Re: Runaway X

["M.C. Vernon" <mcv21@cus.cam.ac.uk>]

> Debian 2.0 installed on my machine amazingly easy, including ppp
> connectivity. However, now that I'm trying to get X up, things have
> bogged down.  In trying to debug XF86Config, my system is caught in an
> endless loop it cannot get out of. The problem is that xdm somehow is in
> the boot sequence and now I can't shut it off. Ctrl/Alt/BS kills the
> server, but it immediately comes back up. I've tried rebooting with the
> boot floppy and the rescue floppy, but as soon as the file system is
> mounted and fsck'ed, the disfunctional X comes right back. 
> 
> How can I get out of this endless loop so I can fix XF86Config? This is
> a stand-alone machine, so it cannot be remotedly accessed. 

The mistake you have made is to tell xdm to start automatically before
getting X configured correctly.
 
Try starting it up in single user mode...

and using the boot floppy shouldn't let xdm start - it's running its own
programm...

Matthew 

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