Unable To Shut Down X Windows

[DoulbeG]

Hi, I am having trouble shutting down X windows in a command line I type telinit 3, nothing happens. Is their a command in GRUB without having X windows starting? I need it shut down so I can compile a nividia graphics card.

[sonoran]

Follow the grub menu directions for editing an entry and add 3 to the end of the kernel line, which will boot you into runlevel 3 without X. The change is temporary, 1 boot only.

[smr54]

If you want to make it permanent, you can edit /etc/inittab. You'll see a line id:5:initdefault

Change the 5 to a 3. Or, permanently add that 3 to the end of the kernel line. (I think Sonoran was referring to a one time addtion for editing grub at boot.)

Note that with Fedora, grub also has the line hidden and a default timeout of 0, so to edit it, you will have to try hitting the space key after the bios screen. (Or the escape key--I'm pretty sure any key will work, including F8, just like Windows.)

[jpollard]

Question - I keep seeing reports that telinit 3 doesn't work. This implies
that the system also cannot shutdown properly.

Is this Fedora 14?

[sidebrnz]

Instead of rebuilding the proprietary nVidia driver every time there's a kernel update, just follow the guide here: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=204752 and install kmod-nvidia instead because that, generally, gets updated along with the kernel automagically.

[smr54]

Some quick experimentation indicates that it also doesn't work in CentOS 5.5, #!Crunchbang and Arch. I've actually never used that to get out of X, using either ctl+alt+backspace, or commonly, a keyboard shortcut in my window manager. Not sure if I missed anything, but in all three, I logged in as normal user, then ran sudo telinit 3. It would go back to a command prompt, and nothing would happen.

[DoulbeG]

Thanks everybody for your help!

I performed an upgrade from Fedora 13 to Fedora 14. I am using an Nvidia driver that must be recompiled every time a new kernel is installed. Once the kernel is updated, before rebooting I recompile the Nvidia driver in run level 3. If I do not do this first the system will hang during start up. Since I was upgrading to Fedora 14, I was not able update the Nvidia driver before a reboot. I was able to select from grub my old Fedora 13 kernel (the previous one before upgrade) and was able log into to it. I tried telinit 3 from command prompt, although I had no response. I realize sidebrnz that kmod-nvidia updates automatically, although I prefer the driver from Nvidia.

I changed the etc/inittab to 3 the other methods did not work for me. Once I updated the nVidia driver. I changed etc/inittab back to 5. The system came up successfully for 2.6.35.6-48.fc14.x86_64. The one exception telinit still has no response.

[sonoran]

Originally Posted by smr54

Some quick experimentation indicates that it also doesn't work in CentOS 5.5, #!Crunchbang and Arch. I've actually never used that to get out of X, using either ctl+alt+backspace, or commonly, a keyboard shortcut in my window manager. Not sure if I missed anything, but in all three, I logged in as normal user, then ran sudo telinit 3. It would go back to a command prompt, and nothing would happen.

When I run telinit 3 from a vt in fedora 14 I get this:
Starting portreserve: [OK]
Starting system logger:
Starting irqbalance: [OK]
starting cups:
Retrigger failed udev events [OK]
Enabling Bluetooth devices:
_ (blinking cursor)

If I hit Enter I get the root prompt back. If I try to go anywhere from this vt by ctrl-alt-fN the system locks up. If I run telinit 5 I get back to a gnome desktop, where looking at system monitor or top or ps shows 2 of almost every process running - but only 1 init process. The system is not stable and locks up if I use ctrl-alt-fN.

Telinit 3 doesn't work for me in an openbox session in Arch, either - nothing happens at all.

[jpollard]

If I hit Enter I get the root prompt back. If I try to go anywhere from this vt by ctrl-alt-fN the system locks up. If I run telinit 5 I get back to a gnome desktop, where looking at system monitor or top or ps shows 2 of almost every process running - but only 1 init process. The system is not stable and locks up if I use ctrl-alt-fN.

ctrl-alt-fN only works with the X server. It used to work from the console
terminals because the ctrl was ignored.

Try alt-fN to switch to the terminals. If all you get (except from the
terminal you logged in on, usually 2 - selected by alt-f2) then only one
terminal is active.

It is normal to have to hit return to get another prompt - telinit 3 only
signals the init process to switch to run level 3, so there is no waiting.
The prompt should come back immediately. Other output generated
by the run level change can come to that terminal that issued the
telinit 3 command, but doesn't have to. It should/must go to the console
which may be tty1 instead.