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ixus_123 · Dec 20, 2004, 07:46 AM

I'm using os X 10.2.8 & my usb bluetooth failed to be discovered so I though rather than restarting, I'll log out & in again.

So one (cmd shift q) later & my screen goes blue, then black & I can only get a welcome to Darwin /BSD page. I can't get out of console & back into a graphical mode

Can anyone help me please?

PBG4 User · Dec 20, 2004, 12:31 PM

In the console type:

shutdown -r now

This will force a reboot of OS X (-r = reboot, now = well, now!).

ixus_123 · Dec 20, 2004, 04:09 PM

Thanks PBG4 User. I tried that & it rebooted but started back in text / console mode again

While it is starting up it's in graphical mode but once all the services arew started I keep fining myself back in console.

Is there a 'startx' type command?

art_director · Dec 20, 2004, 06:57 PM

try holding down the 'option' key when rebooting. that *should* offer up the choice of osx vs os 9 (classic).

it's just crazy enough to work...

ixus_123 · Dec 21, 2004, 08:52 AM

Thanks for the idea

just tried that but alas, still no joy.

art_director · Dec 21, 2004, 09:30 AM

how about 'logout' ?

art_director · Dec 21, 2004, 09:58 AM

you could also try 'exit' .

Turnpike · Dec 21, 2004, 07:42 PM

I don't know enough about this to say for sure, but this is an idea:

perhaps somehow the machine got set to automatically login as '>console' (inputting this at the login screen takes you to the console screen). I don't know how this would happen. Maybe there is a pref file somewhere you could edit before rebooting that would either turn off the auto login or change it to your user.

ixus_123 · Dec 21, 2004, 11:20 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

I've given up trying to fix it. I had forgotten that I had another os X on an external hard drive. It's been almost 2 years since I fired that one up. It's done the trick though & I've been able to grab everything I needed off the iBook. There wasn't that much to fetch as 2 cooked hard drives in as many years has taught me to back up often.

I'm going to do a clean install of os X on the iBook now or I might give Ubuntu Linux a spin first & see how that runs.

Thanks again for all your input guys

smic · Dec 22, 2004, 01:03 AM

i liked ubuntu
but i had it on a 700mhz ibook
the only thing wrong with it i thought was it had gnome and no kde

Angus_D · Dec 22, 2004, 05:07 AM

Yeah, if you're getting thrown out of the GUI repeatedly this means that something is broken. Your best bet is a re-install.

Detrius · Dec 25, 2004, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by Angus_D:
Yeah, if you're getting thrown out of the GUI repeatedly this means that something is broken. Your best bet is a re-install.

This could mean a corrupt preference file, however. You can use plutil -s on every plist file on the drive. This is more common with blue screens, though than with being dropped into darwin. You could also check the logs and see what the error messages are. All of this requires being comfortable at the command line, though.

ixus_123 · Dec 26, 2004, 06:41 PM

Unfortunatly I'm not that comfortable with the command line. I took the chicken way out & reinstalled

The thing is ox X does everything so well I don't really need / get the chance to use the command line as much as I would like. All the bits I have learnt on the command line has come from trying to fix things on my Slackware box.

TazmanDman · Jan 5, 2005, 12:17 PM

If the startup settings got changed to console mode all you have to do is PRAM or Open Firmware Reset a to put everything back to default.