[SOLVED!] Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

[DERG]

Back again, this time with an older computer fresh install problem.
I have WinXP on it's own HDD. On a second HDD I had older versions of Ubuntu & some extra NTFS for WinXP. So, I decided to install Kubuntu 9.10 64bit over all of this second HDD. Used the 3.3GB DVD install version of Kubuntu 9.10 & selected the second HDD to erase it entirely & install Kubuntu on it.

After restarting I get to the GRUB screen & it doesn't say Kubuntu but Ubuntu with a kernel selection along with WinXP @ the bottom. XP boots fine. Booted with 1st selection, the Kubuntu boot-up screen comes up but then goes to black & looks like the terminal. Says Ubuntu 9.10 tty1 & prompts for user name, then password. Then says to run as administrator...

Huh? Help! What's wrong?

[DERG]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=978295

I found a post @ ubuntuforums & tried startx after typing user name & password. This failed saying screens were found but none that had usable configuration.

[verndog]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

Since you get dropped to a terminal, did you get any test before you reached the terminal?

Have you tried to edit grub on the fly and remove quiet to see if any errors messages appear.

Also check /var/logs, and xsesssion error files in your home folder.

[DERG]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

Thanks for your response.

Since you get dropped to a terminal, did you get any test before you reached the terminal?

It takes a while before it gets to Ubuntu 9.10 tty1 & prompts for user name, then password.

Have you tried to edit grub on the fly and remove quiet to see if any errors messages appear.

I'm not sure how to do this.

Also check /var/logs, and xsesssion error files in your home folder.

Can I move to /var/logs in the terminal then read xsesssion? I'll try this.
I did try booting from the Live DVD & it fails just the same; never getting to the desktop.

[DERG]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

This is really weird but when I just booted to try these things you mentioned it booted up normally. Previously I did an update in a safe boot mode, then installed a newer GRUB. I restarted instead of shutting down then booting if that makes any difference. Go figure!

[dibl]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

I get to the GRUB screen & it doesn't say Kubuntu but Ubuntu

This is a non-issue -- the kernels are all named "ubuntu" even if used for Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc. etc.

with a kernel selection along with WinXP @ the bottom. XP boots fine.

This sounds like the Grub boot menu was built and installed correctly -- no worries.

Booted with 1st selection, the Kubuntu boot-up screen comes up but then goes to black & looks like the terminal. Says Ubuntu 9.10 tty1 & prompts for user name, then password.

This is caused by lack of a video driver or incorrect video configuration. (Actually it's an old-fashioned normal login screen for the command line interface to unix). When the K Display Manager (KDM) tried to run, it croaked due to lack of a configured video drive, and the fallback is the tty terminal.

So, we'll need to see what the graphics chip is.

lspci

will list the devices and if you post the output we'll see what the graphics chip is, along with the audio and other useful things to know.

[DERG]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

My previous post; This is really weird but when I just booted to try these things you mentioned it booted up normally. Previously I did an update in a safe boot mode, then installed a newer GRUB. I restarted instead of shutting down then booting if that makes any difference. Go figure!
My computer uses a nVidia video card which may have been the issue as it acted like it ran out of memory. Maybe the update & change of GRUB in the safe mode repaired that but it is working now. I did have to update to the v185 of the video driver to get a full screen. It did re-boot okay.
Thanks

[verndog]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

Have you tried to edit grub on the fly and remove quiet to see if any errors messages appear.

I'm not sure how to do this.

Also check /var/logs, and xsesssion error files in your home folder.

Can I move to /var/logs in the terminal then read xsesssion? I'll try this.
I did try booting from the Live DVD & it fails just the same; never getting to the desktop.

(1) When grub menu appears, select the OS of choice then type 'e', and your brought inside the title menu. Its all editable, so go to the 'linux' line and at the end you can delete out or add what you do/don't want for this session. then Ctrl+x will boot that OS.

(2) /var/log can be viewed this way. "K > Applications > System > System Logs Viewer"

[DERG]

Re: [SOLVED!] Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

Thanks for your help. I'm sure you noticed that everything is working now. It must of corrected itself when I updated in Generic Recovery Mode, then re-wrote the GRUB.

(2) /var/log can be viewed this way. "K > Applications > System > System Logs Viewer"

I'm sure you can tell I'm not very familiar with these things. With the problem I was having the system acted like it was booting but then would go into a terminal, black screen & all that said Ubuntu 9.10 tty1. It then propped for user name & password. So, that's is as far as it would go; no Desktop.
Are you saying I can navigate to "K > Applications > System > System Logs Viewer" from there because this looks like something I would to do once reaching the Desktop? This would be good to know. Thanks.

[shadowh]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

Dear verndog and DERG,

how do you exactly "rewrite" GRUB? What should I "write" after typing "e"?

GNU GRUB version 1.97~beta4

insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,2)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set b096519596515cc2
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-20-generic-pae root=/dev/sda2 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-20-generic-pae

Have you tried to edit grub on the fly and remove quiet to see if any errors messages appear.

I'm not sure how to do this.

Also check /var/logs, and xsesssion error files in your home folder.

Can I move to /var/logs in the terminal then read xsesssion? I'll try this.
I did try booting from the Live DVD & it fails just the same; never getting to the desktop.

(1) When grub menu appears, select the OS of choice then type 'e', and your brought inside the title menu. Its all editable, so go to the 'linux' line and at the end you can delete out or add what you do/don't want for this session. then Ctrl+x will boot that OS.

(2) /var/log can be viewed this way. "K > Applications > System > System Logs Viewer"

As I mentioned in my OP, my graphic card is 1.5GB NVIDIA Quadro® FX 4800, and I truly believe this it the reason causing so much problem

Thanks,
shadowh

[verndog]

Re: Kubuntu install wont boot to desktop! Stuck in terminal mode. HELP!

how do you exactly "rewrite" GRUB? What should I "write" after typing "e"?

insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,2)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set b096519596515cc2
loopback loop0 /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-20-generic-pae root=/dev/sda2 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-20-generic-pae

I suggest to remove the "quiet"(now marked in red), so you see more text messages. Try that first and then if you see nothing apparent, edit grub again and add "nomodeset" at the end of the "linux" line.