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#1 2013-06-02 07:44:13

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

[SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Hello, I'm trying to get my X server running on a fresh VirtualBox guest.  When I run startx, the screen momentarily changes size, then changes back and returns to the command prompt with the following:

The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
> Internal error:    Could not resolve keysym XF86AudioMicMute
Errors are not fatal to the X server
The XKEYBOARD keymap compiler (xkbcomp) reports:
> Internal error:    Could not resolve keysym XF86AudioMicMute
Errors are not fatal to the X server
xinit: connection to X server lost

waiting for X server to shut down Server terminated successfully (0). Closing log file.

That part didn't seem like the root issue, though, so I ran this:

$ grep EE /var/log/Xorg.0.log
[snip]
(EE) Failed to load module "glx" (module does not exist, 0)
(EE) Failed to load module "modesetting" (module does not exist, 0)
(EE) Failed to load module "fbdev" (module does not exist, 0)
(EE) VBoxVideo(0): Disabling DRI due to missing server functionality.

Seems like I'm missing some modules, although I tried to follow the wiki directions carefully.  Please let me know if anyone has any ideas.  Thanks.

Last edited by benash (2013-06-15 03:01:58)

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#2 2013-06-02 15:48:19

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Looks like startx does work when I run as root, but I think it should work for a regular user as well.

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#3 2013-06-02 16:09:25

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

I've posted my Xorg.0.log file here: http://bpaste.net/show/103839/

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#4 2013-06-03 01:21:16

oboenerd
Member
From: Right behind you.
Registered: 2012-08-15
Posts: 52

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

have you installed virtualbox-guest-iso in the guest system?


"I quoted myself." -oboenerd

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#5 2013-06-03 04:16:58

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

oboenerd wrote:

have you installed virtualbox-guest-iso in the guest system?

No, I haven't installed that, since it's for the host and not the guest.  (My host OS is Windows.)  I do realize now that I had previously mistakenly installed the actual virtualbox package (along with virtualbox-host-modules and virtualbox-ext-oracle).  I have already removed those packages, but could they have messed something up since they were for the host and not the guest?

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#6 2013-06-04 13:06:48

oboenerd
Member
From: Right behind you.
Registered: 2012-08-15
Posts: 52

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Installing the host modules shouldn't lead to a problem.  If you haven't done so you'll need to run

$ pacman -S virtualbox-guest-iso

in the guest system and load the modules vboxguest, vboxsf and vboxvideo.

More info: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Vi … nux_guests

I don't believe this is the root of our problem, though.  what does your .xinitrc look like?


"I quoted myself." -oboenerd

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#7 2013-06-09 22:57:05

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Installing virtualbox-guest-iso did not help.  (I had already installed virtualbox-guest-utils anyway.)  My .xinitrc just has one line:

/usr/bin/VBoxClient-all

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#8 2013-06-10 01:30:35

oboenerd
Member
From: Right behind you.
Registered: 2012-08-15
Posts: 52

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

How about that!  You're not really getting an error at all - your xinitrc is missing a desktop environment.  All VBoxClient does is sets up your guest system to integrate with the host, so once that's done startx doesn't have anything else to do and just exits normally with no error.  Which desktop environment or window manager do you have installed?  You should likely check the wiki that corresponds to it to find the appropriate line to add to the end of .xinitrc.

Last edited by oboenerd (2013-06-10 01:31:34)


"I quoted myself." -oboenerd

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#9 2013-06-14 23:56:42

benash
Member
From: Detroit, MI
Registered: 2011-07-14
Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Thank you.  The .xinitrc file was the issue.  To fix, I copied the contents of /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc into ~/.xinitrc and then added to the top the single line that I had for VirtualBox.

I think this point should be clarified on the wiki.  The beginner's guide directs beginners to the VirtualBox page when installing X, and the VirtualBox tells them to create the ~/.xinitrc file with one line if it doesn't already exist.  I'll try to figure out how to recommend a note for that on the wiki.

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#10 2013-06-15 00:17:04

oboenerd
Member
From: Right behind you.
Registered: 2012-08-15
Posts: 52

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Excellent.  Thanks for the report on the documentation, the language seems a little misleading indeed.  I'll take it from here.

Please mark this thread as [SOLVED].  Have a great day!

Last edited by oboenerd (2013-06-15 00:20:24)


"I quoted myself." -oboenerd

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#11 2013-12-26 20:05:37

BlueBottle
Member
Registered: 2013-12-26
Posts: 1

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

I just had the same problem. Please clarify in the Beginners' Guide and/or the Virtual Box wiki pages? (I estimate that the misleading language in the documentation cost me about two hours of troubleshooting work today.)

I recommend: leave the Beginners' Guide as is, but update this note in The VirtualBox wiki article:

  If you are creating a new ~/.xinitrc file you must also include a window manager or desktop environment.

The clarification I would recommend would be to add to that note:

  Here is a one-line ~/.xinitrc file suitable for using the default window manager:
  /usr/bin/VBoxClient-all; exec /bin/sh /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

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#12 2013-12-26 22:22:17

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: [SOLVED] Trouble starting X server on fresh VirtualBox guest

Hi BlueBottle, and welcome to Arch Linux.  I think you are going to fit in just fine around these parts smile

But, the wiki is a wiki;  just because you are new to Arch, don't be bashful about updating the documentation.


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
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