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Previous: 42.3 Why Changing TERM Sometimes Doesn't Work Chapter 42
Problems with Terminals
Next: 42.5 Checklist: Screen Size Messed Up?
 

42.4 Checklist for Resetting a Messed Up Terminal

Gremlins (like line noise on a modem, a bug in a program, a really long line of output, non-printable characters in a file you cat to your screen, etc.) can sneak into your system somewhere and mess up your terminal screen or window. The screen could have a bunch of flashing junk, the character set could turn into hieroglyphics, words could start coming out underlined or in inverse video, the line could lock up... well, there are lots of possibilities.

Here's a rough list of things to try. This might be worth reading through right now. Some things in here need to be ready before your terminal locks up.

If worse comes to worst, try the steps from article 42.2. Find another place to log in to your account. Run ps to find your processes on the hung-up terminal or window and kill them. Then turn off the terminal or close the window and log in again. (If you didn't have a way to kill the processes before you logged in again, be sure to kill your old processes right away after you log in.)

- JP


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