Actually, I take the comment back -- only part of the VRAM is erased in that...

Actually, I take the comment back -- only part of the VRAM is erased in that process on most laptops.

wiki/src/todo/erase_video_memory_on_shutdown.mdwn

@@ -15,5 +15,3 @@ Talking with a friend of mine who used to work on video card drivers for X.org (
 
 
 Another idea, maybe related to the previous (this isn't really my strong point), is mapping all ram, including video memory as virtual ram and with the use of kfree in the kernel, writing all 0's to it.
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-> This is probably irrelevant in KEXEC-based shutdown, since modern cards map real RAM for video modes, and the KEXEC kernel will assume a VGA text mode, even if the card is still in a different mode. On some laptops you can see the RAM erasure process on-screen when the relevant RAM region is modified. More trouble than it's worth, in my opinion, especially with possible hardware-dependent complications. --MK