Arch Linux

gomi

Member

Registered: 2023-02-01

Posts: 33

[SOLVED] How to change a single line in /etc/gdm/custom.conf with arch

Should be simple but after many hours of searches and a few more toying with the Arch .iso installation medium on a pen drive I'm no further forward.

I can get to 'root@archiso #' prompt but every mount command I can dream up to get to open /etc/gdm/customs.conf so I can replace the comment (#) so Wayland isn't disabled fails. It was a mistake, pure and simple, looking for  the cause of another fault.

But the outcome is that I can't get into the system at all. The GNOME interface comes up with no text or links. Nothing. Nowhere to go, no CLI available.

I have the latest iso on a pen/usb/whatever-name-you wish drive. I can get to the prompt

 root@archiso ~ # 

and the command

mount

shows me a list of mount points, none of which tell me where to find the /etc directory and indeed tell me they are not block devices. Trying to mount on /dev/sdXY tells me mount point does not exist. mount command includes proc, sys, dev,run, efivars, copytoram, cowspace, /dev/loop0, airootfs, pesistent_/x86_64/workdir, securityfs, tmpfs, devpts, cgroup2, pstore, bpf, systemd-1, debugfs, mqueue, tracefs, hugetlbfs, fusectl, configfs. None of the /dev/sdXY in the wiki pages.

Is there any source explaining the commands in explicit detail of how to use this, hopefully once in a flood at most, tool for the non-developer? My simple requirement gives a clue as to what that should look like:

root@archiso ~ #{mount-or-cd-or-other} --parameters /path/to/file

or something similar.

All I can get on the interface just now is text. I'm not asking for a full cure, just pointers so I can sort it out myself. Not sure I can get a connection to post any code or logs.

Last edited by gomi (2024-02-15 14:21:51)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,231

Re: [SOLVED] How to change a single line in /etc/gdm/custom.conf with arch

You don't mount files, you mount partitions and filesystems. you mount a partition to a specific path, after that everything in the "mount path" represents what's actually on the drive.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/File_s … ile_system

in that case  assuming you identify the correct device that your root partition resides on you can just mount said device to /mnt and your gdm file will logically be under /mnt/etc/gdm/custom.conf -- which you can then edit with nano (or vim... but I'm guessing you'd not know how to edit or exit the editor there...)

Generally speaking for the problem you are having that isn't necessary and you can actually boot your real system with the systemd.unit=multi-user.target commandline parameter to get to a terminal instead of GDM https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel_parameters or even switching to an alternate VT with Ctrl+Alt+F2 (...F3,F4)

I strongly suggest you read these two links closely.

Not a System admin issue, moving to NC...

Last edited by V1del (2024-02-15 12:44:14)

gomi

Member

Registered: 2023-02-01

Posts: 33

Re: [SOLVED] How to change a single line in /etc/gdm/custom.conf with arch

All worthwhile taking the trouble to understand. I can't say I've got my head around all of it properly yet, but have got so far as to recover my system. Many thanks for a very clear and concise explanation, @V1del.