How to boot without X Windows?

[Keven Ring]

Elvio Caruana wrote:

>Charles,
>
>When X starts and fails, press CRTL+ALT+F1 to go to console mode.
>Log in as root, then edit /etc/inittab with your favourite editor.
>
>Find the line 
>
>id:5:initdefault:
>
>and change it to
>
>id:3:initdefault:
>
>
>and reboot.
>
>
>You probably didn't know that you can go to a console by CTL+ALT+F[1-6] 
>.. and that will solve you many problems.
>
>
>
>  
>
And *you* probably didn't know that you don't need to reboot to have it 
take effect...

Since you are already logged in as root, type init 3 at the prompt, and 
it will go into pure text mode.  Type init 5, and it will go back to X.

BTW, the CTL+ALT+F[1-6] works regardless of whether you are in init 
level 3 or init level 5.  Furthermore, once you have your X working, if 
you ever use CTL+ALT+F[1-6] to get to a text-based login prompt, you can 
switch back to X by using CTL+ALT+F7.

Once you are in init level 3, you can either type startx to test your X 
configuration, or init 5.  My preference is to type startx, because a 
simple CTL+ALT+Backspace will kill it, and bring you back to your 
prompt.  Once you have your X configuration working the way you want it, 
*then* you can type init 5.

Remember, Unix is not Windows.  You do not need to reboot for every 
little thing.

Good luck...

-- 
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