connection to X fails without error messages

nightfrost · 2005-05-27 09:58:39

Hi all,

I'm having serious problems with a newly installed arch. I'm setting up a laptop for a friend with pretty much the same configurations as I have myself- except that I didn't have this problem.

I installed X, KDE, made configurations, started KDE customized things, logged out and couldn't log back in. The splash screen won't pass "initializing system services". These are the steps I've taken in order to troubleshoot:

1) I created a new user in order eliminate setting-issues with one particular user.

2) I've tried running startx instead of KDE, of course. I get a cursor and then I'm instantly returned to console. This reminds me much of problems with pseudo terminals, especially since kdm starts fine. But..

3) I've checked that I have /dev/pts mounted

4) /dev/null has the appropriate permission

The worst thing is that when I'm returned to console, I don't get any error messages. Neither can I spot anything with "cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep EE" or "cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep WW". Dmesg doesn't yield anything either.

I'm really clueless here. Any ideas?

(I use udev, by the way)

Kern · 2005-05-27 10:19:23

/dev/null ??? waste bin permissions? lost me on that one, sorry.

have you checked your xorg.conf ? /etc/X11/xorg.conf

finally ... your install may have screwed up. try here for similar prob description.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions … 1/3/198685

nightfrost · 2005-05-27 10:23:51

Thanks, I'll check that thread out out. FYI, bad permissions to /dev/null (such as crw---------), will cause failure to connect to X for normal users, since anything > /dev/null will return permission denied. I've had this problem before.

EDIT: I check that thread: not really the same issue. The problem there is system peripherals, and the solution is reinstallation. My problem is system initialization and I don't won't to reinstall arch quite yet. The xorg.conf is fool proof. I've been using the same basic conf-file for a year now (with minor changes): it worked yesterday on the same laptop running gentoo.

Kern · 2005-05-27 11:05:25

ok - thx for the reply re /dev/null, never knew about that one.

Having similar "wtf" probs re CUPs. Printer just stopped working. done everything except sacrifice next doors chicken.
am also reluctant to re-install arch even tho a few other things are dodgy too.

good luck

T-Dawg · 2005-05-27 11:11:21

Do you have iptables running by any chance? I once had improperly configured iptables that wouldn't allow me to get past 'initializing system services'.

T-Dawg · 2005-05-27 11:16:40

Kern wrote:

Having similar "wtf" probs re CUPs. Printer just stopped working.

have a look at /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstoraster. Line 25 should say

prefix=/usr

If it says / then thats probably why it won't work.

nightfrost · 2005-05-27 11:47:26

OK; this is so crazy, I can only laugh. Nothing like this ever happened me before: Before trying your suggestions, I tried startx one more time, and for some reason it worked. So I decided to restart the computer and see what happens. When system was back up, I couldn't even start kdm. I took a look around and it turned out there was no "X" in my paths. Weird, since echo $PATH clearly showed /usr/X11R6/bin. So, I try to chdir to /usr/X11R6/bin, but I got permission denied, as root! I can't even run "ls /usr/X11R6" without getting permission denied. ls shows the other two dirs there, but not bin. That's just so weird. And I can't reinstall Xorg, cause that requires write permissions to those dirs...

Kern · 2005-05-27 15:07:34

im putting both nightfrosts and my probs down to witchcraft.
i removed and re installed all things cups, tried the /usr thing, and am now going to try the universal cure for everything. ive opened a beer.
Friday night here i come. Leeeeeeeeeeeerooooooooooy!

Pengy, thx for the info. /usr was already there
nightfrost: wont pollute ur thread further, will DCC u a cold beer, thanks for patiently thread sharing.

/me hands the tinnies round

Arch Linux

#1 2005-05-27 09:58:39

connection to X fails without error messages

#2 2005-05-27 10:19:23

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#3 2005-05-27 10:23:51

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#4 2005-05-27 11:05:25

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#5 2005-05-27 11:11:21

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#6 2005-05-27 11:16:40

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#7 2005-05-27 11:47:26

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

#8 2005-05-27 15:07:34

Re: connection to X fails without error messages

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