Hi Mark, The base set of licenses you'll need for using a VMS machine like a workstation consists of: OPENVMS-ALPHA DW-MOTIF (DECwindows) UCX (TCP/IP) DVNETEND (DECnet) Then if you need more features, you can load more licenses. When you want to disable DECwindows to start when you boot the machine, just edit the SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM and remove the comment (!) from the line $ DEFINE DECW$IGNORE_DECWINDOWS TRUE like above. One thing which is usually helpful when you get in some kind of trouble is to keep the console functions tied to the serial port (SET CONSOLE SERIAL at the console prompt [>>>]). That way you'll always have a way to log into the machine and use a command line session. The additional benefit is to follow what happens during the early self tests of the machine and the whole startup of VMS. That doesn't affect the DECwindows usage on the graphics port. Regards, Kari On 16.6.2011 23:14, Mark Benson wrote: Well I'm stuck now. I couldn't get my Licenses to validate during install so I skipped that part and put them in later. I put in the base license for OPENVMS-ALPHA and rebooted the machine. Now I am presented with a DECwindows login screen (which is some welcome progress) and I can't log in because I get the 'LMF license check has failed' error (no DECwindows license??). If I could get out to a command-line terminal I can input some more licenses but, unlike any other CDE/Motif system I've used before the 'Options' menu has no 'Command Line Login' option. Is there a boot flag from the SRM console or a special keystroke command I can issue, or any other method to get me to a command line? Also does anyone know which licenses I will need to enter and operate the DECwindows 1.6 environment?