Mint 13 start without GUI but with cinnamon or MATE from cmd

[lucberger]

Mint 13 start without GUI but with cinnamon or MATE from command line.

I was installing desktop wallpapers, and after a power shutdown, the systems restart in console mode.

As a normal user or su :
with

Code: Select all

startx

the GUI is 'cinnamon'
with

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cd /etc/init
mdm

the GUI is MATE (with all my previous settings)

I try to reinstall mdm, mate-desktop and mate-session-manager, but this does change nothing.

Please feel free to resquest more information, and thanks in advance for suggestions !

Following is the output of
inxi -Fxz:

• System: Host: luc-MS-7502 Kernel: 3.2.0-53-generic i686 (32 bit, gcc: 4.6.3) Desktop: N/A Distro: Linux Mint 13 Maya
  Machine: System: MEDIONPC product: MS-7502
  Mobo: MICRO-STAR model: MS-7502 version: Fab D Bios: Phoenix version: 6.00 PG date: 10/16/2007
  CPU: Dual core Intel Core2 Duo CPU E6750 (-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 10640
  Clock Speeds: 1: 1992.00 MHz 2: 1992.00 MHz
  Graphics: Card: NVIDIA G84 [GeForce 8600 GS] bus-ID: 01:00.0
  X.Org: 1.11.3 driver: nvidia Resolution: 1920 x1200@60.0hz, 1920x1080@60.0hz
  GLX Renderer: GeForce 8600 GS/PCIe/SSE2 GLX Version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 304.121 Direct Rendering: Yes
  Audio: Card: Intel 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 Sound: ALSA ver: 1.0.24
  Network: Card-1: Intel 82562V-2 10/100 Network Connection driver: e1000e ver: 1.5.1-k port: ff00 bus-ID: 00:19.0
  IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
  Card-2: IMC Networks 802.11 n/g/b Wireless LAN Adapter driver: rt2800usb ver: 2.3.0 usb-ID: 13d3:3247
  IF: wlan0 state: down mac: <filter>
  Drives: HDD Total Size: 2000.4GB (51.1% used) 1: /dev/sda ST3500830AS 500.1GB
  2: /dev/sde ST31500341AS 1500.3GB
  Partition: ID: / size: 12G used: 9.5G (87%) fs: ext3 ID: /home size: 274G used: 251G (92%) fs: ext3
  ID: swap-1 size: 4.22GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
  Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 21.8C mobo: N/A gpu: 0.0:77C
  Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
  Info: Processes: 192 Uptime: 34 min Memory: 1113.3/3276.9MB Runlevel: 2 Gcc sys: 4.6.3 Client: Shell inxi: 1.7.33

[karlchen]

Hello, lucberger.

after a power shutdown

Does this mean the electric power failed and the machine could no longer be shutdown properly?
If this is true then it will be highly advisable to run an fsck on next reboot.

Reason:
In case the machine had not chance of shutting down properly the filesystem will not have been umounted cleanly and it may need checking and reparing.

Here is one way of making the system perform an fsck on next reboot:

• Open a terminal window.
• Execute the command

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  mount

  in order to identify the device name of the disk partition which holds the root fileystem /.
  Assuming the disk device itself is /dev/sda, then the partitions will be named /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2 etc. - On my machine Mint 13 lives on /dev/sda5.
  But you will have to identify the right device name on your machine.
• Next execute these 2 commands

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  sudo tune2fs -c 20 /dev/sdaX

  where X is the number which you have found with the help of the "mount" command. The command will set the maximum mount count between fsck's to 20.

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  sudo tune2fs -C 21 /dev/sdaX

  where X is the number which you have found with the help of the "mount" command. The command will set the current mount count since the last fsck to 21 which is higher than the allowed maximum mount count of 20. As a result during the next reboot the machine will run an fsck on /dev/sdaX.
• Close the terminal window. Close all applications. Reboot.

Hopefully the fsck will not find any real bad errors. Whenever it finds an error it will ask you whether it should repair it. You will have to agree by typing y (yes).

If you are lucky after a successful fsck the machine will boot into the MDM greeter screen automatically again.

By the way, when the machine boots, but only to a console monitor, does it display any error message which explains why it does not launch the mdm greeter screen automatically?

Kind regards,
Karl

[lucberger]

Thanks for the prompt answer !
I made the manipulation , and the fsck test pass without any errors.

No, the system send no message when displaying the console, and after started with 'mdm' to my 'normal' interface, everything is OK.
GSmartControl report: 'Overall Health Self-Assessment Test PASSED' on all drives
I read about the 'init' process who can be a culprit ( ? ), but did not understand everything (until now)..