Hello. I'm using smxi on AntiX Intifada! with great satisfaction so far. Congratulations on this great script, it makes upgrading much easier! However I have upgraded the linuxkernel to Linux-2.6.31-6.dmz.2-liquorix-686 and use this kernel besides Linux-2.6.27-1-mepis-smp. When I try to use smxi with the newest kernel I get a totally black screen after I 'shutdown-desktop-and-continue' with smxi, and then nothing happens anymore. With the old kernel smxi works just flawlessly. I'm not very familiar with smxi yet, but I'm trying to work out why this happens. Could this have anything to do with the package linux firmware-nonfree, that is broken because it conflicts with the pakage firmware-free that comes with MEPIS?
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it's very hard to diagnose mepis / antix issues to be honest.

You want to see first what is actually happening, for example, you don't say what video driver or card you are using.

If you start your system in init 3, or 2, by typing the number 2 or 3 at grub boot screen, and hitting enter, you should get to the console login.

You can also select console login at kdm login screen as a start option, which also drops you to console.

fglrx is notorious for locking your desktop in this way, but if you don't provide any meaningful further details it's hard to say, it's not related in any way to smxi, it's either a video driver issue or it's some issue with the init stuff I would guess.

The non free firmware package also should be in, but that's an example where unfortunately mepis packages simply are not compatible in many areas with straight debian packages. That's an issue that warren is going to have to fix before his next release because the core changes in debian simply do not permit using the legacy mepis methods any longer, at least not without creating large and major conflicts.

Every few months, a new core system changing, hal/udev, insserv added, xorg no longer uses xorg.conf, dynamic drive mounts handled by system or desktop now, etc.

Please show the output of: inxi -F
below so we can see what your system actually is doing.
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I diagnosed it to be related to the fitmware-issue, because the problems occured only after the pakage was broken in an upgrade. Originaly smxi performed wel with the new kernel.

Here is the output of inxi -F on my machine:

System: Host mepis1 Kernel 2.6.31-6.dmz.2-liquorix-686 i686 (32 bit) Distro antiX-M8 Intifada! 30 January 2009
CPU: Single core AMD Athlon XP 1500+ (UP) cache 256 KB flags (sse) bmips 2703.73 clocked at 1350.318 MHz
Graphics: Card S3 Savage 4 X.Org 1.6.5 Res: 1280x1024@60.0hz
GLX Renderer Software Rasterizer GLX Version 2.1 Mesa 7.6 Direct Rendering Yes
Audio: Card VIA VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller driver VIA 82xx Audio at port d400
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.20
Network: Card Realtek RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ driver 8139too at port e400
Disks: HDD Total Size: 42.1GB (10.3% used) 1: /dev/sda ST340810A 40.0GB
2: USB /dev/sdb TS2GJFV90 2.1GB
Partition: ID:/ size: 25G used: 4.1G (18%) fs: ext3 ID:swap-1 size: 1.12GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
ID:swap-2 size: 1.41GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
Info: Processes 84 Uptime 17 min Memory 117.3/249.4MB Client Shell inxi 1.2.7

As you can see it's allready a fairly old computer. That's why I use AntiX-sid with smxi
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can you login into a terminal session in either way I asked, with the latest liquorix kernel?

If you can that's more information, if you can't, that's also more.

In other words, don't try use smxi to kill x, logout, then use console login menu option if there is one.

I also remember slim login manager having some bugs, so try booting directly to init 3 from grub by typing in 3 and hitting enter at grub boot menu.

If you can login in and run smxi, there is no real issue I'd say, other than some hard to track down bug, maybe in firmware package, hard to say.
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With the help of the friendly people of the AntiX-forum I was able to force the install of firmware-linux-nonfree. Now smxi is also working again on the newest kernel. I 'll still have to figure out how to login into console-login from the GRUB-screen with AntiX. I didn't succeed until now. But my problem is solved. Thank you very much for your help!
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Interesting, so the linux-firmware-nonfree actually made it not work, I didn't know it had any actually key firmware that would have that type of affect.
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That package had not been installed properly so Hannes had to force install it.
Once installed correctly, smxi works as it should.
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