RE: Help... I think I've shot myself in the foot...
Thank you!
I did read enough to figure out how to reboot (through LILO) into a
single-user mode so that X is not started. The keyboard works fine
there; it's only after X is started with the logon that the keyboard
goes wacky. I haven't figured out how to get networking and other
facilities running without the X... I think all other runlevels start X
and I haven't quite the confidence to go modify a lot of the startup
files (RC# whatever # should be) to eliminate X from that level,
although that will be another project on my list of Linux learning
experiences (assuming that I will - somehow, someway - get Linux running
with X on this thing)!
I've been looking for something in the chain of xdm files that would
specify an incorrect keyboard and hadn't actually considered the
xfree86... So, if that's where the keyboard would be configured, I can
go in and rerun the config program to redo that file... Maybe!
At least it's something to try!
Thanks again!
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: eric brown [mailto:ericdebianlists@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 10:04 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Help... I think I've shot myself in the foot...
--- Kent West <westk@acu.edu> wrote:
> Peter S. Hayes wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I've had Debian dual-booted with Win XP on my
> portable for about six
> > months. I haven't worked all the bugs out yet, but
> I've been getting
> > better! And I try using it for more of my personal
> work (my job
> > requires Windows at the moment).
> >
> > Yesterday while at work, I was installing a
> package (R -
> > language/stats/graphing package) using dselect
> and, since there were
> > some required package upgrades, installed a couple
> of those also...
> > while working on my desktop (fool that I am) and
> being interrupted
> > occasionally with other people asking questions...
> >
> > Somewhere - and I think this was in the
> configuration of a new xdm,
> > but I'm not sure - there was a screen explaining a
> setup of keyboards
> > and the choices I would be asked to choose from.
> This probably wasn't
> > a good time to do all of this, but hind sight is
> always 20/20. I
> > picked a "don't touch my keyboard" choice,
> thinking it would leave the
> > present arrangement (which was fine). Since
> rebooting this morning I
> > cannot log in at the X prompt. My mouse works
> fine, I have the X
> > Window login prompt (provided by xdm I think) but
> every key on my
> > keyboard does nothing except toggle the display
> window through three
> > size variations... I can do nothing but manually
> kill the power (with
> > all the corrupted files resulting).
> >
> > Help... what, in my arrogant
> > getting-to-feel-pretty-comfortable-with-Linux
> stupidity, did I do to
> > myself?
> >
> > I'm trying to work my way through the
> initialization files and the xdm
> > config, but I haven't had any luck so far...
> >
> > Does anyone have any suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks in advance...
> >
> >
> > Mournfully back in Windows...
> >
> >
> > Pete
>
> If your machine is on the network and you have ssh
> installed, you can
> ssh in and make repairs, thus avoiding the power-off
> scenario.
> Does Ctrl-Alt-F1 get you to a console, or just
> toggle the display window
> as you mention above? If it gets you to a console,
> does the keyboard
> work properly there?
>
> I'm not sure how to fix the keyboard mapping, but
> I'm responding in the
> hope that these questions might spur a line of
> thinking that'll get you
> further towards repair.
>
> --
> Kent
>
If Kent idea doesn't work...
Maybe you could modyfy XFree86.conf from the windows
side using explore2fs? But I know the write to linux
partition feature is experimental and I haven't tried
this out.
This can be risky, but if nothing else comes up...
Eric
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