no terminal display after X starts

[compujas]

Ok, to start, I'm relatively new to Linux. I am familiar with the basics of it. On to my question. I have had a Debian system up and running for about two weeks now with a handful of roommates that are avid Linux users. Starting today, after X starts, I can't get back to a terminal. It's only after X starts, when I have it boot straight into console, I have a display and it works fine, but once I start X (whether on boot or after booting to console) I cannot switch back to a terminal. If I try ctrl-alt-f1 etc. it just goes to a black screen and the monitor will go into power save mode as if there were no signal. If I try logging out of X or killing it (ctrl-alt-backspace) it does the same thing. Any ideas? Thanks. Any questions, ask, if it's something specific it may be best to tell me how to find it as I am not terribly handy with linux yet.

[JohnT]

What runlevel are you booting too? Are you using KDM.GDM or XDM?

Check your /etc/inittab for entries similar to this:

# These are the standard console login getties in multiuser mode:
c1:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 linux
c2:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 linux
c3:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 linux
c4:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 linux
c5:1235:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 linux
c6:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 linux

[compujas]

I use XDM. I don't know what runlevel I boot to.

My innittab contains

1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2
3:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty3
4:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty4
5:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
6:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

As a side note: my roommate had me remove the symlink S99wdm from /etc/rc2.d

EDIT: I am now being told that I boot into runlevel 2, and that there is supposedly some file that tells this for sure, but unsure as to which file that is.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by compujas
I use XDM. I don't know what runlevel I boot to.

My innittab contains

1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2
3:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty3
4:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty4
5:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
6:23:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

As a side note: my roommate had me remove the symlink S99wdm from /etc/rc2.d

EDIT: I am now being told that I boot into runlevel 2, and that there is supposedly some file that tells this for sure, but unsure as to which file that is.

You want to boot into the multi-user mode.
# Runlevel 0 is halt.
# Runlevel 1 is single-user.
# Runlevels 2-5 are multi-user.
# Runlevel 6 is reboot.

Edit your lines to this:

1:1235:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2:1235:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty2
3:1235:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty3
4:1235:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty4
5:1235:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
6:12345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

[compujas]

Made those changes, still does not work.

[JohnT]

Have you tried just using the command "startx" with the ~/.xinitrc file in your users directory instead of XDM? is there a reason your using a Display Manager?

[compujas]

I do have a .xinitrc file set up in my home directory, and I did try using startx, but it still causes the same problem. No matter how I start up into X, after it starts I cannot get back into console. And I was under the impression that a display manager was required.

[JohnT]

And I was under the impression that a display manager was required. No. it's only a graphical login and chooser.

OK, now look in your /etc/X11/XF86Config(4) or /etc/X11?xorg.conf, whichever youre running and look toward the bottom in a section named "Server Layout".

Look for the line...

Option "DontVTSwitch" "true"

Change to "false".

[compujas]

That line was not there, but I added it to say false and it did not fix it.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by compujas
That line was not there, but I added it to say false and it did not fix it. Just comment the line out then if it did not help. When in your desktop environment try the command init 1 from a terminal and see what effect that has.

[compujas]

That didn't work. It quit X and went to the same blank screen as when it tries to go to console.

[JohnT]

In the 2 weeks you have been running, I'm assuming it worked fine until recently. Now what have you done to your system lately.....kernel upgrade, anything???

[compujas]

It has been working fine. The only thing that I recall doing is installing the NVidia drivers and setting them up to use TwinView with a tv. Everything worked though because I remember using both X and console on the monitor as well as tv simultaneously. So I don't think that is what caused the problem, unless it was just delayed.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by compujas
It has been working fine. The only thing that I recall doing is installing the NVidia drivers and setting them up to use TwinView with a tv. Everything worked though because I remember using both X and console on the monitor as well as tv simultaneously. So I don't think that is what caused the problem, unless it was just delayed. I suspect some file corruption. Without uninstalling the Nvida driver, can you reveret your other settings without too much trouble just to eliminate that possibility. Your not using the RivaFB device with the Nvidia driver are you?

[compujas]

Do you mean the settings in XF86Config-4? I could try to comment them out to change it back. If that's what I should do, should I change the driver back to the built-in nv driver? And no, I'm using a Geforce4 MX440, and I downloaded the latest set of drivers from NVidia.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by compujas
Do you mean the settings in XF86Config-4? I could try to comment them out to change it back. If that's what I should do, should I change the driver back to the built-in nv driver? And no, I'm using a Geforce4 MX440, and I downloaded the latest set of drivers from NVidia. Try that and also use the original drivers...... revert to pre-twin screensetup...just to eliminate that possibility.

[compujas]

I changed everything that I modified back to how it was, and it seemed to have fixed it, so it must be either the TwinView or the nvidia driver. If you have any ideas what it could be let me know, otherwise I will start testing different things and see what could cause it. Thanks for the help. I was almost positive that I had seen it work properly after I had TwinView and nvidia working, but I guess not.

[compujas]

Update... It's definitely something with TwinView. Using the NVidia driver doesn't cause any problems. These are the options I have

Section "Device"

Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "TwinView"
Option "SecondMonitorHorizSync" "30-50"
Option "SecondMonitorVertSync" "60"
Option "MetaModes" "1024x768, 1024x768"
Option "TwinViewOrientation" "Clone"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "CRT, TV"
Option "TVStandard" "NTSC-M"
Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"
VendorName "All"
BoardName "All"

End Section

[compujas]

Well I seem to have gotten it to work again, TwinView and all. I don't know what the problem is because I uncommented pretty much everything. Thanks for all the help. Hopefully it will stay working.

[JohnT]

I just got up from a nap...have to work tonight..... and find I slept through the whole thing. Glad you isolated and solved it. :D

[compujas]

Ok, I figured out the problem. Console for some reason will not come back after X if the TV is not on. If I have the TV on, console and X both work fine. But if I turn the TV off, I can be in X, but not console. Very weird.