Graphical Login- How Can I remove?
 

I reinstalled Debian 3.1 from scratch, this time choosing the 2.6 Kernal and "Desktop Configuration". For reasons unknown to me, when the install completed I found myself at a Graphical Login Screen. I did not choose this as an option.

Last time I installed Debian 3.1 I choose "Multiple User Configuration", which booted to a shell prompt.

What exactly was installed this time around, and how can I uninstall this Graphical Login Screen so I boot to the shell prompt?

I've seen many posts on this topic but can't seem to get the complete picture on this.

I know next to nothing about Debian, so take what I say with a huge grain of salt. But, in Fedora Core, there is a file /etc/inittab (which I would imagine would be in the same location in Debian) that controls the computer's runlevel. You can edit the line that looks like

but make the 'X' a '3' instead. You will boot into runlevel 3, which is a console, multiuser mode.

First check the login manager you use: ls -l /etc/init.d/[gkx]dm
Then, if it is say kde, remove the startup links: update-rc.d -f kdm remove
You can remove xdm as well from starting: update-rc.d -f xdm remove
And make new ones that only start kdm in runlevel 5: update-rc.d kdm start 99 5 . stop 01 0 1 2 3 4 6 .
This because iirc debian boots to a graphical login in runlevels 2-5
And change inittab like Mad Scientist posted.

Debian is defferent with runlevels than Fedora. So making "initdefault to 3 in /etc/inittab" alone would not work.

So lets make it 3 and configure rc3 to command-line. Most probably you should have "gdm" running. So using either "update-rc.d", "sysv-rc-conf" or "sysvconfig" disable "gdm" in rc3. make initdefault to 3 in /etc/inittab.

makuyl's tip would be better this way
So if you want the GUI login back you can change initdefault to any of 2,4,5 in "/etc/inittab". Whenever you want to boot to non-GUI login go back to 3.

*Correction:
makuyl's tip would be better this way

I think you meant "update-rc.d gdm stop 01 3"

Actually I meant the 2-digit sequence code used by the SysV-init (provided it is SysV), and for gdm I think it was 01.

Thank you makuyl anyway. I shall edit the previous post too.

*Note about my previous post
makuyl's tip would be better this way

What is the default Login Manager when Debain 3.1 is installed? Shouldn't this be the default of the install if I have not changed anything after install?

If you just installed the desktop environment when asked during the setup then it would be gdm so just remove the /etc/rc2.d/S99gdm link and if you have xdm installed you may as well remove that one as well.

Actually that would only work until the next time the gdm/xdm package was updated, then it would restore the default link because it couldn't detect any "/etc/rc2.d/???gdm" link.
The proper solution would be to rename the offending "/etc/rc2.d/S99gdm" to something like "K01gdm" either directly or by using the 'update-rc.d' script.
Another temporary solution would be to do something like: (as root of course)

If you remove all the links that would be true, if you leave at least one link then the other(s) will not be recreated.

I do the following to prevent gdm starting,
If you need to enable gdm again, just do

Thanks.
Now when I boot up it goes directly to a shell prompt (this is what I want). I got it to do this by typing:
Can someone explain what this command does? I have know idea what it did to my system. Thanks.

You removed the links for xdm in the /etc/{rc0.d/ rc1.d/ rc2.d/ rc3.d/ rc4.d/ rc5.d/ rc6.d/ rcS.d/} directories which was the display manager using the update-rc.d tool which is used to manage these links. If you ever want them back (you will get them back BTW anyways unless you remove the xdm package before its next upgrade) use apt-get --reinstall install xdm and the package will be reinstalled and links recreated.