Ubuntu

how to tell livecd not to start x?

Asked by Ian Fiske

I am trying out Harder Beta and upon starting X, I get strange lines and garbage on my screen. The mouse pointer appears and I can control it but the keyboard appears to be dead! I'd like to try some debugging before sending in a bug report, so my question is:

How can I tell the livecd to boot like normal, except do not start X? Then I can play with xorg.conf and disable "DRI" like I've read I need to do. I've tried the "safe video" option and VESA is also broken, though I got it working by updating xserver-xorg-video-vesa. The problem with this method is that then my xorg.conf doesn't even contain a section for my ATI card for me to edit.

Thanks!
Ian

Sys info:
Toshiba Satellite M45-s165
video: ATI xpress 200m (RS400)

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Harvey Muller
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Best Harvey Muller (hlmuller) said : 		#1

I don't have my LiveUSB (converted LiveCD) with me, so I can't test first before responding.

But you should be able to hit F6 to edit the kernel parameter's line. Then you'll want to delete both "quiet" and "splash", then insert single. This should bring you smack to a root prompt, or a screen which should let you select it.

Hope this helps,

Harvey

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Harvey Muller (hlmuller) said : 		#2

Ian,

Just checking to see if this resolved your question, or if you need more information.

Regards,

Harvey

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Ian Fiske (ianfiske) said : 		#3

Thanks Harvey Muller, that solved my question.

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Ian Fiske (ianfiske) said : 		#4

Thanks.

I was able to drop to root, edit my xorg.conf and add the line

Option "DRI" "false" to the devices section.

Then I resumed the boot and X worked!

Unfortunately, this type of even would be a show stopper for most newbies. I wonder why DRI isn't disabled by default for chipsets known to have problems like mine?

Thanks!
Ian