boot to console

how can I boot to console, I have lilo that starts whith a "splashscreen" and 3 options : linux, failsafe and windows.
I want to boot to a console and I don't want the windowmanager to start.
( when windowmanager wdm starts it totaly locks my keyboard)
Which key at what time should I push to get a prompt before lilo starts booting?

You can either:

- edit your /etc/lilo.conf file, and add "2" at the end of your append=xxx line
- edit your /etc/inittab file and change 5 to 2 in the initdefault line

At the lilo prompt, you should be able to type

Code:

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linux 2

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to boot up in runlevel 2.

linux 2 doesn't boot at lilo prompt, it only excepts the 3 lilo entrys from
lilo.config : linux,failsafe and windows
How can I stop the boot proces just before it starts the windowmanager?

edit your /etc/lilo.conf file, and add "2" at the end of your append=xxx line
- edit your /etc/inittab file and change 5 to 2 in the initdefault line



how can I edit these files and run lilo if I can't boot to consolemode?

Boot from your cd not your hd install, use:
knoppix 2
at your boot prompt. Then (as root) mount your hd install read/write, (let's assume your knoppix hd install is at /dev/hda1) so:

mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1
mount -o remount,rw /mnt/hda1

then:

cd /mnt/hda1/etc

and using a console editor (vi, nano etc.) or mc and edit your inittab file and in the id:x:initdefault: line substitute: 2 for 5

# The default runlevel.
id:5:initdefault:

Change to:

# The default runlevel.
id:2:initdefault:

Editing your ininttab file should fix your startup problem, but if you want to (or need to) edit your lilo.conf file you will need to chroot to your hd partition:

cd /mnt/hda1
chroot /mnt/hda1
cd etc

then again use a console editor and edit your lilo.conf file, save it and the run lilo:

/sbin/lilo -v

Pay attention to any error messages lilo give you.

HTH

~rock

thanks Rockmumbles, for your clear advice, it worked.
Only one thing, I had so switch it to 1 (inittab) runlevel 1 was singleuser mode it said in inittab.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackren

thanks Rockmumbles, for your clear advice, it worked.
Only one thing, I had so switch it to 1 (inittab) runlevel 1 was singleuser mode it said in inittab.

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The run levels 2-5 are all the same in Debian unless you change them, if you had wanted at your Lilo screen you could have typed in Linux single and had the same effect.