no gdm after kernel re-compile

[rocketpcguy]

im not new to compiling kernels, but im new to debian. anyway, i have a vanilla 2.4.27 kernel source code that i got from kernel.org. i configurred/compiled as usual.

after i reboot with new kernel, it seems to load fine, and then when it say "starting GDM", my viewsonic monitor makes the usual noise of changing resolutions. i see a black screen for 1 second, then im back to those init lines display where it is still say "starting GDM". then again the same thing happens. again. after sometime, it says something like "ld respawning too fast" and does that for all runlevels, and then gets stuck. i can reboot with ctrl+alt+del.

i re-compiled with different options 4 times, but nothing.i remember compiling with this same machine in slackware, and it went fine. did i miss something this time, or is there a extra step for debian sarge?

ps- my original intention was to patch it with the bootsplash patch as well, but now i cant even get the vanilla patchless kernel working.

[lagitus]

Seems like your graphics card's driver module is missing. If it is in the kernel tree, you probably forgot to compile it (or auto-load the compiled module). If it is a separate module like ATI's or NVIDIA's binaries, you need to reinstall (recompile) that.

X's logfile (at /var/log/Xorg.0.log on my system) might give some additional hints.

EDIT: Of course you might want to try running 'X -verbose 2>&1 | grep EE' manually as well.

[rocketpcguy]

how do i switch to console mode in debian? in fedora, i just added "linux 3" in the GRUB, or editted my inittab.
whats the "text mode" runlevel for debian in the inittab?
because pressing ctrl+alt+f* doesn't work (i get black screens except for F1 which has the "starting GDM" problem)

[lagitus]

To boot to a diffrent runlevel, add its number to the end of the line with kernel parameters in grub. The boot menu should show the correct keys to allow editing the lines (without saving) and boot.

[rocketpcguy]

yes, i know, but which runlevel is it for debian?

btw- i have a ati radeon 128 pro, i tried compiling it as a module, in-built, and not compiling it.

[lagitus]

1 should give you single-user/maintenance mode. 3 is usually multi-user + network but no X. Just try them.

[bwkaz]

That is true on most Red Hat derived distros. Debian sets it up differently. ;)

Runlevel 2 seems to stick in my head for some reason. The Debian reference manual says that the default runlevel in Debian is 2, so that might be worth a shot. The issue might be that you or your distro has customized runlevel 2 so that it starts gdm -- in that case, you'd have to use one of the other runlevels. Try 1 in that case.