[ltp] Linux/TP Newbie Questions

[Joe Clark]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob Bell" <RobDBell@netscape.net>
To: <linux-thinkpad@www.bm-soft.com>
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 9:01 PM
Subject: [ltp] Linux/TP Newbie Questions


> I'm pretty new to installing and configuring Linux systems but I've been
> using ThinkPads and Unix for many years.  I've got a few hopefully
> simple questions and would appreciate any pointers to where I can find
> the answers.  I know these aren't entirely ThinkPad related, so feel
> free to respond directly to not clutter the list.
>
> I have installed RH 7.2 on a ThinkPad A21p.  The install went well and
> the system is functioning fine.  With whatever options I choose during
> the install, I seem to have enabled the graphical mode to start
> automatically when I power on the system.  It boots into a window
> manager, which I believe is Gnome (but there are references to KDE on
> the start menu too).  There is a little 'footprint' for a start menu
> button, and from what I've seen that is Gnome. When I choose to exit
> Gnome the computer shuts down.  I never get to a console-only state
> (just in an xterm under Gnome).


>From my experience there are two approaches.  First, you should see an icon
on the panel at the bottom (near the Gnome's foot) that looks like a
terminal with a shell on it.  If you double-click that icon you will open up
the Bash shell.  From there you can edit (as root) a file called
/etc/inittab.  At the bottom of that file you should find a line that puts
you in the Graphical mode on boot up and cause you either to return to the
graphical mode when you logout or shutdown.  If you comment out that line by
putting a "#" in front of it , you should start in CLI mode.  Unfortunately,
I haven't played with this for a while and I can't tell you the exact line.

The second approach is ctrl-alt-F1 which jumps you out of Gnome into another
terminal where you can log in as root and do text mode type things.

HTH

Joe Clark

PS check out http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ibm.html -- there are A21
experiences recorded there.

PSS It sounds to me like you only have root on your system.  On my installs,
I always had the option of logging in either as root or as the peon user.



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