How to Boot Linux Directly into the Shell

Some of us don’t want to bother with a GUI system and therefore would rather tinker around in a command line instead. With Linux you can actually boot your computer directly into the Shell without having to wait for the cool GUIs to load before opening a Shell yourself. Follow these simple steps and you’ll be firing off commands before you know it.


Step 1 Turn on your system and allow it to boot into the regular GUI Linux. Once booted, you will need to open a Shell window.

Step 2 Next type the following command: sudo rm/etc/rc3.d/S13GDM and press “Enter.”

Step 3 Next you will need to type the following command: gksu gedit /etc/inittab and press “Enter.”

Step 4 Once you have entered the previous command, you will need to enter this line: id:3:initdefault: and then save it by using the command :w.

Step 5 Restart your computer. When the system restarts, you should be taken directly to Shell instead of the GUI. When you are tired of booting into the Shell, you can reverse this setting by using this command: sudo rm /etc/inittab. This command will delete the inittab file and allow you to boot into the GUI once again.