Where is the boot log file stored?

[Paul Rumelhart]

Nils Kassube wrote:
> Peter Williams wrote:
>   
>> I'd like to know (a) what is the filename of the boot log & (b) where
>> is it stored. The file I'm referring to will have the text of the
>> messages which appear when my pc is booting-up (e.g. before the log-in
>> screen). I've noticed a few strange messages -- but the text flies off
>> the screen so quickly that its very difficult to read it.
>>     
>
> With a default installation the messages are not stored anywhere. I think 
> you would need to install the package "sysvinit", but that package is in 
> conflict with package "upstart" which is vital for the boot process. I 
> can't tell you if sysvinit would do the job of upstart without further 
> modifications. Therefore I wouldn't recommend installing sysvinit. 
> However if you like an adventure you could install it and enable boot 
> logging in "/etc/default/bootlogd" by modifying the line which should 
> then read
>
> BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=Yes
>
> If you enable it, the messages should be stored in "/var/log/boot".
>
> As an alternative I would capture the messages with a digital camera.
>
>
> Nils
>
>   

You can run dmesg, and redirect it to a file (dmesg > dmesg.txt, or 
something similar).  This contains information on the boot process, as 
well as later segfaults while the system is running.

Paul