Restoring services from the LiveDVD? [SOLVED - Reinstall]

[Silent Warrior]

Heh, not three full days with a fresh LMDE-install, and I does teh naughty: After some poking and slimming down the start-up, I've effectively locked myself out: keyboard doesn't respond in GDM. This means I can't switch to virtual terminals from GDM, I have to disconnect and reconnect the mouse to be able to use that - besides not being able to enter my password, everything's in good order, that is.
This is a laptop, by the way, so physically disconnecting/reconnecting the keyboard is... not an option.

So, how do I salvage this? I can use the DVD, and the terminal as offered through booting in Recovery mode. (GRUB(2) works fine, btw. Just thought I'd say.) Where are my services stored, and information on which are set to load on boot or not? What is it supposed to look like, with a typical LMDE-install? (Intel GMA 4500, no ATI or Nvidia anywhere in this thing.)

[willie42]

How did you install LMDE. Did you install with the /home a separate partition?

[Silent Warrior]

From the DVD; and one partition for swap, one for /, and one for /home.

I just felt this would be possible to fix without reinstalling, that's why I haven't done so yet. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to learn.

(Edit) Uh, the install DVD dated 2010.12, that is.

[willie42]

First thing is to get you back in. Is there a way you can connect a USB keyboard to your system? Once you can get in then it might be possible to trouble shoot from there.

[Silent Warrior]

I don't have a USB keyboard right here. Maybe I COULD ask a neighbour, but I'm fairly sure they'll want their keyboard back sooner than we'll have this sorted... But... Hm, good idea. I should have thought of that - maybe the guys at a nearby computer-shop will be kind enough to let me... go for an extended demonstration. (I assume my school would take exception to my disconnecting one of their keyboards, even if I'm quick about it.) If I get in then, I could probably sort this out on my own, even. I'll ask around tomorrow, see where I get lucky.

I suppose keyboards are cheap, but it's an expense I'd rather not make just now.
(If anyone has any other ideas, I'll probably be around for an hour and half as of this posting before leaving for tonight.)

[Silent Warrior]

Ya-HA! I'm in, using my school's keyboard. Nice school - think good thoughts of the library at Listaháskóli Íslands. Only... it's a Mac-keyboard, in Icelandic. Forgive me if I type something... interesting.
Anyway, service-admin looks something like this:
acpid - X
acpi-fakekey - X
acpi-support - X
alsa-utils - []
amule-daemon - X
apt-p2p - X
atd - X
autokey - [] (was enabled during my... keyboard-situation)
avahi-daemon - X
bluetooth - []
btnx - [] (was enabled - now disabled)
clamav-daemon - X
clamav-freshclam - X
clamsmtp - X
cpufreqd - X
cpufrequtils - X
cron - X
cups - X
dictd - X
exim4 - X
fancontrol - X
fuse - [] (was enabled)
gdm3 - X
hal - X
hddtemp - X
hdparm - []
ifupdown-clean - []
kbd - X (was for some reason deactivated)
kdm-gdmcompat - X
kdm - X (I'm using GDM, but if I try to disable kdm, I get all kinds of menacing prompts - besides, I've been enjoying different KDM-themes)
LCDd - X
linuxlogo - X
lm-sensors - [] (isn't this supposed to be on?? sensord is active, but still)
loadcpufreq - X
microcode.ctl - X
mintsystem - X
mldonkey-server - X (no, not running mldonkey at all, actually - just keeping around in case I want to use it in the future)
module-init-tools - []
mountall-bootclean.sh - []
mountdevsubfs.sh - []
mountkernfs.sh - []
mountnfs-bootclean.sh - []
mountoverflowtmp - []
mtab.sh - []
openvpn - X
portmap - X
procps - []
pulseaudio - X
rsync - X
rsyslog - X
samba - []
saned - []
sensord - X
smartmontools - X
spamassassin - X
sudo - X
timidity - X
transmission-daemon - X
udev-mtab - X
udev - X
ufw - X
unattended-upgrades - X
virtuoso-opensource-6.1 - X

Autostart-programs/scripts have only been changed to exclude accessibility stuff (at-spi, orca, all those) and xdg-folder-name updates.
I will try rebooting to see if the changes I just made to the services did the trick.

[edit] Oh, and the most recent Synaptic-work looks like this:

Code: Select all

Installed:
libdbi0 (0.8.2-3)
librrd4 (1.4.3-1)
sensord (1:3.1.2-6)
sensors-applet (2.2.7-2)
------------- (Next entry)
akregator (4:4.4.7-3)
libakonadi-contact4 (4:4.4.5-2)
libkdepim4 (4:4.4.7-3)
libkontactinterface4 (4:4.4.5-2)
libkpimidentities4 (4:4.4.5-2)
libkpimtextedit4 (4:4.4.5-2)

[Update] No luck so far...

[Silent Warrior]

Oh, to **** with it, I'll just reinstall instead. This hold-up is becoming an inconvenience... I'll just... not touch the services again in the future, shall I?

(Of course, if anyone can say for sure what caused the problem, don't be afraid to speak up.)