Sounds to me like your system is trying to switch into graphical mode and isn't getting there. This can happen if you are bordering on the limits of your monitor. If you can hear the monitor clicking it's another indication it's having trouble with the video signal. I have read ahead what others have said.
I think the best solution is to run in text mode until you reconfigure your video setup. Alternately others have suggested a re-install (which will also work). Either way, try selecting a lower resolution and refresh rate when doing the video setup. Now, to start in text mode, at the 'lilo' prompt soon after the bios messages go by you can type in 'linux 3' to start in run level 3 (multi-user with no graphics). Or as also suggested you may also have luck once the system is booted (& blank screen), pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 to switch to the first text console. Login as root (and if you didn't do 'linux 3', type 'init 3' and once things finish starting/stopping press enter for the prompt again). Next you'll need to run the Xconfigurator program to try configuring the video setup. You may have to have several goes to get it right. Next, use the 'startx' command to try out the setting with a normal desktop. When you're finished type 'reboot' to try it all out normally. On Mon, 24 Dec 2001, john midworth wrote: > Dear people at SLUG, > > I hope you can help me, or can recommend someone who could help me with a > bit of advice to get me started. > I have just got my own computer for Christmas/ birthday (an old one, but it > should be OK) and have installed Linux Red Hat 7.1. Everything was fine > until one day the Gnome menu gave me the options: log out, halt, or reboot. > I accidentally pressed halt on the footprint picture, and the computer > switched off. The next morning when I tried to reboot Linux, this is what > happened. First it says that the hard disk was not cleanly unmounted. Then > it goes through something like a scandisk process, then it gets to the > login prompt and then the screen goes blank/black and stays that way. So I > have to keep shutting it down wrongly all the time. This time I pressed "I" > to enter interactive startup and went through the whole thing and when it > got to login, it still flickered and went black. I'm sorry to have to > bother you, but my parents don't know anything about computers. I have to > get a proper Linux manual, but I'm only 9 (next week) so I haven't got it > yet. I've got Gnome for Dummies but it doesn't cover this. I would really, > really appreciate any help I could get to just get Linux to boot up. > Thank you very much, > L.M. > > > -- ---<GRiP>--- Web: www.arcadia.au.com/gripz Phone/fax: 02 4950 1194 Mobile: 0408 686 201 -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
