Debian stuck at console prompt, not able to load desktop
 

Hello friends,

Yesterday I installed debian 6.0 on my second dell laptop as a single OS, with CD-1. Installation run fine and everything was working smoothly. But this morning, when I started my PC, it all the time gets stuck at console login prompt (i.e. single user mode), and not loading GUI desktop at all.
I don't know what to do now? Why it's stuck and how to load GUI desktop?

I will appreciate any help / suggestions.

TIA.

Hi,

I think it isn't in single user mode, it looks more like X failed to start. Have a look in the log file to try to find out whey. Eg
It may also worth checking if your package manager is in a sane state. Eg
Evo2.

Thanks evo2.
I will read and analyze the logs and post the same if I will feel helpless.
Regards, Shivaa

Certainly not single user mode, as you'd have been prompted for a password or Ctrl-D, and it would be ust the root hash prompt. It's been a while since I used squeeze, but I seem to remember if X failed to start, it would pop up an ncurses based dialog and offer to try again or view the X log, then again I could be mistaken.

It would be good to know what you did to get to singel user mode (recovery mode).

Would also be good to know why you were going to recovery mode.

As goumba points out that is a user prompt ($). Recovery mode would be a root prompt (#).

Did you try the command;
at the user prompt?

Assuming you installed with a root password that should ask you for your root password.

Did you get a gui log in page when you tried the install the first time?

You must have had to log in as user when you got the user prompt. Did you try;
?

If so what was the responce?

I solved it out. Actually during installation I had choosen option to set it as a mail server, so during reboot it wasn't able to load mail services and got stuck at MTA and prompting for console login.

In the meantime, a re-installation solved the pb.

Thanks everyone for your good time and efforts.

Hi,

glad you got it working, pity you used a sledge hammer.

Evo2.

I agree, glad you got it to work, unfortunate that you had to take the Windows route of solving the problem (i.e. reinstall).

Something sounds fishy however. I have had the MTA fail and it didn't drop me to a console login for such. It would still start X, although it would take longer to do so.

Yes, I think you're right, perhaps it was not stuck but was taking long time in starting mails services.

Many thanks to you guys! Cheers!!