwares have even slower framebuffer writes, their own weird buffering behavior, etc. UEFI GOP implementation performance can vary wildly, it is not uncommon for a newer PC to have lower UEFI graphics performance.

18

you can follow this issue on Limine’s repo