After upgrade 13.10 hangs after login ... maual startx from CLI needed to start

[PJJ]

After one of the recent upgrades Kubuntu 13.10 is refusing to go beyond the screen after login. It just sits there doing nothing.

Workaround:
Ctrl - Alt- F1
login:
password

then:
"startx"

This resolves the problem and starts the system. Thereafter everything runs normally.
I need to repeat this procedure after every cold start.

Is there a better way to do this? I know there is.

[NoWorries]

I am not sure if what you are experiencing is similar to problems that I had. I found that .Xauthority was the culprit. You will find discussion and a solution to this problem here. Hope this solves your problem.

[PJJ]

Thank you for your suggestion.
I had attempted before posting to resolve the matter by erasing .Xauthority.
Tried it again according to your leads.

It does not work.
I still am experiencing the problem: Normal boot to login screen, login accepted, login screen disappears and then everything hangs with a standard Kubuntu/Kde screen withtout any text or structure. Just blue swirls.

Ctrl+Alt+F1 allows me to get to a CLI login prompt. From there 'startx' gets things going normally.

Upon log out the Xserver shuts down and apparently is not restarted automatically upon login.

[Snowhog]

Once you are 'in', create a new user account. Log out and log in under the new user. Is the same thing experienced, or does the new user get in 'as expected'?

[PJJ]

It is doing the same thing.
No change whatsoever.

[Snowhog]

Then the issue isn't about something within your /home directory. What graphics hardware do you have?

[PJJ]

Then the issue isn't about something within your /home directory. What graphics hardware do you have?

I checked that quite a while ago. I have one of the worst as someone told me.

But it used to work before one of the updates. And it works just fine after I have logged in from the command line.
I also have to logout from the command line.

Running latest software version.