No desktop loaded after graphical login

Hello,

Here is the problem: On logging in using graphical interface, the
desktop doesn't load. The computer is running Linux Mint (Cassandra)
currently with KDE enabled, but Gnome is also installed. On running
Gnome failsafe: It says it cannot find Gnome failsafe and takes one to
xterm. From xterm, I can launch some programs.

The default session is "Run Xclient scripts". Where do I find these
scripts? The home directory doesn't have them, nor does it have
the .xsession file. I've also checked with other working linux mint
installations in the neighbourhood. (If it is a problem with KDE,
atleast I need to switch the desktop back to GNOME)

I havent been able to figure out what exactly the problem is. Removing
the .kde (or .gnome) directories (assuming it is some local
misconfiguration) does not help. Can anyone please point me to a place
to look for errors?


Thanks,
Nishita.

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:40:20 +0000, nish.des@gmail.com wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Here is the problem: On logging in using graphical interface, the
> desktop doesn't load. The computer is running Linux Mint (Cassandra)
> currently with KDE enabled, but Gnome is also installed. On running
> Gnome failsafe: It says it cannot find Gnome failsafe and takes one to
> xterm. From xterm, I can launch some programs.
>
> The default session is "Run Xclient scripts". Where do I find these
> scripts? The home directory doesn't have them, nor does it have the
> .xsession file. I've also checked with other working linux mint
> installations in the neighbourhood. (If it is a problem with KDE,
> atleast I need to switch the desktop back to GNOME)
>
> I havent been able to figure out what exactly the problem is. Removing
> the .kde (or .gnome) directories (assuming it is some local
> misconfiguration) does not help. Can anyone please point me to a place
> to look for errors?

Not familiar with Mint, but since your system boots to a terminal, I'd
bet it's a configuration error with the X server. Look for its
configuration file. Should be in /etc/X11. Probably is name xorg.conf
or Xfree86-something. Look for the Device and Monitor sections, first to
see if the settings are correct. If they are, check the rest of the file
for any irregularities.

man xorg.conf for details.

Stef

On 09/15/2007 06:40 AM, nish.des@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Here is the problem: On logging in using graphical interface, the
> desktop doesn't load. The computer is running Linux Mint (Cassandra)
> currently with KDE enabled, but Gnome is also installed. On running
> Gnome failsafe: It says it cannot find Gnome failsafe and takes one to
> xterm. From xterm, I can launch some programs.
>
> The default session is "Run Xclient scripts". Where do I find these
> scripts? The home directory doesn't have them, nor does it have
> the .xsession file. I've also checked with other working linux mint
> installations in the neighbourhood. (If it is a problem with KDE,
> atleast I need to switch the desktop back to GNOME)
>
> I havent been able to figure out what exactly the problem is. Removing
> the .kde (or .gnome) directories (assuming it is some local
> misconfiguration) does not help. Can anyone please point me to a place
> to look for errors?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Nishita.
>

I have no idea what Linux Mint is; I'm tempted to think it's some sort
of candy ;-)

What display manager do you use (gdm, kdm, xdm)?

Can you tell that display manager to start Gnome or KDE?

If not, you might try booting up without X. Then start X using something
like this:

startx /usr/bin/startkde

or this,

startx /usr/bin/gnome-session

That could help you narrow down the problem. If one of the above
commands work, then it's likely that the display manager is misconfigured.

> I have no idea what Linux Mint is; I'm tempted to think it's some sort
> of candy ;-)

Linux Mint is an Ubuntu based distribution which is supposed to have
more eye candy. If anyone can give ubuntu specific answers, i think
they should work as well. http://www.linuxmint.com/about.html

> What display manager do you use (gdm, kdm, xdm)?
gdm. No kdm, xdm found.

> Can you tell that display manager to start Gnome or KDE?
How do i do that? Where are the config files?

> If not, you might try booting up without X. Then start X using something
That is what I tried to do, but I can seem to kill X. It just starts
right up. (Default login is in Graphical mode) I first presumed that
this is because of default runlevel set to 5 and changed it to 3 using
"init 3" and then killed X but that didn't work. Also there's no
inittab file, so i dont know how to make runlevel 3 default.

As for Stefan's query.. it's definitely not a monitor problem. I can
manually start gnome-panel and all other applications from xterm
failsafe session.

Regards,
Nishita

* Stefan Patric wrote in comp.os.linux.misc:
> On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:40:20 +0000, nish.des@gmail.com wrote:

>> Hello,

>> Here is the problem: On logging in using graphical interface, the
>> desktop doesn't load. The computer is running Linux Mint (Cassandra)
>> currently with KDE enabled, but Gnome is also installed. On running
>> Gnome failsafe: It says it cannot find Gnome failsafe and takes one to
>> xterm. From xterm, I can launch some programs.

