Hi there! I was fiddling with my new Debian installation, and I changed my mouse setting in the XFree86config-4 from ''PS/2'' to ''Microsoft'', because neither my scroll wheel or my back/forward buttons work under ''PS/2''. But when I changed it to ''Microsoft'', my mouse did not and does not work properly. It moves extremely fast and jumps along the x axis, but it remains frozen in the y axis at the top of the screen. Do you know how I can boot into console so I can edit my XFree86config-4 file? I can''t do it in X because my mouse is not working right. Also, do you know how I can get my scroll wheel and back/forward buttons to work? I have an IntelliMouse Optical with 5 buttons. Thank you for your consideration. ------------------------ [ c o d e   m a t r i x ]

quote: Original post by skript kittie
Do you know how I can boot into console so I can edit my XFree86config-4 file? I can't do it in X because my mouse is not working right.

• You can use one of your always-open terminal windows. Under most Linux distributions, holding down the Alt key and then pressing one of the function keys will switch to a virtual terminal (with Alt+F11 reserved for X Windows, IIRC). So try Alt+F2, which should be your login terminal, or really any other vterm.
• In one of your init scripts (never used Debian, so can't point you to exactly which one) set your runlevel to 1 (singe user: root login only, used for admin sessions) or 3 (anyuser login, text console; I prefer this one, and then type startx to initiate an X Windows session). 5 is to boot directly into X.
• Kill X Windows by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Backspace.

quote: Also, do you know how I can get my scroll wheel and back/forward buttons to work? I have an IntelliMouse Optical with 5 buttons.

Set your mouse driver to IMPS2. Google it for more information.

[Edit: List formatting.]

[edited by - Oluseyi on December 19, 2002 1:24:36 AM]

quote: Original post by Oluseyi
You can use one of your always-open terminal windows. Under most Linux distributions, holding down the Alt key and then pressing one of the function keys will switch to a virtual terminal (with Alt+F11 reserved for X Windows, IIRC). So try Alt+F2, which should be your login terminal, or really any other vterm.

In some circumstances, IIRC, you will have to use ctrl-alt-f1.

quote: In one of your init scripts (never used Debian, so can''t point you to exactly which one) set your runlevel to 1 (singe user: root login only, used for admin sessions) or 3 (anyuser login, text console; I prefer this one, and then type startx to initiate an X Windows session).

The file is /etc/inittab. Change the second field of the line with the third field of "initdefault" to the desired runlevel.

quote: Kill X Windows by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Backspace.

Note that if you are in runlevel 5, X may start right back up again. Kill it ten times or so in quick succession however, and init will stop restarting it.


Don''t listen to me. I''ve had too much coffee.

The number of consoles started depends on how the kernel was configured at compile time I think. Many linux distros ship with 6 consoles ((shift/control)-Alt-F1 to F6). X is on the first function key after that one. iirc Debian 3.0, 2.2 and RedHat 7.x (the ones I use) all use 6 for instance, X is on F7. FreeBSD usually ships with 8 consoles btw, X on F9 (not sure how 5.0 is configured but all my 4.x boxes have had 8).

Another way is to kill X with Ctrl-Alt-Backspace. Depending on configuration, X may or may not restart (but if you have problems getting around it, it probably will restart). Another handy keystroke is Ctrl-Alt-numpad+/numpad- which cycles through your configured display modes in X.

If you can run the graphical x config program, you can also move the mouse pointer using the numpad keys.

(My projects and ramblings...)

quote: Original post by Teodric
The number of consoles started depends on how the kernel was configured at compile time I think.

AFAIK, this depends on the contents of /etc/inittab (at least it does on my linux boxes (SuSE 8.0 and Gentoo)). Look here for some things you can do with this file.

If you''re using LILO (maybe others) you could just before choosing what part to boot hit tab, type the name of what you want plus " init 1" (yes that''s a space - like "Debian init 1" or something). This will get you into single user mode, and you can hack up XFConfig from there via nano or pico or emacs or whatever you''re happy with.

If you can''t do that, then after X starts, hit CTRL+ALT+F1, which will bring up the console. From my experience you need to hit CTRL as well as ALT and F? from within X, but outside X ALT+F? works fine.

Peace,
Doc