Bit of an annoying problem on my laptop since I upgraded to Kubuntu Gutsy - on bootup I get a black screen and have to drop to a console after 5 minutes of blankness. If I startx I get an error message saying X is already started and a /tmp lock file created. If I delete this lock file I can start X... so why doesn't it start properly on startup?

No error message of note appears on the console screen and ctrl-alt-F7 sends me back to a blank screen if I don't restart X.

~/.xsession-errors doesn't enlighten me much. It doesn't get updated until after I startx either.

Maybe the problem is that the lock file is not being deleted when X shuts down. You could shut down your system and use a live CD to see if the lock file was deleted during shutdown.

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Steve Stites

The ~/.xsession-errors is only updated if you start the X server as a user. If the system starts the X server as part of the switch to a certain run level, it will be logged in the system log files (not sure on Kubuntu, but Fedora is /var/log/Xorg.0.log). I'm guessing X is starting, it just isn't launching your login window or something. You may also want to look at the gdm log (once again, on Fedora /var/log/gdm/:0.log).

HTH

Forrest

Nothing untoward in the Xorg.log and the kdm.log is empty. No gdm log or folder in my var.
When I boot up and fall back to the console I can never see the lock file. It only seems to appear once I try to run startx.

Is there some way of deleting kdm's settings and starting again?

Any other tips?

Uy! I solved the problem somehow the last time (probably a reformat) and have forgotten how. Just updated to Hardy Heron and have exactly the same problem again. Christ, I hate these half-assed releases!

Again, if anyone has a tip this time apart from reformatting, I'm all ears

What happens if you log in, switch to run level 3, remove any lock files, and then switch to run level 5?

HTH

Forrest

Can you explain exactly how to do that please?

Thanks
P

Log in and run:

HTH

Forrest

p.s. I'm just guessing that the lock file is the same on Hardy Heron as it is in Fedora. It might be different.

I did that and I ended up in a command line login screen, from where I logged in and ran startx. I'm not sure if that advances us any?

Don't run the startx. Log in, remove the lock file, and then run the init 5.

HTH

Forrest

I'm sorry, I don't get it. I booted up, dropped to console, logged in, ran those three commands you gave me and ended up at a console login screen. There didn't seem to be much else to do after that, apart from login again...

What happens if you hit [ctrl][alt][F7] at the login?

Forrest

It just goes back to black again.


I reformatted, reinstalled and it's giving me the exact same crap again.