I'm a linux newbie, so this is all pretty new to me.

A few things I haven't been able to find are the options to turn the computer off or reboot. I just see "Lock Screen" and "Logout." I know I can type in "reboot" in the terminal, but that's impractical. When I attempt to logout, the screen goes back. Nothing more. No prompts or anything. So I have to end up holding down the power button so it shuts off improperly. How can I find these two, seemingly easy, tasks?

Is there some way to logout (first I need to solve the problem the paragraph before this one lol), and get to a login screen that lists usernames to login? I'm sure there's a way to set it up or get to it, I just don't know of it.

This one's been bothering me. A friend of mine showed me this really cool thing called virtual terminals or something. At the prompt, it's the "vt --02 _vt-02" or something. I forget. Where you can have multiple users using the computer at once... Or you can just do Ctl+Alt+F1 and have a linux login screen lol. I, however, do not know anything about the vt command or how to use it. I tried hitting Ctl+Alt+F3 to get a new terminal prompt, but the screen went black and nothing showed up on the screen, so I had to yet again, force my computer's power off.

Background info: When I installed Slackware 10.0 I selected the "Full installation"

I haven't had much luck with Linux so far. If you guys could help me out, that would be really helpful.

Thank you,
Jim.

Are you using a GUI login manager like gdm or kdm?
(kde should allow you as a normla user to reboot and shutdown)

when you said "When I attempt to logout, the screen goes back...." Do you start out
at the prompt and then type startx?

And a follow up question on the same matter - you said when you hit ctrl-alt-f3, the screen is
blank. Could the problems be the same problem, just found 2 different ways? or did I miss something
And yes, by hitting ctrl-alt-f2 (or f3,f4,etc), you should get a prompt to log in.

is video normal until X starts?

to reboot and to shutdown do as root

^-- reboot

^-- shutdown

you can do ALT-F2, ALT-F3, ALT-4 while on a comand line to log in as another user.

You need to type



before you can log in as another user. Make sure you do this and add someone (yourslef) so you can log in as someone other than root, because as root, you can change anything, and screw up anything so be careful.

make sure to read www.slackware.com/book/

Most of these are already covered here:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=230406

All I know is I have KDE.... I'm not sure what manager I'm using.

I meant the screen goes "black". I don't know why it would do that. Yes, initially when the computer boots, I login as root, then type "startx".

Nope, hitting Ctl+Alt+F3..F4.... etc, just gets me more black screens.

Thank you msober, those commands are very helpful.
Ah, yes. Making another username that's not root, would be wise. Especially since I could very easily screw something up. lol.
Wow, that is a long book!! I hope it will be helpful.

the book is a good starting point, but it is a bit out dated.

http://shilo.is-a-geek.com/slack/ <-- is a great start up guide.

If you did a full install, then you have KDE, GNOME, fluxbox, etc. If you want to change window managers (KDE is a wm manager) as root, type

that lets you choose which wm to choose, it also shows you which wm's you have installed. KDE and GNOME are the most popular, but also the most resorce intensive.

When you reboot, or start your computer, after you login as root, or your new username, if you hit ALT-F2, ALT-F3, ALT-F4 it will bring up a new login, so you can have two, three, four users logged in. make sure to just do ALT-F2 and not CTRL-ALT-F2

also, you can use the command

then enter your root's password to 'be' root for a period of time, type exit once you are done.

Linux requires a *LOT* or reading, especially slackware, but it is very worth it.


Don't give up, and let us know how it goes,

Welcome to slack!

-Mike

And to shutdown (one way):

add :

apm=power-off

to your append line in the Slackware stanza in lilo.conf - ie for example

append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off quiet apm=power-off"

then type

/sbin/lilo

to make the changes take effect

In addition - uncomment this line in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

#/sbin/modprobe apm

to

/sbin/modprobe apm

OK, so you're using KDE...

I use KDE. And KDM. (the KDE login manager). First, if you use KDE and KDM you should be able to shutdown your computer right from the K menu (k button - end session - shutdown ) (or reboot). Also, if you just end the session you can shutdown your PC from KDM.

In order to shutdown your machine properly you should be ACPI compiled or loaded as a module. (like Skyline said).

Good luck.

there is no shutdown button the the K-menu. That's what I'm trying to find.

Ok, here is the stuff...

If you use KDM or GDM (this is, if you didn't press "startx" but entered you username and password in a dialogbox at the start), then a dialogbox (with a nice green dragon) should appear after you click the "logout" option in the K menu.

__________End session for (username)_____________
----------------------------------------------------------
---------What do you want to do?------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------|o|End session only---
-----------------------------------|o|Turn off computer--
-----------------------------------|o|Restart computer--
---------------------------------------------------------
------|OK|-----------|Cancel|----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------

If you have ACPI or APM compiled or moduled and functioning, it should work.

