KevinO wrote: "Press CTRL-ALT-F1 to get to a terminal window. This does not require X in any way. Type in 'root' for the username and then the root password. Do you configuration from there. ALT-F7 should take you back to the X-windows screen when you're done. P.S. Please change the subjest line of your messages to something more descriptive - Thanks" At what point in the startup should I type Ctrl Alt F1? Once I get to the terminal, what would I type to start changing my configuration? I know nothing about commands. I am not an experienced UNIX user or anything of the such. I am a disgruntled Windows user who jumped ship because Linux looked good. I believe all that I really need, is how to get the monitor refresh rate down. Once I cut that back to what it should be, X should be usable, and from there I can handle it all. Sorry about the message line - it was a goof-up. Thanks for the help.