Preventing the GUI from starting up
 

Hello, I'm using Fedora Core 5...

1) How can I prevent the graphical interface from loading and starting up?
- When I turn on my machine, I want to be taken to the login prompt.

2) Can I undo whatever I do in step 1, and make the gui auto load and start in the future?


Also, how can I then get into gnome if I do want to?

I'm confused about what exactly xWindows, Gnome, and KDE are. I know that Gnome and KDE are the same type of entity, but what that is, I am not sure :) I think that they both run on top of x-Windows.

Any help, info would be MUCH appriciated.

thanks ...

The file /etc/inittab holds the setting for your default run level. Since you're running FC5 and you boot straight into a GUI, you should have the following somewhere in yours:
If you change this to the following then in future you will boot to a text login prompt:
Yes, you can change it back - just put the default run level back to 5. Once you have logged in at the text prompt, just type startx to start your GUI.

edit inittab - chnage default run level to 3.

startx will start gui with in given user context - where as init 5 starts global gui mode ( you may need other privileges for that).

Another thing you can do is the 'init' or 'telinit' command as root, which works temporarily. Ie

init 3/5
telinit 3/5

Or, if you have grub press e to edit and add 3 to the end of your line :)

Wow... I really appriciate all the help. That helped a lot.

Another thing, (not highly important). While in X windows, how can I close x Windows without doing a full reboot. In other words, how can I quit the x windows session, and go to a command line only session(if that's what it's called... if not please correct).

Pretty sure its called that. Anyways, Hold CTRL+ALT+Backspace for a sec and X windows should die right back to the console. Anyways, thats what i use for Xgl and X.org :)

edit: Also possible: Goto an xterm, konsole, gnome-terminal, or other terminal and type init 3[enter]. This will bring you to the classic login, where you can... log in. To go back, init 5. I think on some distribs, you can press CTRL+ALT+2 to get to a different console, then press CTRL+ALT+7 to get back to Xwindows with out closing it or any thing.

thanks nmn, now I see what dave was talking about. ;)