Good luck!

When the computer initially turns on, it forces me to login, so I do. So, if logging from the first black-screen prompt is required, I don't know how to get the dialog box which lets me logout. (A dragon would be cool.) I've never seen that dialog before. I remember seeing it in SuSe (I tried it out for a couple days to see what Linux is like), but I'm using Slackware now, so I don't know how to find that dialog.

If you use KDM or GDM (this is, if you didn't press "startx" but entered you username and password in a dialogbox at the start), then a dialogbox (with a nice green dragon) should appear after you click the "logout" option in the K menu.

...What's "ACPI or APM"? Sorry, I'm very new to this. lol.

Thank you.

__________
Linux logins
__________

In Linux, (unlike DOS or some versions of W@@@s), it is needed for the user to login in order to properly use the machine. There are, as far as i know, two ways to login under Linux:

-To login in the black-screen prompt called "text console" (like you do). In this way you have to type "startx" to start your X graphical GUI;
or
-To login in a graphic dialog box (this is, using a login manager which can be KDM, GDM or XDM). In this way, you will not need to type anything but your username and password.

If you want to alter the way in which this is done, you have to edit your /etc/inittab file. There should be something like this:

# Default runlevel (do not set to 0 or 6)
id:3:initdefault:

Replace "3" with "4" if you want to login using a graphical login manager.


_________________________
Shutting down the PC from KDE
_________________________
Now, in order to shut down properly from KDE, you have to meet two conditions:

1. You have to login using KDM. Otherwise, when you select "logout" from the K menu, you will just go back to the text console. (or, if you use GDM, back to the GDM greeting screen).

2. You have to activate ACPI or APM.


_____________________________
What the @@@@ are ACPI and APM?
_____________________________

ACPI and APM are standards for energy control. (acpi=don't remember apm=advanced power management). Generally you need to have one of these functioning in order to properly shut down your PC. I use ACPI.

In order to activate, for example, APM (like Skyline said), you just have to add

apm=power-off

to the append line in the /etc/lilo.conf file, and after that type /sbin/lilo to validate your changes. You also have to uncomment this line in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

#sbin/modprobe apm
to
sbin/modprobe apm


_________________
Switching to KDM
_________________

Slackware 10 uses GDM by default. This is, that you have to shutdown your PC (under X) from GNOME and as root; or to set some permissions for all the users and tweak GNOME a little. If you want to shut down your PC from within KDE you have to login using KDM. So let's switch to KDM.

In your file /etc/rc.d/rc.4 , comment the three lines that start GDM. Something like

#if [ @@@@@@@@@@@/gdm ] ; then
# then exec /@@@/gdm -nodaemon
#fi



That's all! Cross your fingers and... you could by now shut down properly your PC. Remember that there are always other ways to, for example, shut down your PC from within KDE. If this one doesn't work, keep trying.

Good luck!

I installed Slackware 10 not too long ago, and to get the x server to start at boot, then go into root. And type the following...

# startx
-- Then open up a terminal, the little montor on the taskbar.
# kedit /etc/inittab
-- in inittab change the "default runlevel" (you should see it, as soon as you open up the editor) to 4. Then save it. It should look like this NOTE: this is only the top portion of the file, but thats all you need to see...

#
# inittab This file describes how the INIT process should set up
# the system in a certain run-level.
#
# Version: @(#)inittab 2.04 17/05/93 MvS
# 2.10 02/10/95 PV
# 3.00 02/06/1999 PV
# 4.00 04/10/2002 PV
#
# Author: Miquel van Smoorenburg, <miquels@drinkel.nl.mugnet.org>
# Modified by: Patrick J. Volkerding, <volkerdi@slackware.com>
#

# These are the default runlevels in Slackware:
# 0 = halt
# 1 = single user mode
# 2 = unused (but configured the same as runlevel 3)
# 3 = multiuser mode (default Slackware runlevel)
# 4 = X11 with KDM/GDM/XDM (session managers)
# 5 = unused (but configured the same as runlevel 3)
# 6 = reboot

# Default runlevel. (Do not set to 0 or 6)
id:4:initdefault:
^^^^^^^^^ thats where you change your runlevel, from "id:3:initdefault", to "id:4:initdefault".

He doesnt have a shutdown button or a restart button, its not implemented on slackware when installed, but I still dont know how to put it on. Its just not killing me that bad to find a way to get it on.

HOPE THIS HELPS!

Wow. Mandrake 10.0 doesn't seem to have any problems so far. I'll stick with Mandrake as a starting point.