Start computer and all I get is the Console!

[subc]

Well, hello all.

 

I am new to Linux (only a couple of days with it) and I installed MDK10 on 2 machines.

In the first machine I installed Linux and nothing else (an old PC) and on my second machine I installed Linux on a partition (along with winXP for gaming).

 

Everything has been pretty smooth so far... until today :unsure:

 

Just yesterday (well, it was already today early morning) I was working with Linux using KDE in my main machine (the one with partition) and I shutdown and went to sleep.

 

Today I turned on the PC and selected Linux at the bootloader (LILO) and the system started to load all of those complicated things that make Linux run.

 

Then, intead of getting KDE, all I got was the console asking me for a login. :o

So I was like "that's weird... but let's see what I can do"

 

So I input my login and password, then I use the su to get root, then I input password again... then I use init 5 (previously, I installed NVIDIA drivers, so I got that command from this post: http://www.mandrakeusers.org/index.php?showtopic=4567 )

 

To my surprise, nothing happened.

So then I write init 6, it kills all the processes and all I get is a reboot :o

 

So at this point I was like "do not panic, I was probably too tired last night and changed a setting without knowing"... so I fired up my second computer (Linux only) and to my even greater surprise... I get a CONSOLE too!!!

 

I was like.. wthell!!!

so basically I'm stuck now

I had to restart my main PC and login with my winXP partition to be able to post this message.

 

what to do, what to do....

 

thanks.

[Guest anon]

When you get to the console, enter your user name and password, then type;

startx

Post any error messages that you see.

[bvc]

this has happened to a few of us......check

/etc/modprobe.conf

for the

alias /dev/nvidia* nvidia

line. MCC, or something, is rewritting the file and taking nvidia out of it. Once that line is replaced it'll work.

Edited June 7, 2004 by bvc

[bvc]

http://www.mandrakeusers.org/index.php?sho...14576&hl=nvidia

[Ixthusdan]

I also had this happen-twice. Everytime I updated a tool, I had to reinstall Nvidia, even though it said it was still there. If you do a "modprobe nvidia" as root, and then successfully startx, just reinstall the nvidia driver.

[subc]

well, I did the startx command... and I got a long list of processes related to the XF86 or something.

In short, it was something like this: (Im copying from what I am able to see on the monitor)

 

Build date: 24 March 2004
Before reporting problems, check http://www.xfree86.org/
to make sure that you have the latest version.

Module loader present
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
             (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) Informational,
             (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", Time: Mon Jun 7 14:26:28 2004
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config-4"
Parse error on line 1 of section (null) in file /etc/X11/XF86Config-4

"HERE IT SHOWS 12 LINES OF GARBLED TEXT ENDING WITH": is not a valid keyword in this section
.
(EE) Problem parsing the config file
(EE) Error from xf86HandleConfigFile()

Fatal server error:
No screens found

When reporting a problem related to a crash, please send
the full server output, not just the last messages.
This can be found in the log file "/var/log/XFree86.0.log".
Please report problems to xfree86@xfree86.org.

XIO fatal IO error 104 (connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 unknown processed) with 0 events remaining.

:o Fatal server error: No screens found... oh well.. don't know if this is helpful, but the funny thing to me is how it happened in both PC's at the same time after they were working properly.

 

btw, I haven't tried the startx command on my main PC, so I will now and I report.

 

thanks.

Edited June 7, 2004 by subc

[Ixthusdan]

Please su to root, and do a "modprobe nvidia" and exit root, then startx again.

[subc]

ALRIGHT

 

I followed your directions.

 

After I started Linux on my MAIN PC, I got a console, and from there I tried the startx command, and I got a lot of text similar to the one I posted before, but this time it said something like 'nvidia module found, but no screen configuration usable' or something.

 

So I typed SU - password - ENTER

from there I did the 'modprobe nvidia' and it semmed like nothing happened.

Then I typed exit then again startx...

 

and here I am!

I will probably re-install the NVIDIA driver... but my question is: will this happen again for (apparently) no reason? Do I have to get a specific NVIDIA driver or the one from the nvidia.com site it's alright?

