CTRL, ALT, BACKSPACE doesn't exit X server

[mychl]

Is there something I can change in my XF86Config file to let me just go to text mode with ctrl, alt, backspace; rather than it taking me to the logon window????


Thanks

[bdg1983]

So, you have X starting automatically at bootup? Then you can't go to text mode with Ctrl+Alt+Backspace. There are other ways, though.

If you just want to get to text mode, use the virtual consoles. You can change to them with Ctrl+Alt+Fn, where n is something between 1 and 6. Ctrl+Alt+F7 to get back to X or logon screen.

If you want to shut the logon screen completely, you can do it with command init 3 in RedHat and Mandrake.

If you still want the Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to get to text mode, you can't have X starting automatically when you boot. You can change it by editing /etc/inittab. There's line
id:5:initdefault:
Change it to id:3:initdefault:

Before doing it, read the comments in /etc/inittab carefully because the numbers may be different depending on what distro you use.

[Jo the Waiter]

I had the same problem - it drove me nuts 'cause I was trying to configure the sound card and you couldn't do it with the X-Server running (at least I think it was the sound card), and there seemed to be no way of booting back into text only.

Eventually I reloaded Linux - I had other reasons to and I needed the practice anyway. But I hope I'm right in saying that I imagine most people, once they get a little experience in Linux, probably boot into runlevel 3 and then start the GUI from there (?)

[mychl]

NGene, I tried that already, but runlevel 3 was much different than the normal text logon. I could only log on as root for maintenance, I'll double check the inittab file again though, thanks.

[bdg1983]

mychl, what distro are you using?

[mychl]

SuSE 7.1

Thanks
:D