Booting to command prompt with a bootdisk

daverino · 03-13-2002, 02:05 PM

Hi i use a boot disk to boot up linux Mandrake. i was wondering if there was some command to make it boot to the command prompt instead of the gui?
Occasionally i'd like to run linux with no gui.
Thanks in advance.

frieza · 03-13-2002, 08:41 PM

when booted to the gui, hit ctl-alt-F1-F6, see if you don't get a text screen, these are virtual ttys that don't require you to switch your boot away from the gui to have text only, also, you can edit the /etc/inittab to set the default runlevel to 3, then when you want gui, type init 5 at the prompt, cheers

daverino · 03-13-2002, 09:10 PM

I found my own answer. at boot: i typed linux 3, and it booted to runlevel 3 like i wanted.

hanzerik · 03-13-2002, 09:14 PM

in /etc/inittab look for
id:5:initdefault:
change the 5 to a 3.
reboot
login and type startx to go gui, dont forget to change the services that start in runlevel 3, if you used ntsysv to chage the services that start in runlevel 5 then you should do the same for runlevel 3.