Dropping into text mode during boot

[Colin Law]

2009/10/13 Matt Harrison <matt.harrison82 at gmail.com>:
> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 4:47 PM, Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> wrote:
>> 2009/10/13 Chris G <cl at isbd.net>:
>>> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 09:24:14PM +0100, Colin Law wrote:
>>>> Hi
>>>>
>>>> I noticed the other day that one of my machines, running Jaunty
>>>> standard install and all up to date, is dropping into text mode during
>>>> boot.  It starts ok with the oscillating yellow blob on the orange
>>>> line but then drops into text mode, with the first line showing "*
>>>> Reading files needed to boot".  It carries on showing loads of stuff
>>>> then displays the graphical login screen and behaves perfectly
>>>> thereafter.  I don't remember doing anything other than routine
>>>> updates.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Doesn't this happen when something takes a longer time than normal,
>>> with the intent of showing you what is delaying the boot.
>>
>> I think you may be right, I have just looked more carefully at another
>> machine and it does not show the oscillating yellow blob at all.  On
>> the failing machine it shows for maybe 5 seconds before dropping into
>> text mode.  Presumably then something is waiting during those seconds.
>>  Any idea where to look to find out what is causing it?
>>
>> Colin
>
> Just out of curiosity, what filesystem do you use?  I know that my
> system (ReiserFS) drops to text mode and finishes booting to the
> graphical login screen because it is checking the filesystem.
>

It is ext3 (though there is an NTFS partition also).

I have tried dmesg and this appears to be the significant area:

[    7.234998] generic-usb 0003:045E:0040.0001: input,hidraw0: USB HID
v1.10 Mouse [Microsoft Microsoft 3-Button Mouse with IntelliEye(TM)]
on usb-0000:00:10.0-2/input0
[    7.235030] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbhid
[    7.235035] usbhid: v2.6:USB HID core driver
[   12.473615] kjournald starting.  Commit interval 5 seconds
[   12.473632] EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
[   19.642123] udev: starting version 141
[   19.947547] parport_pc 00:0b: reported by Plug and Play ACPI
[   19.947658] parport0: PC-style at 0x378 (0x778), irq 7, dma 3
[PCSPP,TRISTATE,COMPAT,EPP,ECP,DMA]

Colin