Black Screen - no command line prompt!

[alan_mcleod]

I have just got my pi turned on - I got it from the initial screen to GUI by startx and back again via CTRL-ALT-F2 a couple of times.

The last time I did this I found I have no command prompt. I can type but nstructions such as startx appear on screen and do nothing.

How can I proceed to get either my command line prompt back or get back to the GUI

I have a Sonic Pi soundtrack running in the background so I know that part is still working...

Thanks for any help - I really don't want to just turn it off and risk the SD card...

Alan

[DougieLawson]

ctrl + alt + f2

That should get you a login prompt.

[QuietZone]

ctrl + alt + f2

That should get you a login prompt.

Please re-read the original posting. Thank you.

[DougieLawson]

If it doesn't work the boot sequence hasn't completed. The gettys on the console ttys start fairly late in the systemd startup sequence. That early in the process it's very difficult to work out what's wrong and what's hanging it.

So the OP needs to get a new SDCard so he has a bootable machine and he can look at logs & stuff to discover why the boot on his broken SDCard is failing. There's a option in sudo raspi-config to delay /etc/rc.local until the network is active. Stuff in /etc/rc.local is a common way to get a boot hanging.

There is an ugly way to terminate things in a hanging boot, using the "magic SysRQ" keys.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_SysRq_key#Commands
the standard Raspbian kernels have that stuff enabled. It's not recommended because it can leave you with a SDCard that won't boot.

[alan_mcleod]

Thanks so much everyone. This has given me a lot to read incase it happens again.

In the end, I turned it off at the plug (unwise I know) and it was ok when I turned it back with luckily no SD card corruption.

After that I used the update and upgrade options - it might have been that my software (on a pre-bought NOOBS SD card) was not the most up to date.

Thanks again for all your advice - it's great to be somewhere that people are so willing to help out.

Alan

[jamesh]

Thanks so much everyone. This has given me a lot to read incase it happens again.

In the end, I turned it off at the plug (unwise I know) and it was ok when I turned it back with luckily no SD card corruption.

After that I used the update and upgrade options - it might have been that my software (on a pre-bought NOOBS SD card) was not the most up to date.

Thanks again for all your advice - it's great to be somewhere that people are so willing to help out.

Alan

Chances of getting an SD card corruption even on a straight plug pull are very low. Not insignificant, but low. I've had it about 3 times in 6 years.