Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

[spyder79]

In an attempt to get my scanner working again, I managed to do something totally stupid and now I can't get logged in to Kubuntu again (Feisty) to fix it. In the System Settings area, I went to the section with the little traffic light (session manager?) and enabled the process that controls device nodes to run at startup. I know I sound even dumber than I am on this post (hard to believe) because it is late and I'm tired and can't log back in to actually check what I've done. To be a bit more precise, the the process was "devhd" or something similar. I rebooted right after that and now I can't get past the password screen.

I can login in recovery mode, but I don't know what to do from there. I certainly don't know to change the configuration back. Please someone help me out of this and I'll learn my lesson and hopefully avoid similar brain farts in the future.

[kubicle]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

I'm guessing you enabled 'udev' to start at boot on runlevel 2 in 'system services' control module?

If so, delete the 'SXXudev' and 'SXXudev-finish' symlinks in /etc/rc2.d directory. ('XX' is a number like 10)

udev symlinks should be in /etc/rcS.d which the system services module doesn't let you see (you can only modify runlevels 2-5 with it), so it is run during boot.

One nice CLI tool (I like it better than the system services module) to modify services is sysv-rc-conf, which is available from the repos. It let's you examine all the runlevels simultaneously, including rcS.d

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

Whew! You're exactly right, that's what I did. I'll try your suggestion. Do I just navigate to that directory and type DELETE 'SXXudev'? I don't use the terminal much and not very familiar with commands.

[kubicle]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

The 'delete' command is 'rm', so you can type this:

rm -i /etc/rc2.d/S*udev*

It will delete the correct symlinks in /etc/rc2.d. The '-i' option makes rm ask for confirmation (y/n) so you can be sure it'll delete the the correct files (and only them).

If you're not in the root recovery console (and logged in as user), you need to precede the command with sudo:

sudo rm -i /etc/rc2.d/S*udev*

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

Okay, that got me part of the way. I used the command that you specified, exited the recovery console, and tried to login as usual. Kubuntu apparently accepted my password, but went directly to a terminal window superimposed over the standard blue Kubuntu background. That's better than I had before when it just brought the password window up again and again.

While at the terminal, I moved to the /etc/rc2.d directory and checked the contents. The two files that you specified were absent.

More suggestions? I'm booting into windows to check this forum, so my response time will be slow for experimentation and reply.

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... can't login..RESOLVED!

Kubicle, your advice was spot-on! I realized that I had forgotten to change the xserver login screen back to the default mode, since I had previously tried the "console" mode. Changed it back and I'm whole again.

In searching for information on this topic I've seen lots of posts with discouraged newbies who say they were better off with windows and are ready to give up. They probably forget the jillions of times windows hangs for no good reason, or the documents they have lost due to a windows crash, or the amount of time they have wasted rebooting windows for update installs, crashes, etc.

It is also good to consider the excellent support available in this forum from kind and knowledgeable people. Much superior to the lame support that you have to buy in the windows environment. My own example:

I got a new computer and decided to give the old one to my 9 year-old daughter. Seemed smart to use the SYSTEM RESTORE function to put it back to it's original condition, since it had become very glitchy. The machine came with the restore info on a partition, not as discs. During the process, there was an electrical outage and it left the machine in an unbootable state. I called the manufacturer to get restore discs and was told (by someone who barely spoke my language, and after being transferred many times) that my machine was nearly 3 years old and wasn't being supported anymore. "It is a VERY old computer sir." They could however transfer me to a paid technical support line (which obviously wasn't going to help) or they could sell me a new copy of windows xp for about $200.

Searching for another solution brought me to Ubuntu, which I installed for free, and which my daughter has been enjoying for nearly two years now. I was immediately impressed and installed Kubuntu on my machine shortly thereafter. It offers some challenges, which force me to learn things that I otherwise wouldn't. Meanwhile, it gives me a level of troublefree functionality that windows doesn't match.

THANK YOU again, and to all who contribute to helping each of us!

[Snowhog]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... can't login..RESOLVED!

It offers some challenges, which force me to learn things that I otherwise wouldn't.

That's the wonderful difference between Micro-mush (Software for people who aren't required to think) and Linux (Software for people who have been released from the Matrix).

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

Snowhog,

You saved my butt last time I did something I shouldn't have (upgrading to Gutsy without reading the forum first), maybe you can shed some light on my latest. I got into this most recent mess because I was trying to get my scanner working. It's an Epson 1670. I worked on getting it going awhile ago and it was a frustrating and fruitless endeavor which I finally abandoned for more pressing matters. Weeks later, on a whim I opened a scanning application and VOILA! there's my scanner properly detected and ready to serve my every scanning whim.

Well, I don't often have scanning whims so I just did a few test scans to confirm that everything worked and forgot about the whole thing for awhile, the good fortune being taken at face value. Imagine my recent disappointment when I actually need to scan something and it was back to nonfunctional mode (still works fine via windows). I didn't have time to mess with it then so I just got the job done via windows, and then later set out to figure out how to get it going again.

So I got into reading over all the maze of information about scanners again and managed to lock myself out out of my computer, the subject of my most recent successful rescue from myself. Now I'm back in action as if I had never been so stupid without so much as an unkind word from anyone. But here's the freaky part:

A few minutes ago I opened Kooka (just for laughs) and, (can it be true?) there's my scanner ready to go to work for me! I ran a preview scan successfully, then pushed the button for a full scan and... nothing. The scanner's green ready light went to flashing red (I know that isn't good) and was unresponsive. I closed Kooka and the light went back to green. Opened Kooka again and the light goes back to flashing red, Kooka says "scanner not found... no SANE installation, etc." just like before. Similar response form other scanning apps.

Does this ring any bells for you? I'm thinking about searching for a witch doctor.

[Snowhog]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

I'm going to guess, that you have 'some' but not 'all' the packages necessary to run the scanner. I'd open Adept Manager and search on sane

The only package that I have showing as installed, is libsane but bear in mind, I don't have a scanner. There are additional packages that may or may not be installed on your system:

libsane-extras
sane
sane-utils

What does your Adept Manger show you?

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

Snowhog,

I have all the packages you mention and more. Over the course of this quest, I've installed about everything that could possibly be associated with SANE, as well as the libusb packages, and four different front-ends. Sort of the shotgun method. Not especially precise, but sometimes it brings home a meal. At least it's a little bit safer than digging around in configuration files when I have only a vague sense of what I'm actually doing.

From what I've read so far, the whole scanner thing is part voodoo. I'm going to sacrifice a chicken.

[Snowhog]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

But unless the altar is made of Tahitian basalt, and the chicken a true virgin, you may only end up angering the (in)sane Gods! :-X

[spyder79]

Re: Now I've REALLY done it... HELP PLEASE!

That's okay, I'm going to roast it over my Hibachi anyway. Besides, I already installed QUITEINSANE and it didn't work either. I think the Gods are probably having a party and not paying any attention to me... which reminds me that's it's about time to crack a cold one and settle in for the evening.

But seriously folks, or at least as serious as I'm going to get tonight- I'm very grateful for any suggestions which someone might offer on this thing. Crazy that it didn't work, then did (without any help from me), then stopped working (again without my influence), then seemingly resurrected yet another time only to fall back into a coma, or at least profound depression.