During my latest attempt to install Mandrake Linux, I mistakenly opted for KDE, which my old system doesn't seem to handle (lots of harddrive noises and takes ages for anything to show). It automatically tries to load a GUI when I login, and I can't see how to revert to a command-line to try and edit some config file. Ctrl-Alt-Bckspc eventually closes the GUI but it then loads up again before I can key in anything else. I would like to use IceWM or Sawfish (less resource demanding? and WMaker didn't appear to be offered during the install). Any ideas please? (The GUI never loads fully so I can't access any config tools that way.)
I would prefer not to reinstall (about 5 times now), and feel I am getting somewhere, at least in terms of basic Linux knowledge(ie noway am I going to revert to a previous OS). Fuller report on my experiences as a newbie when I get the machine to do some work!
Cheers
Russell
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Russell Ward rw_jazzz@hotmail.com wrote:
and takes ages for anything to show). It automatically tries to load a GUI when I login, and I can't see how to revert to a command-line to try and
Gently, you could use Ctrl-Alt-F1 or similar to get a console login. Then Alt-F7 normally gets you back to the graphics. More harshly, you can get the LILO prompt and enter "Linux S" or similar to boot into a single-user maintenance state.
Hi Russell
Alternatively, "linux 3" will get you to multi-user command line log in. From here, you can edit /etc/inittab and change id:5:initdefault: to id:3:initdefault: then each time you boot up, you get the text log in.
Regards, Paul.
On Thursday 25 Jul 2002 9:40 am, MJ Ray wrote:
More harshly, you can get the LILO prompt and enter "Linux S" or similar to boot into a single-user maintenance state.
Paul paul.corner@tesco.net wrote:
Alternatively, "linux 3" will get you to multi-user command line log in. From here, you can edit /etc/inittab and change id:5:initdefault: to id:3:initdefault: then each time you boot up, you get the text log in.
This varies from system to system, but I believe S will always get you a text login at a pinch. Debian's defaults:
# Runlevel 0 is halt. # Runlevel 1 is single-user. # Runlevels 2-5 are multi-user. # Runlevel 6 is reboot.
Normally 2 is definitely textual and various graphics may start between 3 and 5, I think, but I'm not sure if this is explicitly defined.
MJR
Hi Mark
The "s" option is pretty much universal. Mandrake, which has it's roots in RedHat, uses the following run levels :-
0 - halt (Do NOT set initdefault to this) 1 - Single user mode 2 - Multiuser, without NFS (The same as 3, if you do not have networking) 3 - Full multiuser mode 4 - unused 5 - X11 6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
Cribbed from the inittab file it's self.
Regards, Paul.
P.S. Thanks for the Debian run levels - It'll help when I butcher my deb box.
On Thursday 25 Jul 2002 11:09 pm, MJ Ray wrote:
This varies from system to system, but I believe S will always get you a text login at a pinch.
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MJ Ray -
Paul -
Russell Ward