Re: Install failed - let's start again, without bogus assumptions, please.

[Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz>]

On 02/03/13 17:33, Mark Filipak wrote:
> I'm back. When the GRUB install failed I pressed Alt+F4. The Debian
> Installer disappeared and I was immediately back to the LWDE desktop. I
> tried Alt+F4 there and nothing happened.

Linux has the concept of virtual terminals (VTs). Alt-F<n> switches
between them, as long as they're in text mode (regardless of whether
it's commandline or full-screen). If the X server is running (Gnome,
LXDE, whatever) in the active VT, then you need to add Ctrl- to that, to
stop the X server grabbing the keystrokes.

To summarise:
On a text console, use Alt-F<n> to choose a VT.
In graphical (X) mode, use Ctrl-Alt-F<n> instead.

Note that not all VTs 1-12 will have anything running on them, and we
can't necessarily tell what your system is running on each.

On a normal running system (mine, anyway):
1-6 will have text terminals which you can log into
7 has X

So I can use Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get the first, and Alt-F7 to get back to X.
If I try 8-12, I just get a flashing cursor.

On the install system, the same features are used a bit differently:
* the main installer generally runs in the first terminal.
* often there's a commandline you can start in the second (eg hit alt-f2
and it will say 'Press enter to activate this console' or something -
then you can type exit when you're finished)
* There may be more of those on further terminals; I can't remember.
* Often one terminal will display syslog information.
* Another, I think, displays installer log information.

So you can do quite a bit of debugging if required.

Richard