Personal tools
You are here: Home Docs Help! Error References init: Id "x" respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

init: Id "x" respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

This Error Reference applies to: All
This Error Reference is intended for: Any audience.

In most distributions this means that the system is booting by default into runlevel 5, which is supposed to respawn (re-start again after it's been exited) a graphical login via xdm, kdm, gdm, or whatever, and the system can't locate the program.

However, Id can also indicate the absence or misconfiguration of another program, like mingetty, if init tries to respawn itself more than 10 times in 2 minutes.

Id "x" is the number in the leftmost column of the /etc/inittab file:

 # Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

Commenting the offending line out and then fixing the errant program and testing on the command line will allow you to see any error messages that go to standard error output (console) if the errors are not going to the system log file. Uncomment the line and restart init with kill -SIGHUP 1 or telinit q to cause init to reinitialize and reread the /etc/inittab file.

Some systems, however, rewrite /etc/inittab when booting. In that case, refer to the init man page, and/or the settings in /etc/sysconfig/init.

Refer to the init and /etc/inittab man pages for detailed information.

[Carl King]

Broadband Deals
Compare the best broadband deals available in the UK from all the leading Internet Service Providers including BT, Sky and Virgin Media.
IT Support Manchester
For IT support, Manchester based MailSure will provide technical support for your IT needs or take control of your IT requirements at any stage in your business development.
IT Support Bristol
IT Services and IT Support provider based in Bristol. Computer maintenance with server support as standard.
Mobile Broadband Deals
Compare the cheapest mobile broadband deals on Mobile Broadband Genie, the independent UK price comparison website.
Project Planning Software
Atlantic Global offers full solutions of project management software, including project planning software, timesheets and more
City Leased Lines
Dedicated 100Mbit fibre optic Internet and Cloud outsourcing in the City of London, call now on 020 7096 9004 or email sales@metro-tek.com
IT Support
For The Best IT Support In London Make Our IT Department Your IT Department. Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
IT Support London
Efficent IT Support & Hosted Services for SME businesses in and around greater London.
Reliable Web Hosting
Affordable Web Hosting with one click installs for Joomla, Moodle, Wordpress and more!
Data Recovery
Professional data recovery services