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After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 26. Dec 2014, 00:24
by jsfarinet
A couple of days there was an update of some xorg related packages. After i did it i cannot boot anymore into Salix.

The boot process starts regularily up to when i see on the screen the darkstar login and OK. After that the screen changes and i get a kind of a dead screen with a not blinking underline cursor up left - and that's it. The only thing i can do is Ctrl-Alt-Del to reboot or power button to hard shut down.

Before, sometimes i had this problem (because of a hanging start of spamassassin (spamd) or clamav. But then i could break this by doing Ctrl-Z or Ctrl-Y - and in the end i could get the gdm login window, correct the settings and all was fine. This time there seem to be no way to do so. And do not know, how to otherwise break the bootup to get at least the console.

May be someone out there can help me out?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 26. Dec 2014, 01:27
by Atip
Use the install disk and tell to boot into your root partition.
I think one types:

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linux root=/dev/your-root-parttion ro
Anyhow the instructions are there how to do.

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 27. Dec 2014, 01:23
by jsfarinet
TAB is the key to get to the lilo menu "on the fly", correct?

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 27. Dec 2014, 02:09
by westms
jsfarinet wrote:TAB is the key to get to the lilo menu "on the fly", correct?
TAB is the key to get a list of labels. TAB interrupts the boot delay too. The LILO boot prompt is always there.

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 27. Dec 2014, 07:59
by gapan
If you're using proprietary video drivers, then I think you may need to reinstall them.

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 29. Dec 2014, 01:05
by jsfarinet
westms wrote: ... The LILO boot prompt is always there.
How? In grub you have to type e to get the grub prompt ... but in lilo?

TIA

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 29. Dec 2014, 01:16
by jsfarinet
gapan wrote:If you're using proprietary video drivers, then I think you may need to reinstall them.
Hmm. I should have in //tmp the slackware package i built following the instructions for fglrx. So the steps would be:

1. boot with the install usb stick
2 . chroot into the broken /
3. installpkg <fglrx package>
??

BUT:
Since the system seems to boot fine and - apparently - it only breaks when it comes to start X i'm wondering if there is any key sequence which will break the boot process and will leave me at the prompt? That would be definitely easier ;)

TIA

PS. Is there something like a slackware rescue disk (like grml)?

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 29. Dec 2014, 08:33
by gapan
At the lilo prompt hit the tab key. Then enter "linux 3". That should boot you in runlevel 3 (no X).

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 29. Dec 2014, 11:11
by jsfarinet
Sorry for being so dumb: What is the lilo prompt exactly?

When the hd is coming up, i see some graphics and top left Salix and top right a time prompt. When i hit the tab there i get an empty window with top left

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Salix
boot: _
Putting in there linux 3 brings me to:

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No such image. [Tab] shows a list.
boot: linux 3
I erase linux 3 and i hit Tab. Then, there comes up newly

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Salix
boot: _
Guessing in the dark: That's why there aren't more than one linux image ... (???).
Hitting Enter starts the regular boot process.

Re: After xorg update boot does not go thru anymore

Posted: 29. Dec 2014, 11:24
by jsfarinet
Answering to myself:

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Salix 3
does the trick.