how do you boot Fedora in Text mode? I have installed Fedora in a VMWare Virtual Machine and am trying to exit the GNome GUI to install the VMWare Tools which requires that "X" not be loaded.

sorry to ask what is probably a very basic question but I have just picked up Fedora as my introduction to Linux to hopefully break my reliance on Microsoft products at home.

There might be an easier way but:
As root, edit /etc/inittab - change the line that says
to look like
.

If you restart the computer, it will come to a text login prompt, and you will need to type "startx" to get into gnome. You can change the /etc/inittab back when you are done.

I hope this helps
From Ian

another way is to hit ctrl-alt-F1, then 'kill ####' your desktop manager, whether it's gdm (gnome) or kdm (kde). To find out which, you can run 'ps -A | less' (the pipe command is the one above your backslash, generally).

If you use Lilo as your bootloader, you can also use 'linux single' which is similar to MS Window's "safe" mode. 'linux 3' will boot you into init 3, which runs everything but the GUI, generally.

Hope these ideas help a little.

for a one time deal you can always enter the command "init 3" in a terminal window to "drop down" to command line only, then enter "init 5" (no quotes btw) to reload the window manager.

i think ctrl+alt+backspace works as well, it'll "kill" x server (just for that one time)

to make sure it boots into the bash promt, just edit /etc/inittab

around after the runlevel definitions are made youll see a comomand like
1:123:respawnwhatecver program and stuff)
change it to read
1:123:respawn:bash --login

just be sure to comet out anything else with respawn in it and not to delet it cuse then ur stuck


er stupid sad face!!!! its a : ( with no space but it dame it a smilY!!!!!!! EERRRRR!

>"i think ctrl+alt+backspace works as well, it'll "kill" x server (just for that one time)"

That works with startx, but gdm, kdm, and similar are annoyingly persistant. When you hit ctrl-alt-backspace, it kills the xserver, but they automatically try and reboot it.

It's still useful, especially when troubleshooting, but not like it used to be.

thanks for the heads up scott_R, I was beginning to wonder what was wrong when X kept coming up after i hit those keys over and over.

In X, CTRL+ALT+F2. You'll be in command line.

su -
enter root password
init3

That should kill your X server. Now, follow the advice of IBall and you'll be booting into command line permanently (unless of course you change it back to the init5).

Thanks for all the variations on how this task could be completed. WOW! The power of linux I like choices!

I ended up launching a console and entering init 3 then when completed init 5. Worked like a champ!

Now, how do I modify the bootloader so that I have a terminal mode option?

Now when you say you want to modify the bootloader so you have a terminal mode option do you mean that you want to boot into command line or just have the option to choose command line OR GUI login?

As far as I know, you choose EITHER command line OR GUI permanently, but not a both. Nothing, is of course permanent as you can edit your /etc/inittab again. But, I find booting to command line first, then going into X is much easier on my stress levels.

Lots of times booting to X will be hell to get out of (as you found out). So, rather than going through all that, I just type:

startx

after I login to my terminal and go to X that way. It's 7 extra keystrokes that will keep you from stressing. And if something goes wrong with X, it will usually dump you back to command line with errors rather than putting you in a looping hell.

thanks Texicle! I will take your advice and avoid the potential of the infinite loop.