[SOLVED] Crashed X

jcmahne · 08-03-2011, 06:23 AM

We have had several power downs and X has crashed in a big way.
error: ext2_lookup:delelted inode reference etc.
How do i boot directly into the terminal (at the splash screen?)?
What command can i use to restore X? Xorgwizard?

Thanks in advance for replying.

PS; i'm wondering why Linux distro's have these problems,and why Windows does not.

Snark1994 · 08-03-2011, 06:33 AM

That's not X having the problems, but the filesystem itself. I would boot into a liveCD and use

Code:

fsck -t ext2 /dev/<partition>

where partition is whichever partition has the problem - I would guess probably your root one. If you don't know which one this is, do something like

Code:

ls /dev/?da?

which will list your partitions.

PS: Perhaps this is not the most tactful thing to say on Linux Questions. But my feeling is these things don't tend to happen if you know what you're doing

jcmahne · 08-03-2011, 09:35 AM

Quote:

But my feeling is these things don't tend to happen if you know what you're doing

I don't know what you mean.It's a standard Zenwalk install.It crashed after a power failure.What was i supposed to do to prevent it?
I agree it's the file system, but why should a user change the standard file system?
I've had this happen before under other distro's too.
But thanks for the reply.
BTW i can list my partitions as i'm running a rescue disc.How do i fix the corrupted files?

Snark1994 · 08-04-2011, 05:32 AM

Fair enough - I guess my point was more that what you said was more likely to lead to an argument about Windows vs Linux rather than helping you solve your problem. I then went for the bait and replied -_- I apologise.

Regardless: have you tried running that 'fsck' command I gave you on the partition? It should try to repair all the problems that it can. The return code from fsck tells you what it did (type 'man fsck' for more information).

Hope this helps,

jcmahne · 08-04-2011, 12:55 PM

No problem.Thanks for help.
The File System Checker did not help.
I reinstalled into the existing partition and simply restored the user account,so everything is back to normal without to much bother.Luckily i've learned,the hard way, the lesson to back up accounts.
Thanks again.

Snark1994 · 08-05-2011, 04:10 AM

Do you have a separate partition for /home ? If you don't, you might find it useful to do so. This means you can re-install the distro (or even install a new one) without overwriting anything under /home

that said, regular backups are still a good thing