How do I access the terminal without logging in to the desktop?
Solution 1:
To access a Terminal from the Login screen press Ctrl+Alt+F1 (or F2 or 3 and so on F7 is the where the GUI is running)
From there you can contiune where you left off or try to re do it again.
You can also access one from the recovery mode, boot press shift when GRUB appears and enter recovery, then enter the root terminal.