>> The default session is "Run Xclient scripts". Where do I find these
>> scripts? The home directory doesn't have them, nor does it have the
>> .xsession file. I've also checked with other working linux mint
>> installations in the neighbourhood. (If it is a problem with KDE,
>> atleast I need to switch the desktop back to GNOME)

>> I havent been able to figure out what exactly the problem is. Removing
>> the .kde (or .gnome) directories (assuming it is some local
>> misconfiguration) does not help. Can anyone please point me to a place
>> to look for errors?

> Not familiar with Mint, but since your system boots to a terminal, I'd
> bet it's a configuration error with the X server. Look for its
> configuration file. Should be in /etc/X11. Probably is name xorg.conf
> or Xfree86-something. Look for the Device and Monitor sections, first to
> see if the settings are correct. If they are, check the rest of the file
> for any irregularities.

> man xorg.conf for details.

Better of trying to reconfigure the package using the included tools

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

--
David
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org/

There's just something I don't like about Virginia; the state.

nish.des@gmail.com staggered into the Black Sun and said:
>> I have no idea what Linux Mint is
> Linux Mint is an Ubuntu based distribution which is supposed to have
> more eye candy.

OK, this is reasonably useful.

>> What display manager do you use (gdm, kdm, xdm)?
> gdm. No kdm, xdm found.
>> Can you tell that display manager to start Gnome or KDE?
> How do i do that? Where are the config files?

/etc/X11/gdm/ for gdm, assuming they haven't screwed with it. Also,
since your DM is apparently having trouble starting the WM/DE, a place
to look for error messages is ~/.xsession-errors after you've tried to
start the DE via the DM.

>> If not, you might try booting up without X. Then start X using something
> That is what I tried to do, but I [can't] seem to kill X. It just
> starts right up. I first presumed that this is because of default
> runlevel set to 5 and changed it to 3 using "init 3" and then killed X
> but that didn't work. Also there's no inittab file

*WHAT*? They're really done something weird if /etc/inittab doesn't
exist. There is no way to tell a normal /sbin/init to use a config file
other than /etc/inittab AFAICT. Also, Ubuntu is Debian-based, and in
default Debian installs, runlevels 2..5 are all the same. They may have
changed this.

> so i [don't] know how to make runlevel 3 default.

Try appending a 3 to the kernel command line via GRUB. That won't
change the default, but it'll show you whether they're using "normal" or
Debian-style runlevels.

--
....In Hong Kong action movies, they don't have Hollywood Guns with
infinite bullet supplies. Instead, they have Hong Kong Pants(tm) which
hold an infinite supply of loaded pistols. --M. Sphar, the Monastery
Matt G|There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see

* Dances With Crows wrote in comp.os.linux.misc:

[...]

> *WHAT*? They're really done something weird if /etc/inittab doesn't
> exist.

Ubuntu now uses Upstart

http://upstart.ubuntu.com/

--
David
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org/

Am I ranting? I hope so. My ranting gets raves.

On 09/16/2007 04:24 AM, nish.des@gmail.com wrote:
>> I have no idea what Linux Mint is; I'm tempted to think it's some sort
>> of candy ;-)
>
> Linux Mint is an Ubuntu based distribution which is supposed to have
> more eye candy. If anyone can give ubuntu specific answers, i think
> they should work as well. http://www.linuxmint.com/about.html
>
>> What display manager do you use (gdm, kdm, xdm)?
> gdm. No kdm, xdm found.
>
>> Can you tell that display manager to start Gnome or KDE?
> How do i do that? Where are the config files?
>

There are none. You select that from within the gdm greeter:

Sessions-> KDE

>> If not, you might try booting up without X. Then start X using something
> That is what I tried to do, but I can seem to kill X. It just starts
> right up. (Default login is in Graphical mode) I first presumed that
> this is because of default runlevel set to 5 and changed it to 3 using
> "init 3" and then killed X but that didn't work. Also there's no
> inittab file, so i dont know how to make runlevel 3 default.
> [...]

As a more aggressive measure, you could remove execute permissions from
/etc/init.d/gdm.

But before doing this, as a Debian user, I would first try to configure
the runlevels the normal way:

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/re...n.html#s-sys-v

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/re...l#s-no-x-start

Linux Mint should provide documentation on their website on how to do
these things; if not, perhaps Mint is not the right distribution for you :-\

Thank you all for your help. The problem has been solved after re-
installing gnome-core package and reconfiguring xserver-xorg.

> There are none. You select that from within the gdm greeter:
> Sessions-> KDE
The greeter now shows a separate Gnome entry which has been made
default.

> But before doing this, as a Debian user, I would first try to configure
> the runlevels the normal way:
The runlevels are normal. I think the only things Mint changes from
Ubuntu are to do with display and multimedia applications.

Thank you again.

Regards,
Nishita