Stoping xwindows from starting

embalmedlenin · 09-22-2003, 12:38 PM

How do i stop xwindows from starting automaticlly. Every time i terminate the session it just restarts the x server.
How do i make it start up in the command prompt.

pilotgi · 09-22-2003, 12:54 PM

This question is asked all the time here. There is a file called /etc/inittab with a line that looks something like this:

# The default runlevel is defined here
id:5:initdefault:

Change the 5 to a 3 with a text editor. That's all there is to it.

meldroc · 09-23-2003, 03:19 AM

That's the way you do it in Red Hat, but not in Debian.

In Debian, the login managers (xdm, kdm, gdm - they start X and give you the GUI login prompt) are installed as services in /etc/rc*.d. To stop the login manager, get a root shell and type "/etc/init.d/xdm stop". To make the X login manager go away permanently, go to /etc/rc2.d (assuming you're in runlevel 2) and remove the symlink S99kdm (or xdm or gdm).

dbkluck · 09-23-2003, 10:04 PM

alternatively, you could apt-get install a nifty little program called rcconf. then type rcconf and it will give you a list of all the services started on boot-up. just uncheck gdm, kdm, and/or xdm. i've found that this way of configuring things tends to be harder to screw up than editing the rc*.d files.

embalmedlenin · 09-25-2003, 05:56 PM

Thanks alot I'll try it out

LSD · 09-26-2003, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dbkluck
alternatively, you could apt-get install a nifty little program called rcconf. then type rcconf and it will give you a list of all the services started on boot-up. just uncheck gdm, kdm, and/or xdm. i've found that this way of configuring things tends to be harder to screw up than editing the rc*.d files.

And this isn't in the base system WHY?

My (already low) respect for Debian has just dropped to whole new lows...

Strike · 09-26-2003, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LSD
And this isn't in the base system WHY?

My (already low) respect for Debian has just dropped to whole new lows...

Because the base system doesn't need it? Besides, who manually mucks with rc*.d files and links anyway? Why do you think Debian invented update-rc.d? (oh, and Gentoo fanboi, where do you think Gentoo stole most of its ideas from? oh that's right, Debian!)

LSD · 09-26-2003, 12:56 AM

Why doesn't the base system need it? Not all of us are stupid enough to install everything on offer. And update-rc.d is a pain, it doesn't work nearly as well (any tool where you have to use a --force switch to get things done sucks) as either rc-update on Debian or even Red Hat's ntsysv tool (which looking at it now looks suspiciously related to rcconf). If you want to adjust startup services on any Linux system you have to fiddle with the rc*.d files and a decent interface for that is a must.