[SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

chrlin · 2012-01-12 14:15:18

Recently I changed the X's monitor setting at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf. Seems that there is a wrong setting, and the X failed to start. So when booting, it says: INIT: Id 'x' respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes. So I changed to tty2 (alt-F2) and input my usual username and password, but checkpassword always says that my password is wrong.

So which username and password should I use? Or how to login to my computer?

The login manager is SLiM, DE is openbox + tint2, tty is fgetty (not agetty).

Last edited by chrlin (2012-02-10 02:00:06)

Trilby · 2012-01-12 18:46:01

Can you login as root?

nexus7 · 2012-01-12 18:48:45

chrlin wrote:

Recently I changed the X's monitor setting at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf. Seems that there is a wrong setting, and the X failed to start. So when booting, it says: INIT: Id 'x' respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes.

Haven't experienced such problems myself yet. You may have to look into /var/log/Xorg.0.log for errors first (and post them here):

$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log|grep EE

So, you're booting directly into X (runlevel 5)? Hm, I'd first disable any resolution setting (some vga= ot video=-stuff) in your bootloader if there is any. So edit the command line at start up or e.g. /boot/grub/menu.lst, and see what happens.

Or, try booting into text mode, say runlevel 3, e.g. by editing /etc/inittab (as said in the wiki, but the other way round).

chrlin wrote:

but checkpassword always says that my password is wrong.
... Or how to login to my computer?

Sure, the caps lock-key isn't locked?

chrlin wrote:

So which username and password should I use?

Can you login as root? Maybe create a new user then, if only for testing purposes.

chrlin · 2012-01-13 01:46:38

@ nexus7:

Nope cannot login to root in runlevel 5. Yes I'm booting to runlevel 5 directly. If I go to other runlevel (like your example runlevel3) it'll works, unfortunately it only happens if I set inittab 'not' to boot directly to runlevel 5.

But in my case I can't change inittab because I can't even login! And if I can login I don't need to change the inittab, because I know what the problem is (the 10-monitor.conf).

Solved the problem temporarily by using live-cd, sudo mount the hdd, then delete the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf.

The main problem is I used a refresh rate above my monitor's spec

Modes "1024x768_75.00" #Choose the resolution
(which is taken from https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xo … started_2)

My monitor only support 60fps, so
Modes "1024x768_60.00"
and no problem

But I'm still quite disappointed that the system offers no fallback from this kind of error. Any way to get around?

I guess the system should automatically goes to runlevel 3 (or other runlevel) in case runlevel 5 goes error or something. But it doesn't (Or I'm wrong?).

Last edited by chrlin (2012-01-13 01:56:00)

nexus7 · 2012-01-13 03:17:10

chrlin wrote:

But I'm still quite disappointed that the system offers no fallback from this kind of error. Any way to get around?
I guess the system should automatically goes to runlevel 3 (or other runlevel) in case runlevel 5 goes error or something. But it doesn't (Or I'm wrong?).

Well, in case you couldn't even as root, I had supposed you'd boot with your Arch live cd anyway, chroot properly into your system then, and edit /etc/inittab to runlevel 3. You'd probably be able to login afterwards and do startx from console, see what happens and check the log for errors.

When booting form cd you can cat it e.g. in /mnt/var/log/Xorg.0.log after mounting btw. -- Maybe there's an alternative way to edit the command line at boot as well, haven't looked for that yet. If there is, you might put that option into the bootloader's config of Arch's fallback kernel installation, so you could choose at startup.

At least to my knowledge once you configured your system to boot graphically (say, runlevel 5), there's no "fallback mode" into rl3. But what you can also do is to make your display manager able to alternatively get you into console (if possible; I know that's the case for cdm).

However, if you think your problem is now fixed, you should edit the header of your first post and add [SOLVED].

chrlin · 2012-02-10 01:59:45

@nexus 7:
Thanks buddy for the tips!
It is not totally solved but it is solved anyway...

Trilby · 2012-02-10 02:51:27

Even in runlevel 5 you should be able to Ctl-Alt-Fx to get to another tty and login as user or root.

Or if not that, you can hit 'e' at the grub menu and add a 3 at the end of the kernel line to boot to runlevel 3 (a trick I just learned.)

Last edited by Trilby (2012-02-10 02:52:23)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-01-12 14:15:18

[SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#2 2012-01-12 18:46:01

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#3 2012-01-12 18:48:45

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#4 2012-01-13 01:46:38

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#5 2012-01-13 03:17:10

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#6 2012-02-10 01:59:45

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

#7 2012-02-10 02:51:27

Re: [SOLVED] X failed to start, then cannot login in tty

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