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My problem is that my X server is stuffed and all i need to do to fix it is edit the XF86Config file. But my system boots runlevel 4 (xwindows initialization) by default and tries to load the screwed x server. I need to bypass the x initialization so i can just get a console. Do i do this by booting into maintenance mode? and how do i do that?
If you use LILO as a boot amanger you can pass the line init=/bin/bash rw to your kernal image..
this starts bash (as root) before any other initialisations.. the rw is for Read and Write access (needed to edit the XF86Config)
start your puter..
lilo asks you to select (or enter) what you want..
say you have a kernal image called Linux..
then make it
Linux init=/bin/bash rw
this trick works on most distro's.. and is also handy if you ever loose your root password..
simply remove the password-hash for root in /etc/shadow
ok i dont use lilo, i use loadlin. what do i do with that.
Equally, you could try booting your distro from CDROM (if you have one) and take options similar to 'recover system', then change whatever you need to change in X
H'm I never realy liked Loadlin..
but a good trip to google made me realise it's realy easy to do the same thing with loadlin..
just add init=/bin/bash rw to the linux line in your batch or whatever way you start loadlin..
so when you have something like this:
loadlin.exe c:\linux\vmlinuz
make just add the init stuff..
loadlin.exe c:\linux\vmlinuz init=/bin/bash rw
Boot into runlevel 3.
Just add a "3" on to the end of your kernel command-line, via lilo or loadlin, or whatever. It should then come up in 3, with everything running except X.
Or you can hit CTRL + ALT + F1 and it will throw you to a terminal window sans xwindows.