Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3: System Administration Guide
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# 11.3. Booting into Single-User Mode

One of the advantages of single-user mode is that you do not need a boot diskette or CD-ROM; however, it does not give you the option to mount the file systems as read-only or not mount them at all.

If your system boots, but does not allow you to log in when it has completed booting, try single-user mode.

In single-user mode, your computer boots to runlevel 1. Your local file systems are mounted, but your network is not activated. You have a usable system maintenance shell. Unlike rescue mode, single-user mode automatically tries to mount your file system; do not use single-user mode if your file system can not be mounted successfully. You can not use single-user mode if the runlevel 1 configuration on your system is corrupted.

On an x86 system using GRUB as the boot loader, use the following steps to boot into single-user mode:

1. If you have a GRUB password configured, type `p` and enter the password.

2. Select Red Hat Enterprise Linux with the version of the kernel that you wish to boot and type `a` to append the line.

3. Go to the end of the line and type `single` as a separate word (press the <KEYCAP >[Spacebar]</KEYCAP > and then type `single`). Press <KEYCAP >[Enter]</KEYCAP > to exit edit mode.

4. Back at the GRUB screen, type `b` to boot into single-user mode.

On an x86 system using LILO as the boot loader, at the LILO boot prompt (if you are using the graphical LILO, you must press <KEYCAP >[Ctrl]</KEYCAP >-<KEYCAP >[x]</KEYCAP > to exit the graphical screen and go to the `boot:` prompt) type:

    linux single

For all other platforms, specify `single` as a kernel parameter at the boot prompt.

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