Sudden Jump to Text Only Screen SOLVED

[barnaby]

Is it a full login prompt? I think so. the second line just says password and waits for me to enter my password (I have only the one) which it rejects. I will try one of the suggested inputs, Ctrl-Alt-Esc or Ctrl-Alt-backspace to see if that helps. Thanks.

[dolphin_oracle]

It sounds like for some reason you are switxhing.to the try console that is accessible usually with cntrl + alt + f4.

If that is the case, then switxhing back to your X session might be possibLe with cntrl+alt+f7.

[barnaby]

If/when it happens again I will first of all try ctrl-alt-F7. I should have thought of that. Problem is that it happens at random, so I don't know if and when. Thanks for all the help with what to try next time it happens. It still seems a mystery as to why it happening?

[Huckleberry Finn]

Yep. But if you were using (wrongly) Ctrl+Alt+F4 to open terminal rather than F4 ..
Shortly just use F4 for Terminal (but not Ctrl Alt).
Also try if opening Terminal from other ways causes any issue or not: i.e. from Menu .

[tony37]

just a thought: maybe that prompt doesn't accept your password because you first have to enter the user name (and only then password)

[barnaby]

I should open the terminal with just plain F4. Since I use Ctrl-Alt with other characters for some items (eg Ctrl-Alt-x to open Firefox, Ctrl-Alt-v for the Vivaldi browser) it is possible that I am entering Ctrl-Alt-F4 by mistake. Never thought of that. What would that combination do? (I am too scared to test it.)

[JayM]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_shortcuts

Ctrl+Alt+F1, F2, F3, ... Switch to n-th virtual console

[barnaby]

Further to my last post, I am pretty sure that I must have used Ctrl-Alt-F4 instead of just plain old F4. This would explain it. I am so used to having keyboard short cuts which start with Ctrl-Alt. Anyway, if it happens again I will try Ctrl-Alt-F7. Sorry for wasting peoples' time.

[JayM]

Ctrl-Alt-F7 takes you back to your regular desktop? Who knew? When I tested Ctrl-Alt-F4 on my own system I ended up having to log in as root and type reboot to get out of the terminal.

Could you edit your top post #1 (the button next to it with the pencil icon) and add solved to the title? Thanks.

[dolphin_oracle]

Ctrl-Alt-F7 takes you back to your regular desktop? Who knew? When I tested Ctrl-Alt-F4 on my own system I ended up having to log in as root and type reboot to get out of the terminal.

Could you edit your top post #1 (the button next to it with the pencil icon) and add solved to the title? Thanks.

Cntrl+alt+F1 through F6 give you text consoles. cntrl+alt+F7 thru F12(?) give you any X sessions that are running (F8 and up will be empty, not even text, unless new X sessions are started, say with the switchuser features).