I have been using LM 19 XFCE for some time - on a different computer. Suddenly, a bewildering new problem has cropped up. When I try and boot up the computer, it starts the boot routine, and even shows me the LM logo, but then it refuses to go beyond that - onto the login screen.

After several tries, I abandoned hope of getting it to work again. And then I booted it up with a boot disk that had LM 19 on it. So I can get the computer to work, but all the data that I had on it has become unavailable. However, I managed to salvage some data from backups, and so reformatted the disk with LM 19 XFCE afresh. BUT IT FAILS TO GET TO THE LOGIN SCREEN AGAIN!

I had been using it perfectly happily for many months with that very same download of LM 19, so am completely at my wit's end as to what might have happened.

One point needs clarification: when I booted from the boot disk, I got to the login screen alright. Then, after reinstalling LM 19, I removed the boot disk, and tried to login from the hard disk. Then, once again, I failed to get to the login screen.

Quite possibly you need to test the hard drive and maybe even replace it.

I ran "memtest" from the boot-up screen for a full five hours - several passes, but even at the end of that it reported no errors. So I suppose that the hard disk is not to blame.

Now?

Memtest tests RAM, it has nothing to do with the hard disk or storage in general. First step, is there a HD test in your bios?

Memtest checks the RAM/memory chips on your system.

https://www.memtest86.com/

If you want to check the drive, use one of the tools described at the link below or the tools for the specific manufacturer of the drive which you should be able to download from their site.

https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu...alth-on-linux/

Has LM ever worked on this computer? For how long?

At the grub boot menu, e for edit delete quiet splash from linux line, ctrl-x or f10 to boot, note last few messages before it hangs

Thank you, wonderful people!

Using Disks, I was able to test, and apparently repair, the hard disk. After doing that, I reinstalled LM 19, and this time it worked, all the way to the login screen! So, all is well, for now.

Meanwhile colorpurple21859, sir - I was barely able to understand anything more than the prepositions in your wonderfully cryptic suggestion! But I'd love to understand more - even though my immediate problem appears to have been solved.

Thank you all, once again.

Alok Rai

File this away for future reference: "colorpurple21859"'s goal was to have you edit the command line that boots Linux to disable the cutesy graphical display that you normally see during bootstrap and reveal the various diagnostic messages that scroll across the screen while the system components are starting up. If your system was to hang during booting, you'd see messages that described what the problem was.

Issue the command:
and you'll get an idea of the bits and pieces of the boot command line that he suggested removing.

HTH...

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Thanks a ton! I ran the command you suggested, and there was something "quiet splash" there. Mercifully, I don't need to know more at this time.