No TTYs, can't Ctrl-Alt-F# !

humbletech99 · 11-15-2005, 07:20 AM

Hi,
I've got Debian 3.1 testing with a KDE desktop but I can't get out of that desktop to any console. The usual Ctrl-Alt-F# doesn't work, although my desktop works normally.

My login manager is kdm, although I usually go with gdm, i'm trying kdm out. WHen it first starts, before I log in, I can Alt-N and that kills the kdm and returns me to the first console. However, if I press Alt-F2, Alt-F3 etc I get blank screens.

I don't think this is a fearture of kdm. I think this has to do with setting tty numbers or something somewhere, but I don't know where.

Can anyone help?

julz_51 · 11-15-2005, 08:15 AM

Do you have a section that looks like this in /etc/inittab ? (this one is from gentoo, it's a bit different on debian)

Code:

c1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 linux
c2:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 linux
c3:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 linux
c4:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 linux
c5:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 linux
c6:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 linux

If you have it, look at the numbers : in my example, in runlevel 1, only the first tty will be launched. Maybe you boot in the wrong runlevel.

I boot in runlevel 3 by default :

Code:

id:3:initdefault:

You can try another runlevel without rebooting : as root type :

Code:

init #

where # is the runlevel you want to switch to.

humbletech99 · 11-15-2005, 09:16 AM

of course, thanks for that, I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes, may get back to you tomorrow since I'm at work and it's a home machine.