Post #37,815
5/7/02 3:27:27 PM
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Stopping XDM from executing on boot.
1. Debian rocks.
2. apt-get rocks.
3. Forgetting to check whether your chosen video driver actually works before installing xdm is a BAD thing.
How does one force a command prompt instead of starting xdm? Or force xwindow to use a simpler display driver?
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Post #37,816
5/7/02 3:43:14 PM
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Which Debian?
Older versions of Debian used runlevel 5 for managed GUI log-in. In /etc/inittab, change the "2" in "id:2:initdefault:" to a 3. That'll give the normal, non-GUI boot.
Woody no longer uses runlevel 5 to run XDM et al. XDM is now started through one of the S... symlinks in the /etc/init.d/rc?.d directories. Runlevel 2 now appears to be the default, so rename /etc/rc2.d/S99xdm (e.g. to XS99xdm) until you get X set up right.
As I skipped Potato, I'm not sure which of the two methods it uses, but it shouldn't be hard to find out.
You can bypass XDM by using Alt-F1 through Alt-F6 (that is, if the malconfigured X left you a functioning keyboard).
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Post #37,820
5/7/02 3:53:07 PM
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I'm using Woody.
Alt-F1 through F6 have no effect. Screen display is corrupted, but everything else is fine. I used the Rendition driver for my Verite 2200 video card. :P
Methinks SVGALIB would do better...
I am a complete Linux n00b - so I admit I have no idea how to change runlevels, do single user login, whatever. Hosed, am I...
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Post #37,822
5/7/02 4:03:03 PM
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Aargh! That's Ctrl-Alt-F1, etc.
Sorry about that. The alt-F# combinations switch between the text based virtual consoles, but once X is running, those keys are usually trapped by the display manager. So Ctrl-Alt-F# take their place.
If things are really stuck, you need to interrupt the boot process. A stock LILO installation waits for a couple of seconds before launching Linux, so you should have time to get to single user mode. When you get the boot prompt, type 'single' or 'linux single', then hit return. If all goes well, you'll end up in 'maintenance mode' (i.e. a root shell).
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Post #37,824
5/7/02 4:16:54 PM
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Oh, fark it.
It's too hosed to come back out of it. Lilo pauses for roughly 1/10th of a second, then starts loading Linux - no prompt, no nothing.
Hey, maybe I can boot the cd and do a recovery from there... Hmm...
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Post #37,829
5/7/02 4:38:21 PM
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Might have just done it.
We'll see, we'll see...
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Post #37,832
5/7/02 4:45:20 PM
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Well, I'm at the command prompt.
Now I just need to find the command that'll let me repick all my vid stuff.
Sigh.
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Post #37,842
5/7/02 5:27:40 PM
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Slowiing down LILO
Since you've got the cli now, go to /etc and edit lilo.conf. There's a line for boot timeout. Make sure run lilo after the edit :)
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Steve
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Post #37,839
5/7/02 5:13:26 PM
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Our resident Debian GURU
Karsten has an "Ultra-Mini How-To" on XDM under Debian [link|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/Linux/FAQs/xdm-disable.html
|here]. This may be useful to you :)
I'm in the process of being a convert myself...installing potato on my laptop as I type this (woody choked on install, a quick gander at the maillist archives proves my problem to be a known bug).
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Steve
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