Re: [Dorset] Kubuntu 17.04 Login Manager Fails to Start X.
On Sunday, 30 July 2017 17:31:56 BST Ralph Corderoy wrote: > Ah, OK, so the fault isn't from booting, but on entering username and > password at the GUI login prompt you fail to get your KDE X desktop. > Are you using SDDM, do you know? The Simple Desktop Display Manager. > It seems to be what KDE have moved to. There will be log files for > whatever the display manager is, and also probably X-server log files > for the X display that the display manager is using. Yes. It's SDDM. The file /var/log/sddm.log is empty. I've checked the other log files for references to SDDM, but nothing stands out. The trouble is that I suspect that when the fault occurs SDDM doesn't even get called, because the process doesn't get that far. > When it works, if you log out rather than shutdown does it get back to > the login manager OK? And you can log back in, ad infinitum? It seems to. (I don't know about ad infinitum; I only have one life :-) ) > You're looking for what packages were upgraded in the run up to the > problem first occurring rather than errors about the upgrade per se. > Try > > fold -80 /var/log/apt/history | less +G > > That will put you at the end, most recent, so you can scroll up. Again. I can't see anything that stands out. I can't quite recall when it started, but there were lots of packages upgraded on the 21st and another large lot on the 15th. The trouble is that I only use this laptop when I'm out or when using my Arduino scope in the workroom, so there could have been a week between me running the updater and then noticing the problem. > > I tried Alt Ctrl F1 to get a virtual console, but nothing happened. > > Try F2 and F7 next time as well as F1; perhaps you're already on F1 and > that's the blank screen and flashing cursor. I failed to mention that I tried all those too, plus the other F keys. ;-( -- Terry Coles -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2017-08-01 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk / CHECK IF YOU'RE REPLYING Reporting bugs well: http://goo.gl/4Xue / TO THE LIST OR THE AUTHOR
Re: [Dorset] Kubuntu 17.04 Login Manager Fails to Start X.
Hi Terry, > > > Everything has been fine for a while, but in the last few days, it > > > boots into the shell instead of the desktop > > > > Every time? > > Not at first, then it was every time, but since I wrote this query > it's worked every time. When it boots up OK, it tends to shut down > OK. That seems reasonable... > > You normally have it boot into a logged in user on the desktop? Or > > a graphical login prompt? > > No it don't have it boot straight into the user, but I do normally get > the graphical login prompt. Ah, OK, so the fault isn't from booting, but on entering username and password at the GUI login prompt you fail to get your KDE X desktop. Are you using SDDM, do you know? The Simple Desktop Display Manager. It seems to be what KDE have moved to. There will be log files for whatever the display manager is, and also probably X-server log files for the X display that the display manager is using. When it works, if you log out rather than shutdown does it get back to the login manager OK? And you can log back in, ad infinitum? > There is a History log, but it's huge and has line lengths up to 7000 > odd chars. I'm not sure that I would notice if there was something > amiss. You're looking for what packages were upgraded in the run up to the problem first occurring rather than errors about the upgrade per se. Try fold -80 /var/log/apt/history | less +G That will put you at the end, most recent, so you can scroll up. > > Try using the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_SysRq_key > > I'll give it a try the next time it happens, but it doesn't seem to be > reading the keyboard at all by then. The magic SysRq key works at a low level, inside the kernel, so can work when other things fail. > I tried Alt Ctrl F1 to get a virtual console, but nothing happened. Try F2 and F7 next time as well as F1; perhaps you're already on F1 and that's the blank screen and flashing cursor. Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2017-08-01 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk / CHECK IF YOU'RE REPLYING Reporting bugs well: http://goo.gl/4Xue / TO THE LIST OR THE AUTHOR
