Exit Bash Mode? [closed]

Question

I apologize for asking such a dumb question but my linux server is stuck in "bash" mode. When I log on through the terminal my command line looks like this:

-bash-3.2$

I cannot execute other commands because of this. If I type "exit" it closes the terminal window. How can I exit this bash mode so I can enter commands?!

Answer 1

Try running the command reset it's possible you've screwed up the session.

Try running tput setb 6 which changes the bgcolor to dark red. If it works then your settings are screwed up:

most likely if you have not been rooting around your system configs without proper knowledge of things: rm ~/.bashrc

CTRL+ALT+F2 will pull you out of the X-Windows system and slam you into console. If things don't work properly there... you've screwed things up big time. Consult a NIX user forum for help with this topic as it isn't really a programming question.

http://www.unix.stackexchange.com/

Oh, and tput setb 0 will restore your default background color.

Answer 2

If this is not the shell you want, you can always type in eg. zsh, tcsh or whatever inside this bash session to get into your shell of choice.

On a more permanent basis, your shell of choice is associated with your user-account. Examining /etc/passwd, you will find that the final item on each line defines which shell that user uses. Yours is likely to be set to /bin/sh or /bin/bash.

You are likely to have a GUI configuration tool, eg 'Users and Groups' on Ubuntu, where you can set your default shell.

Any changes to those settings take effect upon your next login.