Arch Linux

parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Windows stop opening in XFCE4

Hi all,

I have just installed Arch Linux on my computer using the Installation guide on the Arch Wiki. My issue is that after running the system for sometime, I am not able to open any new window, no terminal, no browser, nothing. This happens every time I login afresh. For what it's worth, whenever I run the command 'startx' in my terminal, I am always faced with a blank screen with a blinking prompt, and I am not even able to go back to CLI using Ctrl+Alt+Backspace. What should I do to solve this problem?

I am running XFCE4 as my window manager, and my video card is ATI Radeon 4300 series. I have installed the open source driver (xf86-video-ati) on my system.

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,424

Website

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

What is in your Xorg log and the journal?

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parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

Hi,

I am really a noob at this. What do you mean by the xorg log and journal?

torors

Member

Registered: 2012-09-28

Posts: 106

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

You will find Xorg log in /var/log, and you must use the command "journalctl" to display your journal.

I think you should do av bit reading about Xorg and journalctl. The logs will provide you with useful information whenever you have to debug your system.

Last edited by torors (2014-07-27 12:02:12)

parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

I have pasted the xorg log at http://bpaste.net/show/510296/ and the journal at http://bpaste.net/show/510276/

In the journal, I can see this line - "XIO:  fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server ":0.0"" and in the log, the errors were pertaining to some modules like modesetting, vesa and fbdev failing to load.

Are these errors relevant?

torors

Member

Registered: 2012-09-28

Posts: 106

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

I your journal:

localhost slim[228]: [426:456:0727/172243:ERROR:channel.cc(297)] RawChannel fatal error (type 1)

Looks like this has someting to do with slim and the start of the X-server.

Try to examine your ~.xinitrc and /etc/slim.conf.

Last edited by torors (2014-07-27 14:31:55)

parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

The .xinitrc doesn't have too much code in it. I doubt it would cause the problem. Here it is:

#!/bin/sh
#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)

if [ -d /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d ]; then
  for f in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/*; do
    [ -x "$f" ] && . "$f"
  done
  unset f
fi

# exec gnome-session
# exec startkde
 exec startxfce4
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice

The /etc/slim.conf is similarly pretty simple. I have pasted it here: http://bpaste.net/show/510884/

The /var/log/slim.log has only the lines "slim: waiting for X server to begin accepting connections." and "slim: waiting for X server to shut down."

torors

Member

Registered: 2012-09-28

Posts: 106

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

If you haven't allready done, you may install these:

xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm

Then you can comment out the line:

exec startxfce4

from .xinitrc.

Now try to start X from at terminal with startx. If this works, I think there must be a problem with XFCE4 and not the X-server.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 17,450

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

Did you set a hostname?  In the journal logs hostname switches from localhost to localhost.localdomain which caused a similar issue here https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=183951

parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

If you haven't allready done, you may install these:

xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm

Then you can comment out the line:

exec startxfce4

from .xinitrc.

Now try to start X from at terminal with startx. If this works, I think there must be a problem with XFCE4 and not the X-server.

I have these packages already installed. I uncommented the exec line and ran startx, but I am once again faced with the blank screen. I forcibly logged out after that. When I try to login after that, I am redirected back to the login prompt after each successful login, I am not able to enter my system. Uncommenting the exec startxfce4 line restores it back to normal.

parag14

Member

Registered: 2014-07-26

Posts: 14

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

Did you set a hostname?  In the journal logs hostname switches from localhost to localhost.localdomain which caused a similar issue here https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=183951

No, I haven't set hostname anywhere (that I know of). Running 'hostname' at the terminal gives localhost as its output too.

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 17,450

Re: Windows stop opening in XFCE4

Set_the_hostname also Hostname