Hi: I found (did not invent) plain way # systemctl set-default multi-user.target
whereby it loads into the shell. One couldThat gors ack with # systemctl set-default Then comment out the line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet" in /etc/default/grub followed by # update grub whereby you get verbose boot. That goes back a few (or many) years, mainly in favor of my son, trying to keep him away from the commercial-software method of not understanding what lies below the keyboard. ( cheers francesco ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Francesco Pietra <chiendar...@gmail.com> Date: Wed, May 3, 2017 at 4:07 PM Subject: Re: Booting to terminal To: Matthew Heggie <matthew.heg...@googlemail.com> Cc: Hans <hans.ullr...@loop.de>, "debian-amd64@lists.debian.org" < debian-amd64@lists.debian.org> Hi: rc.local (viewed with sysv-rc-conf) has "X" for 2 3 4 and 5. I made 3 4 and 5 blank by removing the "X". On "shutdown - now" and reboot, it still drops directly into xfce (debian9, vintage sony vaio). What wrong am I doing? thanks francesco On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 9:46 AM, Matthew Heggie < matthew.heg...@googlemail.com> wrote: > Hello > > Yes I agree with Hans, you can change the default runlevel to 2 which > gives you a terminal then when you are ready, run gdm3 (starts X > automatically) or 'sudo init 5' to load the default window manager. > > Do some research into init runlevels and I think it will help you a great > deal with a lot of things. > > Regards > > > > Am Mittwoch, 3. Mai 2017 schrieb Hans : > >> Am Mittwoch, 3. Mai 2017, 09:20:33 CEST schrieb Francesco Pietra: >> For testing purposes just move gdm out of the way, Just move /usr/bin/gdm >> to / >> root, when everything is working fine, move it back. >> >> So you have a good way to test and go to default later. >> >> You can also try to force initlevel (I do not know, if this is still >> working >> in debian), so it will not run into rc5 (with X) but to rc2 (no X). I >> guess, >> there are people who know better than me, which runlevel is without X. >> I did this 10 years ago and forgot about it. >> >> Hope this helps >> >> Best >> >> Hans >> >> > Hello: >> > I would be happy to learn about a safe way to boot amd64 debian8 >> (gnome3) >> > and debian9 (xfce) to terminal, followed by startx and either >> gnome-session >> > or what is correct for xfce. My older method of killing gdm does no more >> > work well. Booting into gui is often giving problems in scientific use >> of >> > linux. My interest is in: >> > >> > -- Examining all that is loaded during boot >> > >> > -- Working from the terminal without gnome/xfce when running >> > number-crunching codes. >> > >> > Thanks a lot for advice >> > >> > francesco pietra >> >> >>