Jim Seymour posted on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:46:15 -0800 as excerpted: > About three weeks ago my kde desktop started to get distorted and slow > reacting. I decided to go ahead and reboot the computer. That was the > last time I have been logged in graphically. I have since removed KDE > and the nvidia-drivers and am now just trying to get it working with the > nv drivers and xdm/twm. I do get a log in screen, however upon trying to > log in the screen goes blank and eventually comes back to the login > screen. Since I seem to be the only one having this issue, I assume I > missed an important entry in the elog. I have the modeline (no X at all > without a xorg.conf) set to the parameters parsed by the video driver. I > am using evdev for the keyboard and mouse (they work fine). I have > googled and searched the mail archives
Some observations... 1) Since you get the login screen, X has to be working. Presumably, that's with full root permissions. 2) When you try to login, screen blanks and eventually returns to the ?DM login screen. Of course, in the process of logging in as your user and getting a kde or twm session, you'll switch to user privs for some things. That this doesn't work but the login screen as root does, hints at a permission issue, or an issue setting up the user "magic cookies" that allow an ordinary user to access the xorg server running as root. 3) That begs the question [1], what happens if you create a fresh user and try to login as them, and/or if you try logging in as root? (Yes, I don't recommend it for normal usage either, but for testing... disconnect from the net if you're paranoid, backup your /root so you can restore it to pre- X-login condition afterward, and try the root thing.) If a new/clean user works, then you know it's something in the user config. If it doesn't but root works, you know it's a permissions issue of some sort. 4) Due to ?DM breaking on me years ago on Mandrake, I quit using ?DM graphical logins then, and have never gone back, choosing instead to login at the text console and startx as my preferred user. You mention nothing about even trying that. Does /that/ work and you simply prefer the graphical login, does that not work either, or were you unaware of the option? Obviously if it works you have a workaround. At least that way you can run your graphical environment of choice, even if you don't like the login method. Plus, the results of this test should help someone a bit more skilled in ?DM technologies than I am (as I said I quit DMs long ago) figure out what's going on. --- [1] Literal/descriptive usage: Greek or Latin logical fallacies aside, the intent here is the literal meaning of the English words: The lead-up now begs that the question be asked. -- Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman
