Not sure if this is what you are asking... As root, open and edit the file inittab located at /etc:
Code:
vim (or any other editor you use) /etc/inittab
You will see some lines which looks like this:
Code:
# Level to run in
id:5:initdefault:
This is for Mandrake. If you switch "5" to "3", next time you start your system, you will login in text-mode only. This number may slightly change regarding your distribution, so beware
.