System Inoperable -- Now I've Gone and Done It.

[jengle]

hello...

i'm ashamed to be posting this from within a certain other OS, because i can't get into my Kubuntu install on the other removable hard drive. here's the deal: i've been playing around with different driver packages (in adept) and settings in my xorg.conf file trying to find a way to get Kubuntu comfortable with initializing OpenGL.

currently, on bootup, the kernel starts successfully and i see the first kubuntu splash-like screen with a black background and a blue "kubuntu" with the horizontal progress bar and several things booting up followed by their respective "OK"s. then the screen goes back to a DOS like black and white text-only version of the booting summary and LOCKS UP!. the last entry before lockup is something about checking battery status, which is followed by an OK. there is no indication whatsoever that anything has gone wrong before lockup.

what i did before my unsuccessful restarts:

1. added several packages in adept whose exact names i can't get to anymore (some with the xorg-driver-flgrx and some of the linux-restricted-modules--see these threads for some of the info i got: http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=5908.0, http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=1495.0. and so on and on. apparently i should have gone here, http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=5508.0, for instructions on removing these dang things.
2. made one (1) change to my xorg.conf file: i replaced driver "ati" with driver "flgrx" on my primary monitor/device/screen/whatever it is.

i'm running Kubuntu Breezy, KDE 3.5.2 (just updated), and have two monitors that were previously spanning nicely, one on an ATI and one on nVidia (i know it's wierd; it's what i've got).

The Big Question: How can I at least get back into something (a shell some kind of dare i say it safe mode, anything) that will let me load my backup xorg.conf file or uninstall some packages so I can get back to working again? I've tried innane searches for everything i can think of (boot to shell, linux safe mode, linux command prompt, boot to command prompt, whatever).

Thanks with all my windows-hating heart for any help you guys/gals can give.

j

[OuchOfDeath]

Re: System Inoperable -- Now I've Gone and Done It.

What you should be able to do, is when you get the blank screen press CTRL+ALT+F1, and you'll get a command line login. If you can then i think chances are the video driver isn't working correctly, so you can set your xorg.conf back to 'ati'.
Navigate to where the xorg.conf is :
cd /etc/X11

Then to edit it:
sudo nano xorg.conf

This'll open an editor, you'll have to use your keyboard, go to the video card section and change the 'flgrx' back to 'ati'.

[jengle]

Re: System Inoperable -- Now I've Gone and Done It.

alright...panick subsiding...

i'm now nicely back into my kubuntu -- thanks OuchOfDeath. thanks to vi, my xorg.conf says "ati" again and i can actually boot into kubuntu. nice trick, by the way, to get into the shell.

a very interesting thing happened though:

perhaps thanks to whatever driver installs i completed, i no longer have both monitors (the secondary is blank). i'm removing the fglrx packages as i type and will hopefully be able to get going again with my nvidia card soon. otherwise i'm kaput again. anybody have any thoughts on this?

am i correct to assume that, if i can get both vid cards drivers and xorg files set right, i'll not only have the ability to use both monitors, but also perhaps 3D on both of them?

thanks again very much,

j

[OuchOfDeath]

Re: System Inoperable -- Now I've Gone and Done It.

It's not much of a trick, it comes in handy any time X fails or you need to get out of the graphical environment to do something.
Also CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE will restart X. this really comes in handy because this way you can apply most system changes without having to do a full reboot.

I don't know if mixing both and nVidia and ATi cards will work, i've never tried using 2 cards at the same time before.