I mean.. I just want to setup my system and work, not really fight with the SO.

 

STILL AHEAD!!!

 

In my second PC (the old one with Linux only) I did exactly the same procedure... but I had no success... and I was wondering again WTHELL!

Then I remembered that on my second PC I did not installed the NVIDIA driver yet.

All my second PC has is the generic Geforce2 nvidia driver I selected during the installation of Mandrake 10 (for the first PC that Im using now, I did not selected any driver, because I was sure I was going to install the newest one later anyway)... so maybe that's why when I did the:

 

modprobe nvidia

 

command on my second PC, I got a 'module not found' and I am still stuck at the console :unsure:

 

I do not worry much about the second PC, because I could do a clean installation again, but I would like to know if I can still 'save' it.

 

BWT (again), how would I be able to view or edit the /etc/modprobe.conf file from the console?

I tried cd /etc/ to get there, but then I didn't know what command to use in order to view or edit the file (I used the old DOS commands with no luck... lol )

 

thanks again.

Edited June 7, 2004 by subc

[bvc]

but my question is: will this happen again for (apparently) no reason? I just want to setup my system and work, not really fight with the SO.

 

BWT (again), how would I be able to view or edit the /etc/modprobe.conf file from the console?

I tried cd /etc/ to get there, but then I didn't know what command to use in order to view or edit the file (I used the old DOS commands with no luck... lol )

playing in mcc is causing it....so yes it will happen again if you use mcc....at least til they fix it.

 

You have to be root to edit, and usually to view, config files.

su <hit Enter>

type root password <hit Enter>

 

then use vi or nano or some other console/terminal editor to edit the file. To just view it use cat

[root@localhost root]# cat /etc/modprobe.conf
alias eth0 via-rhine
alias sound-slot-0 es1371
install scsi_hostadapter /sbin/modprobe imm; /sbin/modprobe ppa; /bin/true
install usb-interface /sbin/modprobe usb-uhci; /bin/true
alias /dev/nvidia*   nvidia
[root@localhost root]#

 

Oh, and yes, you can just reinstall nvidia to fix it.

Edited June 7, 2004 by bvc

[subc]

playing in mcc is causing it....so yes it will happen again if you use mcc

only problem is... I have no IDEA what [/b]mcc[/b] is... and because of that I don't know if I was messing around with it last night.

 

Oh wait... now that I think about it... MCC could me 'Mandrake Control Center'?

 

I remember I was trying to get the sound working (I have an integrated sound card for audio playback { VT8233 [AC97 Audio Controller] } and a PCI sound card for audio input and recording {QSound ThunderBird PCI Audio} and none of them seem to work, even when thye are both listed) so maybe that caused the problem?

 

If that it's so, then I am afraid that this display thing will happen again (and I will have to re-install the driver again) because I have to get this sound thing working somehow... so I've been looking around :unsure:

 

Anyway. thanks for your help. I feel alittle more confident.

 

As far as my secondary machine, I was unable to get the visual working, so I will try a internet install of the Nvidia driver if possible, or just re-install everything from scratch.

[digby]

Just a note: if you're used to the DOS editor, you probably don't want to use vi as your editor of choice yet. I've heard people rave about it, but when first started it, I couldn't even figure out how to exit. You should probably use joe or nano for small stuff at this point. I think that even emacs is a little more intuitive than vi, but maybe I just missed something obvious.

[Ixthusdan]

And the final recommendation......

 

If you are used to windows and windows like stuff, type "mc" in a console, and you will have a marvelous dosshel type of program that you can use to do a great deal. If you su ti root before launching, you can edit any system file. mc stands for Midnight Commander, an old unix file manager.

[bvc]

mc and nano are great but do you use those at init 1 OR in rescue mode? with only / mounted ;)

 

it's good to learn at least the basics of vi. Hey, I was overwhelmed by it to, and to this day vi's basics are all I know and all I need to know. I'm not a programmer and do not spend a lot of time coding with it or emacs. Ten minutes and you're good to go....anywhere and recover your sys if need be.

 

Open a terminal and do;

vimtutor

;)

[digby]

I didn't know about mc or vitutor. I will give those a try.