[Solved]X Server already running on a cold boot?

darnir · 2012-06-11 18:27:30

I recently noticed that running startx on my system gives the following message. (I run exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch from .xinitrc):

/usr/bin/startxfce4: X server already running on display :0

I tried searching for this problem. But all the posts I found had people with X Server's that are not working at all or have a lot of problems. I however, don't have any problems as such, except that my xfce seems to take a lot of time to load.

Since, I am not facing any grave probems, I am asking this only for curiosity's sake. I want to know why this message occurs, and how to prevent it.

EDIT: I used to run compiz. But I have since removed compiz-fusion with a pacman -Rdd compiz-fusion and tried my best to revert any config file that may have been affected. But I doubt that is what is causing the above message to be printed.

Last edited by darnir (2012-06-14 11:40:26)

Trilby · 2012-06-11 18:53:25

Doesn't startxfce4 also start X?

I believe you can just run "exec startxfce4" from the console and it will start X and source it's ~/.config/xfce/xinitrc.

So if you have that command in ~/.xinitrc and run "startx" or "xinit" from the console, it will try to start X a second time, which will fail and produce the message you see.

darnir · 2012-06-14 11:40:10

@Trilby: Thanks! That solved it for me.. Guess a metion should be given to this poit on the Wiki.. (Unless it's already there, and I missed reading it)

Trilby · 2012-06-14 14:46:53

I've never used xfce, I just checked the man page and wiki, that's where I got that startxfce4 also starts X.

man startxfce4 wrote:

startxfce4 is a script responsible for starting an Xfce session. It runs xinit...

arch wiki xfce page wrote:

You can execute:
$ startxfce4
from the console, or configure xinitrc and use xinit or startx

Note the or.

Also, just in general, it seemed a bad idea to have a program/script call itself by having "startxfce4" in two places.

Last edited by Trilby (2012-06-14 14:51:17)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-06-11 18:27:30

[Solved]X Server already running on a cold boot?

#2 2012-06-11 18:53:25

Re: [Solved]X Server already running on a cold boot?

#3 2012-06-14 11:40:10

Re: [Solved]X Server already running on a cold boot?

#4 2012-06-14 14:46:53

Re: [Solved]X Server already running on a cold boot?

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