um... HELP!!

[paulb]

I have RH 7.1 running on an old box.
When I start up it goes fine until the grapic mode starts for login. The screen flashes from black to text mode then to gray in an attempt to get in to graphic mode. Is there any way I could access the file system in text mode? To like ajust it or somthing? Is there like a safe mode or anything? Thank you all sooooooooo much.

[bdg1983]

ctrl-alt-backspace

If the gui logon prompt comes back, then switch to a VT using ctrl-alt-F1 or F2-F6... Logon and run xf86config or Xconfigurator.

The best way to go about this would be to boot in 'linux single' mode, change the runlevel to console only and then reconfigure X.

Lots of NHF's on this.

[thor420]

To add to mdwatts : If you want to edit your /etc/inittab file to default into runlevel 3. That should bring you into console-land login.

[paulb]

After reading your posts (Thank you both), I turned on my Linux box.

Everything is normal except that it didnt seem to allow me to choose my boot. I only have one, so I didn't care. Then it asks me (in text mode) for my root password (not usual) for my root password. I type it in. It works. The conversation looks somthing like this:

repair filesystem 1#1
bash: command not found Sweet! Im in bash! My first true experience using Linux in text mode
repair filesystem 2#pico This was my first experince in text mode, I had to make the most out of it
[Pico Comes Up]
Ctrl + X
repair filesystem 3#mpg123
[I get the help output]
repair filesystem 4#kdm
The computer makes some noises but I get no other output yet
repair filesystem 5#kde
Bash: File not found

How do I start KDE from here?
Or GNOME?

[ 08 November 2001: Message edited by: paulb ]

[EyesWideOpen]

Originally posted by paulb:
<STRONG>How do I start KDE from here?
Or GNOME?</STRONG>

Type startx and whatever your default desktop environment is will (hopefully) be started. But you don't want to do this as root (for security reasons).

You'll need to find someway to login as a normal user and run startx (or XConfigurator or xf86config to configure X as mdwatts said above) as that user. Let us know if you need help doing that.

[paulb]

k thanks
ill try that right now:

[paulb]

Response:

xauth: error in locking authority file /root/.Xauth
xauth: error in locking authority file /root/.Xauth

Fatal server error could not lock file [filename]

[somthing about reporting errors]

giving up

xinit: error connecting to x server
xinit: no such prosess (errno 3): Server Error

Then It gave me the command prompt.

I miss Linux. :(


EDIT: doh... im still root

[ 08 November 2001: Message edited by: paulb ]

[bdg1983]

Did you reconfigure X?

If not, then there is no use in trying to startx as X need to be configured first.

[paulb]

Nope.

Ill try to do that.

/me has no clue how

[teeitup]

Reading your second post it sounds like it came up in single user mode due to file system errors.

I would reboot and watch the screen.
My guess is a file system is messed up and fsck can't fix it automatically.

You may need to run fsck manually to fix it.

Good Luck,

[DMR]

Originally posted by paulb:
<STRONG>/me has no clue how</STRONG>That's where the config tools that mdwatts mentioned come into play; you should have Xconfigurator or XF86Setup available in Rh 7.x. Use either one to set up your video card and monitor. Before running the configuration program you should be sure to have your card and monitor's manuals handy; you'll need the specs.

[bdg1983]

Originally posted by paulb:
<STRONG>Nope.

Ill try to do that.

/me has no clue how</STRONG>

That would be the reason why I originally suggested you reconfigure X. Something is wrong with the setup and you need to use the config tools and configured for your environment.

Please do not keep trying 'startx' as you will only make matters worse and possibly damage your monitor. Get it configured first.

[teeitup]

paulb wrote:

Everything is normal except that it didnt seem to allow me to choose my boot. I only have one, so I didn't care. Then it asks me (in text mode) for my root password (not usual) for my root password. I type it in. It works. The conversation looks somthing like this:
repair filesystem 1#

I don't want to get in the way here. but if this is indeed true. Sounds like a bad boot sequence.

root password only?
booted to text for the first time?
sounds like single user mode to me.

All the other advice won't work until you have a clean boot.

If what he wrote is not as I understand it.

Sorry,

[DMR]

teeitup,

Your profile says you're from N.California. Where exactly? Just curious; it doesn't seem like there are many of us from the NorCal area (I'm in Marin county).

[paulb]

Originally posted by DMR:
<STRONG>[QUOTE]Originally posted by paulb:
That's where the config tools that mdwatts mentioned come into play; you should have Xconfigurator or XF86Setup available in Rh 7.x. Use either one to set up your video card and monitor. Before running the configuration program you should be sure to have your card and monitor's manuals handy; you'll need the specs.</STRONG>

Excuse my n00bness, but how do I run them while not in a DE? What's the command?

[teeitup]

DMR,

I live in the east bay, Dublin.

[thor420]

Originally posted by paulb:
<STRONG>Excuse my n00bness, but how do I run them while not in a DE? What's the command?</STRONG>

At a command prompt. All kind of em: "XFree86 -config" "Xconfigurator" "XF86Setup", and a whole bunch more.

[paulb]

Thanks thor.