Arch Linux

colbert

Member

Registered: 2007-12-16

Posts: 809

Boot-up into shell (safe mode-ish)?

How can I add into GRUB or by some means a way to choose to boot into a plain shell if for example I need to change some configuration that prevents a proper boot/login ?? Currently I am having to pop in the GParted LiveCD but is there a way I can just add in a shell to the GRUB menu or something?

TIA for any help

SamC

Member

From: Calgary

Registered: 2008-05-13

Posts: 611

Website

Re: Boot-up into shell (safe mode-ish)?

I'm not sure, but I think you would use the "single" parameter, or something like that.

vogt

Member

From: Toronto, Canada

Registered: 2006-11-25

Posts: 389

Re: Boot-up into shell (safe mode-ish)?

To the end of the kernel line in grub's configuration, you can specify init=/bin/sh , or choose a different runlevel (you are starting X with an entry in /etc/inittab).

But in the end, there are still cases where another installation can be of use (or a livecd...), since it is possible to mess up a system badly enough that either the kernel fails to boot, or the boot partition does not exist or is corrupted etc.

So doing those things aren't going to help much, since those methods depend on most of your system functioning, and just ex. a daemon, or X causing things to go bad

EDIT: you just have to append the number of your desired runlevel, all by itself (like 3 5 ...) to the kernel.

Last edited by vogt (2009-01-24 03:46:17)

colbert

Member

Registered: 2007-12-16

Posts: 809

Re: Boot-up into shell (safe mode-ish)?

Thanks, I will add the entry but that makes sense to have a LiveCD as more appropriate